Description
Individual chestnut cheesecake jars layered with tart cherry compote and crisp cocoa cookie crumbs.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz (340 g) frozen pitted tart cherries
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
- 1/4 tsp fine salt, divided
- 9 oz (255 g) crisp chocolate cookies
- 5 tbsp (71 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 16 oz (454 g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (240 g) unsweetened chestnut puree
- 3/4 cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream, cold, divided
- 1 oz (28 g) dark chocolate, for curls
- 10 fresh or thawed cherries (80 g), for garnish
Instructions
- Cook cherries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and half the salt in a wide saucepan until the fruit releases its juice.
- Stir cornstarch with water, add it to the cherries, and simmer until glossy and spoonable, 2-3 minutes. Cool completely.
- Crush chocolate cookies. Mix 2 cups (220 g) crumbs with melted butter and reserve remaining crumbs.
- Divide buttered crumbs among ten 8-ounce (240 ml) straight-sided jars and press gently.
- Beat cream cheese, chestnut puree, powdered sugar, vanilla, zest, and remaining salt until smooth.
- Whip 1 cup (240 ml) cream to soft-firm peaks and fold it into the chestnut mixture.
- Pipe cheesecake over each base, add a narrow cherry layer, then repeat with cheesecake and a smaller spoonful of fruit.
- Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Whip remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml) cream. Garnish each jar with a small rosette, reserved crumbs, a chocolate curl, and one cherry.
Notes
Use unsweetened chestnut puree, cool the compote completely, and add loose crumbs and garnish shortly before serving.