May 26th is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. Observe the day by enjoying a slice of our favorite Kars4Kids blueberry cheesecake--see recipe below our short history of two of America's favorite foods:
History of Blueberries and Cream Cheese
There was a time when people only gathered blueberries from the wild. It wasn't until the early 1900s through the observations of Elizabeth Coleman White and the research of Dr. Frederick V. Coville that successful transplanting and domestication of the blueberry became possible. It wasn't long after that commercial production of the blueberry began.
Cream cheese has been a part of America's recipe repertoire since about the 1820s. However, after the advent of pasteurization, mass production became possible. One dairy farmer from Chester, New York, decided to be the first. William A. Lawrence purchased a Neufchatel factory to begin his production and in 1873 the first mass-produced cream cheese became a reality.
Kars4Kids Blueberry Cheesecake
Yield: 16 servings
· 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
· 3 Tbsp. sugar
· 1/3 cup butter, melted
· 4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 tsp. vanilla
· 4 eggs
· 1 can blueberry pie filling
Method:
1. Heat oven to 325°F.
2. Combine graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and melted butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan
3. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed, until just blended. Pour filling over crust.
4. Bake for 55 minutes or until center of cheesecake is almost set and doesn’t jiggle.
5. Cool cheesecake on rack
6. When cool, spread blueberry pie filling over top of cheesecake, run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake
7. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours
8. Remove pan, serve
#america #food #history #baking