White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars with Wild Blueberries

Makes 16 bars.

For the wild blueberry coulis

• 2 cups (500 ml) wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. (10 ml) cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp (15 ml) water

For the crust

• 1 ½ cups (375 ml) graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup (250 ml) sugar
• ¼ tsp. (1 ml) salt
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) unsalted butter, melted

For the white chocolate cheesecake mixture

• 1 bag (250 g) Chocolats Favoris White Chocolate Drops
• 2 packages (250 g each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar
• 1 tbsp. (15 ml) all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) vanilla extract

For the wild blueberry coulis

1. In a saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the blueberries and sugar and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in the cornstarch-water mixture and keep cooking, stirring continuously until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool while you go on with the rest of the recipe.

For the crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-in (23 cm) square baking pan, then line with parchment paper, leaving two sides overhang (this will make easier to unmold the bars).
2. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and salt. Add the melted butter and mix using a spatula until fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly all over the bottom of the pan to create the crust. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the crust is light golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the white chocolate cheesecake mixture

1. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Fill a 9 x 13-in (23 x 30 cm) baking pan halfway up with water, then place this pan on the bottom oven rack, right under the rack where you’ll bake the cheesecake bars (this will create some steam and allow the bars to bake without cracking).
2. In a double-boiler, melt the White Chocolate Disks. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the two blocks of cream cheese until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour, add to the cream cheese and beat to fully incorporate. Add the eggs one after the other, fully incorporating one before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla and the melted white chocolate.
4. Pour half of the white chocolate cream cheese mixture over the crust and smooth it out. Drop some of the wild blueberry coulis by teaspoonfuls to create dots over the white layer, then cover with the remaining white chocolate cream cheese mixture. Smooth out the top. Again, drop some of the wild blueberry coulis by teaspoonfuls over the top layer (you should have about half of the coulis remaining for service). Pull the tip of a knife through the layers to create swirling patterns.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edge of the bars is set, but the center is still very wobbly. Turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar (you can, for example, stick a wooden spoon between the door and the frame to leave just an inch opening). Let the bars rest in the turned off oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, let cool completely and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
6. To serve, unmold, slice into bars, and serve each bar with a spoonful of additional wild blueberry coulis.