It’s National Blueberry Cheesecake Day, and here’s a twist: Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream pops made with goat cheese, a.k.a. chèvre.

Bright berries, a hint of lemon and vanilla, creamy goat cheese, and a crumble of graham crackers make these ice cream pops a tasty treat for young and old alike. You can swap the blueberries for any berry you like.

This recipe was sent to us by Vermont Creamery, created by Alanna Taylor-Tobin, a pastry chef, food photographer, videographer, and award-winning cookbook author.

For many more delicious recipes, check out her blog, The Bojon Gourmet.

> There are more blueberry cheesecake recipes below.

> The history of blueberries.

> The history of cheesecake.
 
 
RECIPE: BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM POPS

You’ll need ice pop molds for the recipe. Note that we said ice pop, not Popsicle. Popsicle® is a trademark for a specific type of ice pop.

Popsicle® is a trademarked name owned by Unilever’s Good Humor Division (here’s the history of the Popsicle and the Creamsicle®).

Everything else should be called by the generic term, “ice pop” (with no dairy component) or “ice cream pop” (with dairy).
 
Ingredients For The Blueberry Layer

 
Ingredients For The Cheesecake Layer

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juices are reduced by half and bubbling thickly, 5-10 more minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then purée smooth. You should have about 1 scant cup.

2. COMBINE the goat cheese, cream cheese, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, juice, and sugar in the pitcher of a blender, and purée smooth.

3. DIVIDE the blueberry purée among 10 (3-ounce) ice pop molds. Gently pour the cheesecake layer over the blueberry layer, leaving a scant half-inch of space at the top. Use a chopstick to swirl the layers together slightly.

4. CRUMBLE the graham crackers on top of the cheesecake layer and press the crumbles into the mixture so they stay put when frozen. Place the ice pop sticks in the molds and freeze until solid, for several hours or overnight.

5. REMOVE the pops from the molds and enjoy or store airtight for up to two weeks.
 
 
MORE BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPES

 
Plus

[1] Today’s recipe: Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pops (photo © Bojon Gourmet | Vermont Creamery).

[2] The recipe uses both cream cheese and goat cheese (photo © Vermont Creamery).

[3] A related recipe using vanilla yogurt instead of goat cheese and cream cheese. Here’s the recipe (photo © A Healthy Life For Me).

[4] Vegan blueberry cheesecake pops. Here’s the recipe (photo © Heart Of A Baker).

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[1] Milk? Half-and-half? Light cream? Take your pick (photo © Pariwat Pannium | Unsplash).

[2] Or, simply enjoy a tall glass of black iced coffee (photo © Peet’s Coffee).

[3] Consider adding a splash of spirits (photo © Misunderstood Whiskey | Unsplash).

We’re always surprised when we see people on the street carrying iced coffee on the coldest days of winter. Brrr: Don’t below-freezing temps require hot coffee? You may not have to wait until May 25th, National Iced Coffee Day…but how about waiting until spring?

Not a chance: Cold coffee consumption will overtake hot coffee by 2030, predicts Peter Giuliano, executive director of the Coffee Science Foundation, the research arm of the Specialty Coffee Association.

Starbucks already reports that cold beverages dominate its portfolio; they make up 74% of total beverage sales, with much of that demand credited to the success of the company’s cold brew, nitro cold brew, and iced shaken espresso.

More evidence comes from the National Coffee Association, which reports that cold-coffee beverage consumption is up 23% since January 2021 and up 60% since their first poll in January 2014.

This significant shift in American coffee culture is remarkable when you consider how deep the rituals run around a steaming cup of morning joe,” writes Katie Ayoub in the professional chef’s website, Get Flavor.

Coffee shops and restaurants alike now have their eyes out for innovations on their cold coffee menus: new drinks and flavor combinations that make their coffee offerings stand out in a sea of competition.

At home, we vary our iced coffee with:

 
What about you?

> Check out our iced coffee tips.

> The history of coffee.

> The different types of coffee.
 
 
ICED COFFEE RECIPES

 
 
 
 
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May is National Asparagus Month, and May 24th is National Asparagus Day. We’ve got an asparagus pizza recipe that’s almost guilt free: lots of fresh veggies and a whole-wheat crust.

You can bake it in the oven or grill it.

> The history of asparagus.

> More asparagus recipes.
 
 
RECIPE: ASPARAGUS & LEEK PIZZA

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 15 minutes. Thanks to Colavita for the recipe!
 
Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation For Baking

1. HEAT the oven to 500°F. If using a pizza stone, allow the stone to heat up along with the oven for a half hour before baking on it.

2. STRETCH out the dough on a cornmeal-dusted peel (see footnote† for substitutes) to about 10-12” in diameter, and brush the top with olive oil.

3. PEEL the asparagus: Hold a single asparagus spear at the base and lay it flat on a cutting board. Cut and discard the tough end. Using a vegetable peeler (a Y-shaped peeler works best…you could also try a mandoline, but be careful of your fingers), run the peeler lengthwise down the asparagus, creating long shavings. Repeat with the remaining stalks. Your strips will be all different sizes, but that just adds to the texture (and fun!).

4. PLACE the asparagus peelings in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly chopped thyme.

5. CLEAN the leeks thoroughly by rinsing them with water. It’s easiest if you chop them first (you’ll only be using the white ends), so you can rinse all the nooks and crannies free of dirt.

6. HEAT a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place the chopped leeks in the skillet, and sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes.

7. ADD the shaved asparagus, and sauté for about 3 minutes, allowing the flavors to combine.

8. DOLLOP the mozzarella along the surface of the stretched-out pizza dough. You can also grate some Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella.

9. DISTRIBUTE the shaved asparagus and leek mixture over the top of the cheese. Sprinkle on a bit more fresh thyme.

10. DRIZZLE with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

11. SLIDE the pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top of the pizza before serving.
 
 
Preparation For Grilling

This pizza is fantastic when grilled. If you’d like to grill this pie, heat up your grill and oil the grate.

Before you begin, it’s handy to have a few things in place:

 
1. INSTEAD of dusting a peel with cornmeal, brush both sides of the stretched-out pizza dough with olive oil.

2. PLACE the stretched-out dough (without toppings!) directly onto the grill grate, and close the lid. Let it bake for about 2 minutes (this goes very quickly!).

3. OPEN the lid and using the tongs, flip the crust to the other side. Starting with the cheese, place all the toppings on the pizza as neatly and quickly as possible. Don’t forget the seasonings! Close the lid and allow to bake for another 2-3 minutes.

4. REMOVE the pizza from the grill (use the tongs) and place it onto a serving platter. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top. Serve.
 
 
________________

*Make crispy fried leeks from the green leek tops—a delicious garnish. Heat a small saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Drop in a piece of leek, and when it bubbles and floats to the surface, add the rest and fry for a couple of minutes until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve on top of burgers, main proteins, salads, soups, etc.

[1] Asparagus and leek pizza (photos #1 and #5 © Colavita).

[2] Fresh spring asparagus (photo © Zoe Schaeffer | Unsplash).

[3] Most people use just the white part of leeks and throw away the green tops, which are flavorful and full of vitamin C. See how we use them in the footnote* below (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Fresh thyme (photo © Karolina Grabowska | Pexels).

[5] Brush the pizza crust with extra virgin olive oil.

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