2 strawberry desserts

large single serving no bake cheesecake

Gelatin is a gift when it comes to making something delicious last longer. Gelatin is tasteless, safe and usually derived from natural ingredients. It's used both as a filler and a thickener and as a way to change the form and shape of foods.

Today I had two tasks: to make dessert for a dinner party I was attending and to also keep a promise to a friend, who wanted to try my cheesecake...

Strawberries was the uniting theme and I proceeded as follows:

1. I took 1 lb strawberries and blended them with a blender
2. I used 2 packets of plain gelatin mixed in water and boiled over a water bath
3. I mixed in 4 tablespoons honey into the warm gelatin
4. I mixed 2/3 of the gelatin with the strawberries (you will use all of the remaining 1/3 in the cheesecake)

This way I had the mixture for what makes the nice red layer on top of the cheesecake and the Mascarpone and strawberry jello cups.

Armed with that mixture, I had to proceed with the cheesecake.

To make that single large serving (equal to 2 regular ones) I used:

3 oz cream cheese
1 oz ricotta cheese
2 whole strawberries
3 tbsp of the gelatin mixture

I mixed the cheeses with the remaining gelatin with honey and left aside. I cut a few strawberries to lay at the bottom of the bowl, then poured the cheese mixture on top. I placed in the freezer for 10 minutes and then poured the strawberry layer on top. Left in the fridge overnight, this looked so good, my friend almost passed out when he saw it.

Next came the cute Mascarpone cream and strawberry jello cups.

To make 6 of those, I mixed:

4 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 of the strawberry mixture
1 tsp vanilla extract

I placed a slice of strawberry at the bottom of each, topped with the Mascarpone mixture and left in the freezer for 10 minutes. I then poured the strawberry layer on top and put them to rest in the fridge overnight. Dinner party was a success and everyone loved them!

single serving mascarpone cream and strawberry jello cups

I bet you can do this with almost any sort of fruit, add herbs and spices and introduce amazing variety into your life, all guilt free and manageable in calories.