One of the best things about living in the Caribbean is the delicious tropical fruits available. The mangos here are so much better than the ones we would get in the states. There are a few different kinds of mangos and there is one in particular that is my favorite. It is a greenish red mango and it has a silky texture inside, it falls right off of the pit and the strings don't get stuck in your teeth. My favorite so far! I had a few mangos and passion fruits that were just laying around waiting for me to make something with them. So I decided to use them to make a fruit drizzle to top off my mom's no bake cheesecake recipe. The lemon in the cheesecake complimented the tropical fruits and the flavors just came together. Typically, I top this cheesecake with blueberries or raspberries, but since berries are scarce here in the Caribbean, I experimented with something more tropical. I used coconut cookies for the base of the crust. Delish. This is one of those desserts that is even better the next day as well. Unfortunately, this didn't last longer than the day after, but I can tell you it is just as good a week after. I love this dessert. And the cheesecake takes me back to my childhood. This was a staple at our house growing up. You would never know it was so easy to make.
Coconut Cookie Crust
3/4 package coconut cookies
1/2 - 1 stick butter, melted
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
Crush cookies and place in a bowl. Add in melted butter and sugar. Mix to combine. Press into a round 9" pie dish. Refrigerate while making cheesecake mixture. (I typically put mine in the freezer just to set it a little faster.)
*Note: Mom's cheesecake is made using 1 package graham crackers. Same measurements of everything else.
Mom's Amazing No-Bake Cheesecake
1- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat cream cheese with mixer until smooth. (Don't skip this step- If you just add everything together before beating cream cheese alone it will go lumpy). Add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Pour cheesecake into crust. Chill for 3 hours. Serve.
Passion fruit on the left, mangos on the right
I peeled the mango and cut it up, and then threw in the pit as well. I wanted to get as much juice as possible. With the passion fruit I just scraped out all of the seeds and juice and added it in the pan.
Mango Passion Fruit Drizzle
3 mangos
3 passion fruits
1/4 cup water
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add fruit of mangos and passion fruits to a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and mashing fruit with the back of spoon. Add water and sugar. Boil about 7 minutes. Add vanilla.
Holding the strainer over a bowl, strain the fruit, reserving the juice. It helps to press the fruit with the back of spoon to make sure you get as much juice as possible. Taste and add more sugar, water, vanilla, etc... to taste.
Pour juice back into pan and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Drizzle over cheesecake.
We actually made sushi the same night we made this cheesecake. And used some of the Mango Passion Fruit drizzle to make a dipping sauce for the sushi! It was so good! When it comes to mangos and passion fruit the options are endless! And if you don't have mangos and passion fruit available you can always substitute another fruit that is in season. Happy baking!
