[2] You can serve smaller bites (photo © Asellina | NYC).

[3] You can also swirl the blueberry topping into the cheesecake batter or just on the top (photo: The Nibble).

[4] How about a blueberry swirl cheesecake? Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).

May 26th is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. It may be hard to find a piece of blueberry cheesecake—cherry and strawberry are the popular berries toppings.

But you can easily make your own, from fresh or frozen berries. A homemade sauce is much tastier than the gelled goop into which berries are set on many commercial cheesecakes.

Then, just pick up a slice of cheesecake, top, and celebrate. You can also use the berry topping on ice cream/sorbet, pancakes/waffles, puddings, and other cakes: angel cake, chiffon cake, pound cake, and sponge cake.

You can bake your own cheesecake and create a blueberry swirl cheesecake by swirling the topping into the batter.

Other fruits. The recipe works for other berries, stone fruits (apricots, cherries, peaches, plums), tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), even the classic autumn fruits (apples, figs, pears).

Below:

> Blueberry topping recipe.

> More ways to use the topping.

Elsewhere On The Nibble:

> The history of cheesecake.

> The history of blueberries.

> Some of our favorite cheesecake recipes.

> The 14+ cheesecake holidays.

> The year’s 35+ berry holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE TOPPING

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MIX the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.

2. COMBINE the blueberries, 1/2 cup of water, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mix comes to a low boil.

3. GENTLY STIR the cornstarch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the fruit. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon (about 5 minutes).

4. REMOVE from heat; gently stir in the vanilla and zest. Cool; refrigerate until ready to use. Warm very slightly in the microwave for easy pouring.
 
Recipe Notes

 

[5] Blueberries are one of the few fruit species native to North America (photo © Good Eggs).

Breakfast & Brunch Toppings

 
Dessert Toppings

 

[6] Blueberry topping has numerous uses (photo: The Nibble).
 
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*To use as a filling in a vanilla or lemon layer cake, pipe a buttercream “dam” around the edge of the cake layer first to keep the fruit from leaking out.
 

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Make fruit and cheese “bites.” Stuff dried apricots, fresh or dried figs or other dried or fresh fruits with a piece of cheese—with anything from creamy goat cheese to salty, tangy Parmigiano Reggiano.

These suggestions from EatWisconsinCheese.com provide pairing ideas along with drink ideas beyond the conventional beer, red or white wines most people serve with cheese:
 
Soft-Fresh Cheeses
Cheeses: Chevre, Feta, Mascarpone, Ricotta
Fruits: Figs (fresh, dried or stewed), Fresh Peaches, Plums
Garnishes: Pistachios, Toasted Almonds or Walnuts*, Fruit Jam
Drinks: Chenin Blanc, Green Tea
 
*Raw nuts have a slight bitterness. The best way to serve nuts with cheese is toasted or candied/caramelized. Almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts go best with cheese.

Hispanic Cheeses
Cheeses: Asadero, Cotija, Queso Bresco
Fruits: Dried Apricots or Figs
Garnishes: Toasted Nuts
Drinks: Cava, Mead (honey wine), Mexican Beer
 
Semihard Cheeses
Cheeses: Cheddar, Edam, Gouda
Fruits: Dried Apricots, Honeycrisp Apples, Pears
Garnishes:Caramelized or Toasted Nuts, Jams/Compotes (apricot, blueberry, fig, quince)
Drinks: Ale (especially fall’s spiced ales), Riesing, Small Batch Bourbon, Sparkling Cider

Alpine/Swiss Cheeses
Cheeses: Comté, Gruyère, Emmenthaler
Fruits: Any Dried Fruit
Garnishes: Toasted Nuts
Drinks: Lambic, Manhattan Cocktail

Check out our delicious Cheese Glossary and much more about gourmet cheeses.
  

We love mozzarella and tomatoes. Caprese salad is a favorite, along with skewers of mozarella balls with cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.

But we’re also trying to eat more vegan dishes, part of our personal commitment to save the planet. (Animal methane is the leading cause of greenhouse gas.) You’d be surprised how delicious a tofu substitution can be. Try this easy recipe from House Foods, which adds a bright herb sauce for dipping.

RECIPE: TOFU & TOMATO SKEWERS WITH HERB SAUCE

Ingredients For 10 Skewers

For The Herb Sauce

1. WRAP tofu with paper towel and place on plate. Microwave for a minute to remove excess moisture.

2. PLACE garlic and shallot in a food processor and give it a quick whirl. Add parsley, cilantro and give it another whirl.

3. COMBINE chopped herbs and add vinegar, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil in a bowl.

4. CUT tofu in cubes in the same size as the cherry tomatoes. Place two tofu cubes and two tomatoes alternately on skewers. Brush tofu with the sauce and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Brush a couple more times until grill mark is shown. Brush tofu again before serving.

5. SERVE with herb sauce.

You can also make tofu Caprese salad.
Tofu is made in a variety of firmness levels, ranging from soft to extra firm, depending on the use. Desserts and smoothies, for example, use soft tofu; grilling requires extra-firm tofu, the texture of which is similar to meat.

House Foods’ line of Premium Tofu products that are made with non-genetically modified (non-GMO) soybeans grown in the U.S. See all of the products at House-Foods.com.