Cheesecake Squares with Roasted Blueberry Compote

For crust
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into large pieces
1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs (about 8 graham crackers, pulsed in a food processor)
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons sugar

Roasted Blueberry Compote
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 Tablespoon sugar
Juice of half a lemon, reserved
Zest of one lemon, reserved

Cheesecake Filling
1/2 cup white sugar
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, optional (Note: the lemon juice gives the filling a distinct flavor that some may or may not like).
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make blueberries: Heat oven to 450°F. Toss blueberries with sugar in a shallow baking dish. Roast 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until berries burst. Let cool, and work on the crust. While the crust is in the oven, pull out about 1/2 cup of the blueberries, add about 2 Tablespoons of water, and heat until just simmering in a heavy saucepan on medium-high heat. Mash the blueberries, using a potato masher. Add the lemon juice and about a teaspoon of the lemon zest. Sprinkle the rest of the zest over the assembled cheesecake for a garnish.

To make graham cracker crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Melt butter in microwave in heatproof bowl until just melted when stirred. Add graham cracker crumbs, salt, and sugar. Mix and then press evenly into the bottom of 8×8 baking pan.

To make Filling: Beat cream cheese on low. Add sugar, beat just until smooth—do NOT beat til fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. The key here is to not get too much air into the batter. Stir in the egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix well. Spread filling mixture over baked crust. Swirl in some of the blueberries. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheesecake is set 2 inches from edge but the center still looks a bit wet. Do NOT open the oven door while baking. Take the cheesecake out of the oven immediately after it is done (for regular cheesecake, many people recommend leaving it in the oven with the oven off to let it cool. This is to prevent cracks. Do NOT do it for these!) Let cool on wire rack and refrigerate.