The heat of summer is upon us in the Deep South. Keep plenty of cold drinks, popsicles, and Frozen Berry Cheesecake Salad with Bourbon Whipped Cream on hand.
Summer in the Deep South is no joke. Every day is a jam-packed adventure of drenching sweats, frizzy hair, oppressive humidity, and biting insects. I’ve been exposed to those elements my entire life. One would think, the longer you live in an environment, the easier it gets to cope with the elements. I swannee to goodness, it’s having the opposite effect on me.
During the harsh summer months, this usually agreeable, happy-go-lucky person, cranks up her grump-o-meter to wide open. I constantly search for magazines, pieces of cardboard, newspaper, or something similar that I can use as a fan anytime I feel like I’m about to become combustible.
Of late, I’ve taken to keeping collapsible cute little fabric fans in my purse. Naturally, I bought every color of the fans I could find so I’d have a color that coordinates with my clothes, for heaven’s sake. Some folks don’t leave home until they’re sure they have their mobile phone with them. I, on the other hand, double check my fan situation long before I give my mobile phone a second thought.
Lest you think I’ve forgotten what a blessing it is to live in my beloved South, I need to stop right here and recall some of my most cherished childhood memories that occurred during Deep South summer months. To this very day, I loved to get lost in daydreams of blackberry picking, pea shelling, creek swimming, rope swinging, dollar store flip-flop wearing, screen door slamming, sweet tea brewing, fans oscillating, and manual ice cream churns churning.
I’d silently giggle every time Granny pulled a damp handkerchief from her bosom, wiped her face and brow, and exclaimed,
“Whew! It’s sho’ ’nuff hawt weather.”
I find myself doing the same thing, frequently.
To combat the heat, we look for all the cold food and drinks we can find to shove down our throats. Cold and creamy is just the ticket to help cope with the summer heat and you get both with Frozen Berry Cheesecake Salad with Bourbon Whipped Cream. A cheesecake-type base houses fresh strawberries and blueberries along with bourbon flavored fresh whipped cream. I folded in crumbled shortbread cookies to play up the cheesecake crust aspect. The portion sizes are small so you can get away with having 3 or 4 at the time.
With a mind toward the upcoming Independence Day holiday, I used stars and stripes baking cups. These little cheesecakes salads can fit in any Independence Day celebration. If you’re sad about missing your local 4th of July parade because it’s too dadgum hot to stand on the asphalt waiting on the floats and the VFW band to come by, have a patriotic celebration in your backyard. Whether your backyard celebration is large with tons of folks, or small with only Aunt Poo, Uncle Frog, and the twins, you can honor our Founders who had the foresight to seek independence and the Patriots who had the courage to fight for it.
Now, the 800 pound question rolling around your head is, “Why in the Sam Hill is this called salad?” The answer to that is a whole different conversation. I’ll be happy to entertain that conversation with you at a later date after the weather cools down just a tad. Right now, let’s stay focused on trying to keep cool because it’s sho’ ‘nuff hawt weather.
Y’all come see us!
This article appeared in Southern Living.
Frozen Berry Cheesecake Salad with Bourbon Whipped Cream
Fresh strawberries and blueberries, crumbled shortbread cookies, along with bourbon whipped cream, are folded into a cheesecake-type base and frozen in individual portions.
yield: approximately 16 individual servings
2 cups diced fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces heavy whipping cream, keep cold
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
8 (2-inch) pecan shortbread cookies.
extra whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries for garnish
Place diced fresh strawberries and blueberries in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Stir. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or until sugar is melted.
Drain juice from berries and reserve. Set juice and berries aside.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Pour in berry juice and vanilla. Mix with electric mixer until well incorporated.
Stir in reserved strawberries and blueberries.
In another bowl, add whipping cream. Whip until stiff peaks form.Sprinkle sugar over whipped cream and add bourbon. Whip again until stiff peaks form.
Add about 1/4 of the whipped cream mixture to cream cheese mixture and gently stir to soften the cream cheese. Fold remaining whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
Place cookies in a plastic resealable bag and break into approximately one inch pieces. Stir broken cookies, and the crumbs, to into cheesecake mixture.
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake wrappers.
Using an ice cream scoop, divide the berry cheesecake mixture among the cupcake wrappers. I find it easier to hold the cupcake wrappers in my hand, fill it with cheesecake mixture and then place the filled wrapper in the muffin tin.
Note: this recipe makes approximately 16 individual servings. If you don’t have an addition muffin tin, place the remaining cheesecake mixture into a small freezer safe container.
Freeze overnight or at least 4 hours. Once they’re frozen solid, you can remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tins and place them in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Keep frozen until ready for use.
To serve, let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or until lightly softened. Garnish with additional whipped cream and fresh berries, if desired.
Frozen Berry Cheesecake Salad with Bourbon Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries and blueberries crumbled shortbread cookies, along with bourbon whipped cream, are folded into a cheesecake-type base and frozen in individual portions.
- yield: approximately 16 individual servings
- 2 cups diced fresh strawberries
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces heavy whipping cream keep cold
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 8 2-inch pecan shortbread cookies.
- extra whipped cream strawberries and blueberries for garnish
Instructions
- Place diced fresh strawberries and blueberries in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Stir. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or until sugar is melted.
- Drain juice from berries and reserve. Set juice and berries aside.
- In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Pour in berry juice and vanilla. Mix with electric mixer until well incorporated.
- Stir in reserved strawberries and blueberries.
- In another bowl, add whipping cream. Whip until stiff peaks form.Sprinkle sugar over whipped cream and add bourbon. Whip again until stiff peaks form.
- Add about 1/4 of the whipped cream mixture to cream cheese and gently stir to soften the cream cheese. Fold remaining whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
- Place cookies in a plastic resealable bag and break into approximately one inch pieces. Stir broken cookies, and the crumbs, to into cheesecake mixture.
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake wrappers.
- Using an ice cream scoop, divide the berry cheesecake mixture among the cupcake wrappers. I find it easier to hold the cupcake wrappers in my hand, fill it with cheesecake mixture and then place the filled wrapper in the muffin tin.
- Note: this recipe makes approximately 16 individual servings. If you don't have an addition muffin tin, place the remaining cheesecake mixture into a small freezer safe container.
- Freeze overnight or at least 4 hours. Once they're frozen solid, you can remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tins and place them in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Keep frozen until ready for use.
- To serve, let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or until lightly softened. Garnish with additional whipped cream and fresh berries, if desired.
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