Cheesecake in a Jar

1 recipe of cheesecake custard (recipe follows)
Graham crunch (recipe follows)
Macerated berries (recipe follows)
Pint-sized mason jars

In each mason jar, layer the graham crunch, then strawberries & raspberries, then the liquid cheesecake, and finish with the blueberries & blackberries. Can be assembled the night before serving.

Cheesecake Custard
8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 TBS Lemon zest
1 TBS Corn starch
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 TBS Milk
1 Egg

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for two minutes. Add the sugar & lemon zest after scraping down the sides. Beat for three minutes at medium speed. Meanwhile, mix the corn starch & salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk and then the egg to make a slurry. With the mixer running slowly, stream in the milk slurry into the cream cheese mixture. Continue to mix for three more minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Line a square baking dish with plastic wrap & pour mixture into the dish. Bake for 15-25 minutes. You are looking for a loose, pudding-like texture, so you want it to jiggle a bit. The end result should be pliable & gooey & delicious. Let cool at room temperature. Then refrigerate.

Graham Crunch
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 TBS Sugar
1/2 cup Powdered milk
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick of butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Mix all the dry ingredients together & then stir in the melted butter. Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper & bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes & then break apart into little chunks. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Berries
1 quart strawberries, hulled & sliced
1 pint raspberries
2 pints blueberries
1 pint blackberries
1 cup of sugar, divided
1 TBS orange zest
1 TBS grand mariner or creme de cassis, divided

Mix the sliced strawberries with the raspberries, orange zest, and half the sugar & liquor
Mix the blueberries and black berries with the remaining ingredients.

Watermelon Green Iced Tea
4 cups of cubed, seedless watermelon
5 green tea bags
3/4 cup of sugar
1 sprig of mint

In a large pot, bring 32oz of water to boil. Remove from heat, add tea bags, and let steep covered for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, purée the watermelon in a blender. Then strain through a fine mesh Make a mint simple syrup by combining 3/4 cup water with the 3/4 cup sugar in a small sauce pan. Stir & bring to a boil. Remove from heat & add the mint sprig & cover for at least 15 minutes. Remove mint before using this simple syrup.
Combine the tea with watermelon juice & add the mint simple syrup.

To get more inspiration from this patriotic picnic story, read the article online by following this link.