Recipe for a Patriotic Cheesecake Tart

1. Start with the shortbread crust. You can easily and quickly do this in a food processor or use a pastry blender or a pair of knives to do this. Combine the flour, sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter and red food coloring, pulsing the food processor until the mixture comes together in a sandy-clumpy fashion. You may need to add more red food coloring to the mixture to achieve the red you desire.
2. Press the mixture into a tart pan and all the way up the sides. Use a cup or something flat to make sure everything is even. Prick the crust with a fork, without going all the way through, then chill in the fridge or freezer until the grill is heated. 
3. Preheat the barbecue to 425°F, preparing for indirect heat. Place a baking stone or two onto the barbecue to preheat with the grill. 
4. Bake the tart crust on the baking stone for up to 15 minutes, then let it rest while you make the filling.
5. Reduce the temperature of the barbecue to 350°F, leaving the baking stone in there. 
6. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream. Add the sugar, flour, lemon zest, vanilla and the egg, mixing until fully combined. Be careful not to overmix, the fewer air bubbles, the less opportunity for the batter to crack while baking. 
7. Pour the batter into the cooled tart crust. Place the cheesecake on the baking stone and add a bowl of hot water in a heat-safe dish nearby. Bake the cheesecake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set but the center is still a little jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the barbecue and allow it to cool to room temperature before chilling it for at least 4 hours before removing the outer tart pan to move the cake to a serving platter. 
8. To make the stabilized whipped cream topping, chill a bowl and the beaters of a hand or stand mixer for at least 15 minutes before starting. Measure 1 cup of cold whipping cream into the bowl and begin beating. When the cream starts to thicken, add the vanilla and cornstarch to the mixture, beating until semi-stiff peaks form. This is when you lift some whipped cream and it comes to a sharp peak that then flops over slightly.  Optionally, add about 1/8 tsp. of blue gel food dye to the cream as you whip it to make blue whipped cream. (As opposed to me who made a blueberry syrup which I didn't end up feeling very fond of.)
9. Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream, pipe several stars onto the cheesecake using a large star tip. Hold the piping bag vertically, about ¼-inch from the surface, squeezing for the count of three, then pull up sharply. You could also use a smaller star tip and make rosettes. Strategically pile your berries amongst the whipped cream. Repeat until you are satisfied with this beautiful cake. 

This recipe for Patriotic Cheesecake Tart has a few steps and parts, but it is easy to make and looks gorgeous, no matter how you decorate it. Change things up by using different colors for the tart shell and different fruits for the topping. What foods do make to celebrate patriotic holidays? Share your favorite celebratory BBQ recipes and photos on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills.

Happy Grilling!