The Eli’s Cheesecake Cookbook

YIELD: 1 (9-INCH) FLUTED TART PAN / 12 SERVINGS

Chris and Sheila try their cheesecake during a Top Box delivery.

One of the many charity partners Eli’s Cheesecake is proud to work with is Top Box Foods, a nonprofit hunger relief program founded by Chris Kennedy, son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, and Chris’s wife, Sheila. By utilizing bulk purchasing power to get high-quality foods at a discount, Top Box is able to offer community residents the opportunity to purchase affordable fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein at monthly delivery locations throughout Chicago and Lake County. Eli’s has donated cheesecake and desserts to Top Box since the organization’s inception in 2012. When we asked Chris and Sheila to dream up their favorite cheesecake, they suggested Lemon Blueberry—a shout-out to the importance of the fresh fruit component in the Top Box deliveries.

Shopping List

FOR THE BLUEBERRY COMPOTE:

2 cups (15 ounces) fresh blueberries, rinsed, dried, and stems removed

8 ounces apricot jam

2 tablespoons water

FOR THE BROWN SUGAR STREUSEL:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup light brown sugar

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

FOR THE LEMON BATTER:

1½ (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon zest

½ cup granulated sugar, divided

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large whole eggs, room temperature

1. Prepare the Blueberry Compote (see recipe on p. 125). Follow the recipe as directed and store in the refrigerator until ready for use.

2. Prepare the Brown Sugar Streusel (see recipe on p. 115). Follow the recipe as directed.

3. Prepare the Lemon batter (see recipe on p. 100). Follow the recipe as directed.

4. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Fill the fluted tart pan with the Lemon batter.

5. Place the fluted tart pan in the center of the oven, directly on the middle shelf. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake is slightly firm to the touch (this is a shallow cake, so it shouldn’t jiggle much). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

6. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to completely set before serving.

7. Before serving, pour the Blueberry Compote on the center of the cake. Using the back of a wooden spoon or a silicone offset spatula, spread the compote evenly over the top of the cake, being careful not to spread over the cake’s edge.

8. Slice the tart with a thin, nonserrated knife that is dipped in hot water and wiped dry after each slice. Serve immediately.

You can use any berry at all to make a compote with the Quick Apricot Glaze.