Ingredients for the Crust:
· ¾ cup Finely Ground Graham Cracker Crumbs · ¾ cup Pecan Sandies or Shortbread Cookie Crumbs · 3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted · 3 Tablespoons White Sugar
Ingredients for the Non-Bake Cheesecake · 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened · 1/3 cup White Sugar · 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice · ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, Whipped
Ingredients for Pomegranate Topping: · 16 ounce bottle of Pomegranate Juice · ¼ cup Brown Sugar · 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch · 1 ½ cups Pomegranate Seeds
Making the Crust: Starting with the crust, you need to make the Graham Cracker and Pecan Sandie / Shortbread Cookie crumbs. I used a food processor to do this, but you could place each in a securely sealed baggie and smash the hell out of them until you’re left with just crumbs. Crumble each ingredient separately so that you can measure them accurately.
Measure out each type of crumbs, combine them with the White Sugar in a bowl and mix well.
Stir in the melted Butter and mix well.
Press the mixture into a 9-inch Pie Pan. Place the filled pie pan in to the refrigerator until ready to fill with the cheesecake.
Making the No-Bake Cheesecake: Beat together the softened Cream Cheese, the Lemon Juice and 1/3 cup of White Sugar.
Whip the Heavy Whipping Cream until it forms peaks. Don’t whip it too long or you will end up with butter!
Take the now Whipped Cream and fold it into the Cream Cheese mixture until well blended.
Take the crust out of the fridge and spread this mixture into the pan.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Making the Pomegranate Topping (be careful with this as the mixture will be very hot!): Bring the Pomegranate Juice to a boil on the stove.
Once boiling, lower the heat and boil gently, uncovered, until the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup. Stir occasionally. This will take about 10-15 minutes. I think I needed to boil mine down a bit further because the end result was a bit runny, but it tastes delicious nonetheless.
While the Pomegranate Juice is simmering, mix together the Brown Sugar and Cornstarch. Add this to the Pomegranate Juice after it has been reduced.
Continue cooking while stirring until thick and bubbly. Continue cooking and stirring for another 2 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. You want the plastic wrap to touch the surface of the sauce to prevent a film from forming.
Let this mixture cool to room temperature. It should thicken a bit more as it cools.
Refrigerate, covered, until it’s time to serve!
Putting it All Together: When the Cheesecake is ready to be served, take the Pie Plate, the Chilled Sauce and the Pomegranate Seeds (optional) out of the refrigerator. Pour the sauce onto the Cheesecake and top with the Pomegranate Seeds.
Now you’re ready to serve and enjoy! You can also put it back in the fridge for an hour or two and let the flavors really mix - this is my preference. I find it tastes better if it's had some time to "marinate."
This Cheesecake is really good! I look forward to it every Holiday, as does the rest of my family. It is a bit messy to get out of the pie pan and doesn’t always look the prettiest on a plate. If you want to make the presentation a bit neater, you can keep the Pomegranate Topping and the Seeds separate from the Cheesecake, then add them after you cut each slice of Cheesecake. Either way, it’s a wonderfully delicious dessert that’s a fall and winter favorite around my house! J I hope you give this a try sometime. If you do, please let me know if you like it!!! J
