Almond Cheesecake Pie with Blueberry Topping

This almond cheesecake batter is the perfect filling for fresh berry pies. The tartness of the cream cheese accents the sweet notes in the fruit. And the filling holds up longer than a custard or pastry cream especially when baked in a Grahamcracker crust.

Yield: 1 (10 inch) pie; 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup Love’n Bake® Almond Paste
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 (10 inch) Graham cracker pie crust

Topping

• 1/2 cup sliced natural almonds
• 1/2 cup apricot or seedless raspberry preserves
• 2 pints blueberries, washed and drained thoroughly
• 1 cup orange juice or water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Filling

1. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Blend the cream cheese on medium low speed for one minute. Scrape the bowl and blend again for several minutes until the cream cheese is smooth and lump free. Add the sugar and blend for another minute or two on medium speed. Scrape the bowl.
2. Grate the Love’n Bake® Almond Paste over the large holes of a box grater into the cream cheese mixture. Blend the almond paste into the cream cheese on low speed. Some lumps will remain.Beat in the eggs one at a time then stir in the sour cream and lemon zest.
3. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake the pie until the cream cheese mixture puffs slightly and is set in the center, for about 22 to 25 minutes.
4. Let the pie cool on a wire rack while preparing the topping.

Topping

1. Place the sliced almonds on a cookie sheet. Toast them lightly in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside for garnish.
2. Combine the preserves, 1 cup of the blueberries and 1/2 cup of the orange juice or water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook simmering, until the blueberries burst open and the preserves melt. (Add up to a cup of additional water should this be necessary to soften the preserves.)
3. Combine the remaining orange juice or water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve then add it to the cooking blueberries. Let the fruit mixture boil, stirring frequently until it thickens and becomes clear, for 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust the consistency with additional water if the mixture seems too stiff.
4. Remove from the heat. Cool to lukewarm then add the lemon juice and remaining blueberries.
5. Spoon the filling on top of the pie. Spread it out evenly, touching the edges. Spoon the thickened juices to fill any gaps between the berries. Sprinkle the edges of the pie with the toasted almonds. Refrigerate until chilled through and the topping is set, for at least 2 hours.
6. To serve, cut the pie into wedges using a knife dipped in hot water between each slice.

Notes

When making any cheesecake, resist the temptation to beat the cream cheese on high speed. On medium or medium low speed, the cream cheese softens and becomes lump-free without breaking down. We’ve used blueberries in our cooked fruit topping but blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries or sliced strawberries will work well using this same technique. Cooking some of the fruit with preserves breaks down the berries, releasing their juices to create an intense and deeply-colored glaze for the pie.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Love’n Bake® - AmericanAlmond.com