No-Bake Pineapple Cheesecake with Berry Topping

Fresh berry topping, pineapple and sweet cream cheese filling and a graham cracker crust

This is a recipe I got out of a Virginia Hospitality Cookbook, one of those self-published cookbooks full of time-tested tried-and-true recipes from home cooks everywhere. I love cookbooks, and when I buy old used ones, I love to look for the most soiled pages, hinting at the best recipes inside. This is a great make ahead dessert. I think you could make this with multiple combinations of fruits in the filling and the topping, for example strawberry cheesecake filling with blackberry topping.

1 nine-inch graham cracker crust or regular pie crust, already baked

Filling:

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
about 1/4 cup milk
1 small can of pineapple chunks, drained (reserve juice for topping)

Topping:
1 qt blueberries
2 Tbl. sugar
a splash of pineapple juice
1 Tbl. cornstarch

whipped cream for topping

In a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer, mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix until whipped and smooth, adding small amounts of milk to help make it smooth. Fold in pineapple chunks with a spoon. Scrape out all the filling into the graham cracker crust, chill.

In a small sauce pan, add berries, sugar and a splash of pineapple juices. Simmer until berries start to pop open and soften. Add corn starch thinned with a small amount of water, and simmer until thickened. Let cool to room temperature before putting topping on filling. You can make a full layer of whipped cream if you like, or add dollops of it when you serve it.