Lactose-Free Berries Cheesecake

Even though I do not have a sweet tooth, there are a few desserts that I cannot say no to.

My top 3 list includes:

1. Tiramisù
2. Treme Brulee
3. Cheesecake

They all contain a lot of dairy but luckily, nowadays, lactose-free products are much more common and accessible than a decade ago!

Every Saturday here in Haarlem (where I live in the Netherlands), there is a beautiful farmers' market that we always attend to buy fresh produce. Last week there was a big discount on blueberries and, as long they are IBS friendly, I bought a good amount of those. I soon realized that I might have exaggerated a little, but here came the chance to make my favorite berry cheesecake!

I decided to add some frozen mixed berries to add more color. Luckily, they do not trigger me, but use blueberries if it happens to you. As a base, I used regular gluten-free cocoa biscuits.

Buon appetito!

Makes: between 8 to 10 slices
Serving size: a slice each
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: it has to rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours

Ingredients to make the berries cheesecake:

Ingredients for the base:

• 7 oz of gluten-free cocoa biscuits
• 5.5 oz of melted butter

Ingredients for the cheese cream:

• 4.5 oz of icing sugar
• seeds of a vanilla pod
• 1.1 pounds of lactose-free cream cheese
• 0.3 oz of isinglass
• 1.8 oz of hot lactose-free heavy cream (the one to whip)
• 5.2 of cold lactose-free heavy cream (the one to whip)

Ingredients to decorate:

• 7 oz of blueberries
• 1 tablespoon of icing sugar
• juice of half a lemon
• 7 oz of mixed berries
• powdered sugar
• mint

Directions for berries cheesecake:

Directions for the base:

1. Chop the biscuits thinly with a blender and mix them with the melted butter
2. Use a springform pan and cover it with baking paper
3. Spread the mixture on the base and press evenly to the bottom
4. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes

Directions for the cheese cream:

1. Mix the lactose-free cream cheese with a whisk, with 2oz of icing sugar and the seeds of the vanilla pod until the mixture is soft and smooth
2. Put the isinglass to soak in plenty of cold water for at least 10 minutes to soften
3. Whip the lactose-free cream together with the remaining 2.5 oz of icing sugar and gently add it to the soft cheese cream
4. Heat 4 tablespoons of lactose-free cream and melt in it the drained isinglass that has previously softened in the cold water
5. Stir until the preparation is completely cold
6. Add the isinglass to the soft cheese cream
7. Pour everything on the biscuit base, level with a spoon and put the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 4 hours

Directions for the decoration:

1. Heat the berries in a saucepan over low heat together with the sugar, add the juice of half a lemon
2. Pass them through a sieve to obtain a thick sauce which you will keep in the fridge.
3. When the cake is compact, remove it from the mold and place it on a serving plate, garnishing it with the berry sauce, wild berries, and some mint leaves.