Balsamic Blackberry Vegan Cheesecakes -- From the Patch Up the Hollow

Easter Sunday. Service in the morning. Big Sunday dinner at the house. Ham, biscuits, the standard.

Connie read aloud from a novel Tuesday evening while I worked on the bench. Some Appalachian writer she had picked up at the library in Whitesburg. The voice was the voice of where we live. We listened together.

Read the paper at breakfast Tuesday. The county news is not great. The mines have not come back and they will not come back. The young people leave. The hollows empty. We stay.

The creek was running clear Sunday afternoon. I watched a kingfisher work the riffle. Did not move for an hour. Some Sundays the watching is the worship.

I split a half-cord of wood Saturday. Slowly. The back does not let me work fast anymore. It got done. The wood was for the smokehouse.

Connie cut my hair on the porch Tuesday afternoon. She has been cutting my hair for forty years. The barber in Pineville cannot do what Connie does, which is also love.

Amber sent the kids' school photos this week. Nadia is taller every year. Marcus has Amber's serious face. Little Betty has Mama's eyes.

Travis sent a photo of Earl Thomas riding on the mower with him at a job site. The boy is wearing a Hensley Landscaping T-shirt that's too big. Three generations on a mower. I saved the photo.

Drove the truck to the dump Saturday afternoon. Saw three deer crossing the road on the way back. The mountains have been giving back this year.

Sunday service at Harlan First Baptist when we go. Pastor preached about Ruth and Boaz. The choir sang. Connie wore her gray dress.

Drove to Pineville for parts Wednesday. The hardware store man knew me. We talked about the weather and the price of feed. Forty minutes for a five-minute errand. That is rural Kentucky.

My back was tight after the wood-splitting Saturday. Took an Aleve. Slept eight hours. Got up.

I sat on the porch with bourbon at sundown Friday. The fog rolled into the hollow the way it has every fog of every year. The porch was the porch. The bourbon was the bourbon.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night working on the recipe project. Mama's soup beans. I cannot get the words right yet.

I went up to Earl's grave at the Evarts cemetery Saturday. Brought a beer. Drank half. Poured the rest on the dirt. Some traditions are mine alone.

Connie made jam Saturday afternoon. Wild blackberries from the patch up the hollow. Twelve jars. The pantry is filling for winter.

Worked on a basement remodel job in Lexington. The work was good. The pay was good. The body is tired.

I checked the truck oil Saturday. The mileage on this truck is criminal.

The neighbor up the road — Old Roy, eighty-seven, lives alone — had a small heart scare. We took him soup beans Tuesday. Cornbread too. He cried a little when he ate. We all cry over soup beans eventually.

The dog — old Beau, fifteen years old — slept by the wood stove all afternoon Tuesday. He used to be a hunting dog. Now he is a heating pad with opinions.

Connie put up twelve jars from the patch up the hollow this week, and watching those blackberries go into the pot—the smell of them, the color—I kept thinking there ought to be another way to use what the mountain gives us. These balsamic blackberry cheesecakes are that other way: no oven, no fuss, and the blackberry comes through clean and honest, the way it does when it’s the real thing. It felt right after a week like this one, full of watching and staying and small good things.

Balsamic Blackberry Vegan Cheesecakes

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 0 min (plus 3 hrs chilling) | Total Time: 3 hrs 25 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• Crust
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 3/4 cup pitted Medjool dates (about 8 large)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Filling
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in cold water 4–6 hours, drained
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut cream
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Balsamic Blackberry Topping
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (optional, deepens the balsamic note)

Instructions

1. Prepare the crust. Line a standard muffin tin with 8 paper liners. Pulse walnuts, dates, and salt in a food processor until the mixture holds together when pressed. Divide evenly among the liners and press firmly into the bottom of each. Place in the freezer while you make the filling.
2. Blend the filling. Combine the drained cashews, coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust sweetness.
3. Fill and chill. Spoon the cashew filling evenly over the crusts, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon. Tap the tin gently on the counter to settle any air pockets. Freeze for at least 3 hours, or until firm.
4. Make the balsamic blackberry topping. Combine blackberries, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and gently crushing the berries, for 8–10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Add black pepper if using. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Serve. Remove cheesecakes from the freezer 10–15 minutes before serving and let them soften slightly at room temperature. Peel away the paper liners, place on a plate, and spoon the balsamic blackberry topping generously over each one.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 75mg