Strawberry Cheesecake Brain #OurFamilyTable

Thrill your little ghosts and goblins with this Brain filled with no bake cheesecake and strwberries.

The folks at From the Dinner Table Group are celebrating Halloween today......

Haunting Halloween Recipes

• Eyeball Pasta by Making Miracles
• Graveyard Chocolate Mousse by Art of Natural Living
• Homemade Candy Corn by That Recipe
• Spiced Caramel Halloween Graveyard Cupcakes by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Strawberry Cheesecake Brain by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Witch Finger Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Witches Brooms by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

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Since the Angel Face isn't going to be able to go begging this year, due to the pandemic, I decided that her birthday dinner could be a fun Halloween themed treat.

I will be sharing the recipes I made for dinner including Zombie Eye Meatballs, Mashed Potato Ghosts, and Roasted Haunted Forest Trees well before Halloween for your planning needs.

I am starting the fun off with this Strawberry Cheesecake Brain that we had in lieu of Birthday Cake.

Frank and the Teen picked up this brain mold last year when we were having my eldest daughter's birthday.  Her birthday is October 17th so I included Monster Brains and Witches Brew in the celebration.  Since I already had the mold I was excited when I came across this recipe over at the Food Network page.

This is a no bake recipe but it is done in several steps so you need to allow yourself some time to assemble it and then it needs to be frozen and partially thawed so you can release it from the mold.  You will also have to poke holes in the mold so I will have to purchase a new one for next year....Luckily they are inexpensive.  In fact, this one was bought at a dollar store.

Once all the components are ready you can start assembly.  First pour in half of the cheesecake filling and let it freeze for a few moments until it is thick enough to push up and fill in the sides of the mold.  Freeze again and then add your strawberries.  Top this with the remaining cheesecake and graham cracker crust.  Into the freezer it goes.

I took the brain out yesterday morning and let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before dunking it into hot water and running a butter knife around the top edge.  I flipped it onto my serving platter and it did not release until I poked a couple of holes in the mold to allow air in to help it out.  I used a little of the strawberry syrup for photos and returned it to the freezer. 

Our birthday celebration is this afternoon so I will take the brain out a couple of hours before dinner so and add more syrup prior to serving after dinner.

Stay tuned for the rest of the recipes I used for this fun birthday dinner......

Halloween, Family Fun, Dessserts, Cheesecake, Strawberries, No Bake

Desserts, Holidays, Halloween, Cheesecake

American

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Wendy Klik

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Strawberry Cheesecake Brain

Thrill your little ghosts and goblins with this Brain filled with no bake cheesecake and strwberries.

Prep time: 45 Mininactive time: 8 HourTotal time: 8 H & 45 M

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 sleeve graham crackers
• 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 stick butter, melted and cooled

Cheesecake

• 2 1/2 pkgs. unflavored powdered gelatin, dissolved in 1/3 c. warm water.
• 2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• juice of one meyer lemon 
• 2 c. heavy cream
• red food coloring

Strawberries and Syrup

• 1 lb. strawberries, hulled and cut in half
• 3/4 c. sugar
• juice of half a lemon

Instructions

Crust

1. Place the graham crackers, brown sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are left.  With processor running, drizzle in the butter and pulse until mixture is of a sandlike consistency.  Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Cheesecake

1. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor and pulse, scraping sides as necessary, until very smooth.  
2. Add the sugar, vanilla, salt, lemon juice and dissolved gelatin.  Pulse until incorporatated and smooth. 
3. With the processor still running add the cream through the feeding tube until combined.  Add the food coloring, a drop or two at a time, through the feed tube until the mixture is a light pink color and the cheesecake is combined and smooth.
4. Set aside.

Strawberries and Syrup

1. Combine the Strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and 1/4 c. water in a sauce pan over med high heat.  Cook at a simmer until the strawberries are soft but still maintain their shape.  
2. Remove the strawberries with a slotted spoon to a bowl and place in freezer to cool. 
3. Continue cooking the liquid in the pan until thickened to a syrup consistency.   Remove to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve the cheesecake.

Assembly

1. Coat a 7 cup brain mold liberally with cooking spray.  Add half of the cheesecake filling and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.  
2. Remove from freezer and use a spoon to press the cheesecake mixture up the sides of the mold, creating a 1/2" thick coating around the entire mold.  Freeze for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove from freezer along with the strawberries. Pour the strawberries and any juice they released into the center of the  molded cheesecake.  
4. Spread the remaining cheesecake filling over the strawberries, pressing to make sure all the nooks and crannies are filled.  
5. Press the graham cracker crust over the top of the cheesecake filling.
6. Cover and freeze until a couple of hours before you are ready to serve.
7. Place the cheesecake mold in the refrigerator for a couple of hours then dip it in a bowl of hot water for a couple of minutes.  Run a butter knife around the upper edge of the mold.
8. Flip onto a serving platter and using a sharp paring knife carefully punch a couple of holes in the top of the mold.  Dunk a cloth in the hot water, wring it out and place it on top of the mold until the brain releases onto the platter.  
9. Drizzle with some of the strawberry syrup and serve passing any remaining syrup.

Notes:

Adapted from a recipe found at Food Network.

Calories

604.22

Fat (grams)

34.66

Sat. Fat (grams)

21.78

Carbs (grams)

74.42

Fiber (grams)

1.78

Net carbs

72.64

Sugar (grams)

69.90

Protein (grams)

3.18

Sodium (milligrams)

200.83

Cholesterol (grams)

101.46

https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/2020/09/strawberry-cheesecake-brain.html

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