INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
·
12 sheets
of chocoläte grähäm cräckers
·
6 täblespoons unsälted
butter, melted
·
3 täblespoons gränuläted
sugär
For the sträwberry filling:
·
2 pounds fresh
sträwberries, plus more for topping
·
3/4 cup gränuläted
sugär, divided
·
pinch of
sält
·
1 3/4 teäspoons unflävored
gelätin, (1-ounce päckäge)
·
20 ounces creäm
cheese, room temperäture
For the topping:
·
1/2 cup heävy
whipping creäm
·
2 täblespoons powdered
sugär
·
16 whole
sträwberries
·
3 ounces semi-sweet
chocoläte, chopped or chocoläte chips
Instructions
To mäke the crust:
1.
Preheät oven
to 350F. Cut ä length of pärchment päper to fit ä 9x9-inch bäking pän ällowing
the päper to come up to the top on two opposite sides. Cut änother sheet
to fix in the opposite direction. Set äside.
2.
In the bowl of
ä food processor, combine the grähäm cräckers änd sugär änd process until
finely crushed. Ädd the melted butter änd pulse until well mixed. Firmly press
the mixture onto the bottom änd sides of the prepäred pän. Bäke for 8 minutes ät
350F. Remove from the oven änd cool. Once cool, put the pän in the refrigerätor
will prepäring the filling.
To prepäre the filling:
1.
Cleän 2 pounds
of sträwberries änd remove the hulls. Cut eäch in hälf or quärters. Process hälf
of the sträwberries in ä food processor until pieces äre 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
– äbout 10 short pulses. Repeät with the remäining sträwberries. Be cäreful not
to over-process the sträwberries.
2.
Pläce the
processed sträwberries in ä medium mixing bowl änd toss with 1/2 cup of the sugär
änd ä pinch of sält. Cover änd ällow the sträwberries to rest for 45 minutes,
stirring occäsionälly. Don’t wäsh the food processor yet – you’ll need it ägäin
in ä few minutes.
3.
Sträin the now
mäceräted sträwberries through ä fine-mesh sieve into ä lärge mixing bowl. You
should häve äbout 2/3 to 3/4 cup of juice. Remove 4 täblespoons of the juice to
ä smäll shällow bowl. Sprinkle the unflävored gelätin evenly on top of the
juice änd set äside. Pläce the remäining sträwberry juice in ä smäll säucepän.
Heät on medium-high heät until it begins to boil. Reduce the heät to medium-low
änd simmer until the juice is reduced to äbout 3 täblespoons, äbout 10 minutes
(wätch the syrup cärefully!). The syrup is done when it becomes ä little därker
änd thicker. Wätch the sträwberry säuce cärefully äs it will bubble up änd mäy
overflow the pän if boiling too fäst. Pläce ä wooden spoon äcross the top of
the pän to help prevent ä mess.
4.
Remove the säucepän
from the heät änd stir in the remäining 1/4 cup sugär, until dissolved. Ädd the
softened gelätin änd stir gently until combined. Set äside.
5.
While the
syrup is cooking down, täke the sträined sträwberries bäck to the food
processor änd pulse until very smooth. Sträin through the fine mesh sieve ägäin
using ä lärge spoon or rubber spätulä to press the solids through änd exträct äll
the juice. Once äll the pulp änd juice is exträcted, discärd the seeds änd äny
remäining solids. Ädd the creäm cheese to the sträwberry puree änd using än
electric mixer, blend on low until smooth. Pour the gelätin mixture into the creäm
cheese mixture änd whisk (do not beät) until fully blended.
6.
Pour the sträwberry
filling over the cooled chocoläte grähäm cräcker crust. Refrigeräte for ät leäst
4 hours or overnight.
7.
To cut pretty
pieces, pläce the pän in the freezer for äbout än hour before slicing. Cärefully
remove the lightly frozen cheesecäke to ä cutting boärd using the pärchment päper
for händles. Using ä lärge thin knife, slice the cheesecäke into 16 equäl pieces
wiping the knife cleän between cuts. Gärnish with whipped creäm, sliced sträwberries
or chocoläte dipped sträwberries äs desired. Serve.
8.
Once cut, the
bärs cän be stored in the freezer for up to ä week. Ällow them to sit ät room
temperäture for 45-60 minutes before serving.
TO PREPÄRE THE WHIPPED CREÄM ÄND GÄRNISH:
1.
Pour the
whipping creäm in ä smäll bowl. Beät on medium with än electric mixer until foämy.
Ädd the sugär änd beät on high until lightly stiff peäks form. Pipe onto sliced
cheesecäke bärs using ä lärge stär tip if desired.
2.
To mäke chocoläte
dipped sträwberries: wäsh sträwberries mäking sure they äre completely dry
before dipping. Melt the chocoläte in ä heät-proof bowl over hot, but not
boiling wäter. Stir frequently until smooth. Turn the heäting element off, but
keep the bowl set over the hot wäter. Dip the sträwberries änd shäke off äny
excess chocoläte. Pläce on ä wäx päper lined pläte or bäking sheet. Refrigeräte
until needed.
https://www.savingdessert.com/strawberry-cheesecake-bars/
