Ingredients
▢15 ounces / 425 g (about 3 cups) fresh blueberries
▢3 tablespoons / 36 g brown sugar
▢1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
For Crust:
▢7 ounces / 200 g vanilla wafer cookies, about 1 1/2 cups crumbs
▢¼ cup / 30 g almond meal or finely ground almonds
▢2 tablespoons / 24 g brown sugar
▢pinch salt
▢5 tablespoons / 70 g butter, melted
For Filling:
▢16 ounces / 454 g full-fat cream cheese, room temperature*
▢⅔ cup / 133 g granulated sugar
▢1 teaspoon fine sea salt
▢3 tablespoons / 22 g all-purpose flour
▢4 large eggs, room temperature
▢⅔ cup / 150 g crème fraîche** or sour cream, room temperature
▢2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
▢1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
▢¾ teaspoon almond extract
For Glaze:
▢1 cup / 240 g crème fraîche, chilled or sour cream (room temperature)***
▢¼ cup / 50 g granulated sugar
▢½ teaspoon almond extract.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss blueberries with brown sugar and maple syrup. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet (lined with foil for easy cleanup) and roast for 15 minutes or until juicy and bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then pour, scraping all berries and their juices, into the bowl of a food processor or blender; puree until smooth and set aside. You should have about 1 cup of puree (if you have more than that, feel free to set some aside to drizzle on the top of the cheesecake later).
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Butter a
9-inch cake pan with removable bottom
; line bottom with a round of parchment paper if desired.
Crush cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs; pulse to mix in almond meal, sugar, and salt until blended. Add butter and pulse until evenly moistened. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes or until set, then remove from oven and let cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In the bowl of a food processor or a stand mixer, pulse room temperature cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Add salt and flour and pulse again. Add eggs, two at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to be sure all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Add crème fraîche, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts, and pureed blueberries and pulse until even in color and no white streaks remain (remember to scrape the bowl again!)
Pour batter into cooled crust. Place on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven. While cheesecake is baking, whisk together crème fraîche, sugar, and almond extract until smooth. If using crème fraîche, put this mixture back in the fridge until you’re ready to glaze.
After about 45 to 50 minutes, when center of cheesecake is set but still barely jiggly, remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then pour glaze on top of cheesecake, spreading into an even layer.
Return to oven to bake for another 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or ideally overnight.
Before serving, remove edges of springform pan and slice into 16 wedges; serve chilled or at room temperature, topped with fresh blueberries or leftover roasted blueberry puree if desired. Cheesecake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
