AMERICAN FLAG CHEESECAKE BARS

For crust

1 1/2 cups finely crushed regular or cinnamon graham crackers (24 squares)

⅓ cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

For cheesecake

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at

room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature 2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

For garnish

80 blueberries

1 cup seedless raspberry or strawberry jelly

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Mist foil with cooking spray.

Make crust: Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar in a bowl. Press mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until set. Let cool on a wire rack.

Make filling: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium-low and add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla and salt.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crust. Tap pan on countertop 3 or 4 times to burst air bubbles in filling. Bake for 40 minutes, or until filling is just set. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Use foil overhang to lift cheesecake out of pan and onto cutting board. Carefully cut into 16 bars and transfer to a serving platter. Decorate each bar with 5 blueberries in upper left corner to resemble stars on the American flag.

Place jelly in a zip-top bag, seal bag and snip off about ¼ inch at one bottom corner. Pipe jelly in thin lines on each bar to resemble stripes on flag. Makes 16 bars.

GRETCHEN MCKAY/PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/ TNS