Blackberry Curd Cheesecakes in a Jar

By Texaschef11

Ingredients

• crust
• 2 cups (250g) graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tbsps (85g) sugar
• 6 tbsps butter, melted
• cheesecake
• 40 oz. (1.15kg) cream cheese, softened
• 14 oz. (400g) sugar (I’d reduce this to 12 ounces next time)
• 5 large eggs
• 2 oz. (60 ml) milk
• 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 lemon, grated peel of
• blackberry curd
• 2-4 cups blackberries, fresh or thawed (I used 4 cups)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 oz. butter
• 4 tbsps cornstarch
• 4 tbsps cold water

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Have approximately 12 8-ounce jars clean and dry at the ready. You don’t need the lids (unless you want to seal them for transport). Boil a pot of water.

Crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together. Press enough crust into the bottom of each jar about a half-inch thick (it really depends on how big your jars are).

Cheesecake: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and slowly beat in the sugar. Scrape the sides down periodically to avoid any cream cheese lumps. Beat in the eggs, milk, flour, egg yolks, and the lemon peel. Continue beating until uniform and smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour the batter into each jar about 2-3 inches deep. Tap the base of the jars on a counter or table to get the air bubbles out of the batter. Place the jars in a roasting pan and carefully pour the boiling water into the pan avoiding getting any water into the cheesecake jars. The water should come up to an inch below the shortest jar. Place in oven and reduce heat to 300°F. Bake 30 minutes then turn off the oven and let the cheesecakes sit in the oven for another 20 minutes. Centers should be jiggly while the edges should be slightly firm. Remove from oven, remove from water bath and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Blackberry curd: Place the blackberries, water, and orange zest in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Press the mixture through a food mill or you can purée the berry mixture in a food processor and press through a sieve. Pour the berry liquid back into the saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1 cup sugar and 2 ounces butter. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. While whisking the berry mixture, pour the cornstarch into the pan. Stir until thick and bubbly and stir for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour the contents into a bowl or vessel and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool.

Top each cheesecake with blackberry curd and garnish as desired. Makes about 12 8-ounce jars.