Every year on the Fourth of July, I like to make a red, white, and blue dessert. It's my personal salute to America. While a flag cake is festive, this year I'll wow guests with a red, white, and blueberry cheesecake tart.
The easy, crisp crust is a mixture of ground graham crackers and almonds. The filling is smooth, creamy, and classic. The red topping is a juicy syrup made with red plums. Garnished with plump, burst-in-your-mouth blueberries, this is one star-spangled dessert.
To learn how it's made, read more.
From Everyday Food magazine
Ingredients
6 graham crackers (2 1/2 by 5 inches each)
1/3 cup whole almonds
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 bars (8 ounces each) reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt
4 red plums (1 to 1 1/2 pounds total), halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries
Directions
- Make crust: preheat oven to 350°.
- In a food processor, grind graham crackers, almonds, and 1/4 cup sugar until finely ground; add butter, and process until moistened. Transfer to a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Using the base of a dry measuring cup, press mixture firmly into the bottom and up sides of pan. Freeze at least 15 minutes.
- Make filling and bake: carefully wipe processor blade and bowl clean. Place cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt in food processor; blend just until smooth.
- Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet; fill with cheesecake mixture.
- Bake until filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer tart pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make topping: in a medium saucepan, combine plums, 1/2 cup sugar, and lemon juice. Cook at a rapid simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is jamlike and moves around pan in a single mass when stirred, 15 to 25 minutes (time will depend on ripeness of fruit). Reserve 1 tablespoon cooking liquid (no solids) for blueberries; cool remaining plum mixture.
- Assemble tart: leaving a 1-inch border, spread cooled plum mixture over tart. Reheat reserved plum liquid (on stove or in microwave) until liquefied. In a medium bowl, combine with blueberries, and scatter on top of plum mixture.
- Chill until ready to serve, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Remove from pan before serving.
Serves 8.
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Max Mara
Dorothy Perkins
Tomster
Oooh... that looks positively delicious
I might have to make it (sans blueberries)
for Canada Day...
1Cheesecakes are my specialty so I might have to make this for my hubby's b-day which is the 3rd.
2This looks great!
3Sounds fantastic. I'm quite tempted to try it.
4Oh, sounds delicious. I'll have to keep this in mind. This year will be wave your flag cake, if I even get around to that.
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