Cook A Life! by Maeva... in English: No bake cheesecake in a jar, pink grapefruit and dried mallow flower jelly

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No bake cheesecake in a jar, pink grapefruit and dried mallow flower jelly • Cook A Life! by Maeva

Here is a recipe I made for the new edition of a French culinary challenge I'm taking part each time I can. This month theme was "Flower Power", we had to use flowers in any way in our recipe and in the decoration.

It had been a long time since I wanted to make a new cheesecake. I'm not a great fan because they're often too heavy for me. This is why I like to add fruit, make them light, in small sizes and this time I wanted to make a no-bake cheesecake in a jar because desserts in which you have to dig your spoon in are the most comfy food to me and I also love to revisit traditional dessert in desserts-in-a-jar!

I wanted to play the game and added flower-something in each layer, poppy seeds in the crust, coconut flower sugar in the filling and dried organic mallow flowers in an agar-agar pink grapefruit jelly.

Also this cheesecake is lighter in taste and a little more healthy - as much as a cheesecake can be - I replaced the butter by coconut oil in the crust as you use it melted and it hardens when cold.

I chose pink grapefruit because this is my favorite citrus fruit and one of my favorite fruit! I made some flower shaped jelly inserts because I thought it was pretty and wanted to add a little originality but you can skip this step, the jelly on top is enough. If you do so, you shall divide the jelly ingredient quantities in half.

To sum up, this dessert is light enough to be enjoyed even after a heavy meal! The sweetness of the filling is slightly balanced with the citrus fruit zests and most of all the pink grapefruit jelly and the crunchy base contrasts with the softness of the filling and jelly

No-bake cheesecake in a jar, pink grapefruit and fried mallow flower jelly

Prep time : 5 min (crust) + 5 min (jelly #1) + 5 min (filling) + 5 min (jelly #2)

Rest time : 30 min + 30 min

Cook time : 1 min for each jelly

Serving : 3 x 250 ml jars

Crust

- 3 handfuls stale/dry sweet crackers or cookies

- 2 tbsp organic coconut oil (or butter)

- 1 tsp organic poppy seeds

Cheesecake filling

- 125 g (4,40 oz) cream cheese

- 125 g (4,40 oz) Greek yogurt

- 3 tsp organic coconut sugar

- organic citrus fruit zests

Mallow flower and pink grapefruit jelly (divide qties in half to only prepare the jelly on top)

- 40 cl (1 cup + 5/8 cup) pink grapefruit juice

- 2 tsp maple syrup or agave or honey

- 1 tsp agar-agar powder

- 2 tbsp dried organic mallow flowers

Crust

Make the coconut oil melt then you have two choices, you can use a food mixer or you hands. Pour the crumbled cookies, the coconut oil and the poppy seeds the mixing bowl and mix. Or pour the cookies in a freezing bag wrapped in a towel and crush them with a rolling pin, then put them in an hermetic bowl with the coconut oil and the poppy seeds, shake and voilà!

Put the crust in the bottom of the jars and put in the fridge.

Mallow flower and pink grapefruit jelly inserts

Separate the flower petals from the base and keep only the petals.

In a saucepan, pour the grapefruit juice, the agave syrup and the agar-agar powder, whisk and boil for 1 minute (to activate the agar-agar). Add the mallow flowers and whisk to incorporate and pour the jelly in a little dish with high rims covered with cellophane paper (to unmould more easily). make sure the dish is not too big to have thick inserts. Put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, more is better.

Cut little forms in the jelly with a pastry-cutter, be careful when manipulating it. Put the jelly forms on the inside of the jar walls to make it "stick" and put back in the fridge.

Cheesecake filling

In a bowl, whisk the cream cheese with the yogurt, the sugar and the zests. Pour in a pipping bag (or a freezing bag) and pour the filling inside the jars on the crust, sleek the top with the back of a table spoon and put back in the fridge.

Mallow flower and pink grapefruit jelly (top of cheesecake)

You should have jelly leftovers, you can use them again as the agar-agar is a reversible gelling agent. Put them in the saucepan and add about 5 cl (about 5 tsp) grapefruit juice and a pinch of agar-agar. Whisk and boil for 1 minute again.