Red, White & Blue Celebration Chia Cheesecakes

The Midlife Kitchen and The Chia Co. have teamed up to bring you these gorgeous, healthy cheesecakes – guaranteed to bring plenty of ‘chia’ to any Royal Wedding party with their vibrant, patriotic colours. Blueberry cheesecake is an all-American classic, a nod to Meghan’s homeland, and with a crunchy pecan base and the addition of beautiful, seasonal, British strawberries we are sure Harry would approve!

INGREDIENTS

Makes 8 individual cheesecakes (or one large 9 inch diameter cheesecake) and will keep in the fridge for several days.

Cheesecake base:

120g hazelnuts

120g pecans

50g chia seeds

¼ cup or 50g coconut oil

A pinch of salt

Berry sauce layers:

250g frozen strawberries

250g frozen blueberries

2 tsp maple syrup

Cheesecake layer:

150g Greek yoghurt

150g light cream cheese

1tbsp icing sugar (optional or to taste)

80g chia seeds

150ml milk of your choice

1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

To make the cheesecake base, blitz the nuts in a blender or Nutribullet to a coarse crumb. Combine with the other base ingredients in a bowl, being sure to work the mixture together well and distribute the oil throughout.  Then using a metal spoon press the mixture in to individual ramekins or dishes, or the base of a tin with a removable bottom if making one large cheesecake. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the other layers.

For the cheesecake layer, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well, if the cream cheese is very thick ensure it is all mashed up and mixed in as we are looking for a smooth, even consistency.  Adding the milk helps to loosen the mixture for assembly but will firm up once chilled in the fridge.

Next make the ‘red’ and ‘blue’ berry sauces separately*, either by heating the berries in a small saucepan on a low heat (use 1 tsp of maple syrup for each sauce) for around 5 minutes, or by popping in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.  Then mash well with a fork or for a smoother sauce, blitz in a blender. Allow to cool.

Now assemble the red, white and blue layers by first placing a layer of strawberry sauce over the chilled base. Next, carefully spoon over the cheesecake mix and chill for a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge to firm up.  Finally, add the blueberry sauce layer just prior to serving.

Decorate with berries, flowers and flags!

*To save time you could make a single mixed berry sauce and just use it to top the cheesecake.

More recipes by Mimi Spencer and Sam Rice in their book The Midlife Kitchen