Vegan Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits with Lemon Curd and Strawberry Compote

I have always loved cheesecake.  Before I knew how to make my own, every weekend I used to go to my favorite bakery and buy a nice large piece to enjoy...and yes, I would point out the largest piece and tell them that was the one I wanted.  I am rather picky about cheesecake as well, it has to have that perfect balance in the filling of the cake, not too dense, but not too light.  I got into making my own cheesecakes a few years back and discovered that nothing beats home made!  They were so good!  At that time I was dating someone who could share the cakes with me, so it wasn't unusual to take down half a cake in one sitting.  I have since realized that it is not the healthiest to eat a quarter cake, and one large cake is too much for one little girl, so I hadn't made one in a few years.  But I decided that last weekend cheesecake sounded really good, so I had to find a solution, since I do not own a 6 inch cheesecake pan (although it is on my want list).  I came up with little individual cheesecake mousses. 

I also made them vegan, because in the last couple years I have been eating less dairy, and they have such wonderful cream cheese and sour cream alternatives...no eggs needed here either!  I used to make a really good lemon cheesecake with curd on the top, and I thought that I would incorporate that curd into these!  But I didn't stop there, I added berries as well, but it had to be in the form of a compote since Minnesota berries aren't in season yet, so I only have frozen local berries.  It made for a nice colorful bilayer on top of the mousse that provided tartness to contrast the sweet mousse!  For the crust I used pecans in the bottom of the glasses, simply because I love a nut crust with a cheesecake and couldn't leave it out. 

The cheesecake mousses were delicious!  Creamy and decadent tasting with the light scent of vanilla, melting slowly on the tongue!  The tart curd and berries provided a pop of flavor along with the silky mousse and the nut crust a nice toasty crunch! I didn't miss the dairy at all, and it was nice to have individual servings!  Also, nice to not have to heat up the oven to bake a cake, then wait overnight for it to chill before diving in, as I am impatient!  If you love cheesecake, you should definately try these, they are perfect for spring with the curd and berries!  And if you have access to fresh berries, you could just throw those on top and not make the compote for an easier preparation.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some for yourself!

Vegan Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits with Lemon Curd and Strawberry Compote

Makes 4

Strawberries:

1 10 oz bag organic frozen strawberries, quartered (or fresh if they are in season locally)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp  organic lemon zest

1 Tbsp agave nectar

pinch of sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Curd:

2 Tbsp organic lemon zest
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup cornstarch
pinch of sea salt

1 cup fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp full fat coconut milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp coconut oil

Mousse:

16 oz tofutti vegan cream cheese

8 oz vegan sour cream

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 vanilla bean

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

Crust:

1 1/4 cups toasted pecans

4 large medjool dates, pitted

1/2 tsp sea salt

Lemon slices for garnish, optional

 To make compote, combine berries, lemon juice and zest, agave nectar, and sea salt in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until berries are tender and saucy.  Remove from heat and place in the fridge to cool. 

To make the curd, combine zest, agave nectar, cornstarch, and sea salt in a medium pot, and whisk until combined and smooth. Whisk in lemon juice, and heat over medium high heat whisking constantly until thickened to a curd or pudding like consistency, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Pour into a bowl, and let chill in the fridge until cool. 
To make mousse, beat cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy with an electric mixer.  Beat in sour cream and agave nectar until well combined.  Slit vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife and scrape out seeds.  Add seeds to mousse (Save bean pod for another use such as vanilla sugar (simply place in a jar with sugar to give it a lovely scent)).  Add vanilla and sea salt and beat until well combined.  Place mousse in the fridge to stay cool. 
To make crust, combine pecans, dates, and sea salt in a food processor and process until finely chopped and starting to come together.  Remove from food processor and press into the bottom of 4 large wide glasses (such as lowball glasses) dividing evenly betweent the 4. 
To assemble, Spoon the mousse over the crust in each glass, leaving room at the top for the other 2 layers, about 1 1/2 inches or so.  Spoon a layer of lemon curd into each glass then a layer of strawberries.  Garnish with a lemon slice and serve!