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1
Make the cheesecake: Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth.
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2
Add 2/3 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla; beat well.
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3
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
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4
Tint the batter orange with yellow and red food coloring.
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5
Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
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6
Pour in the batter; bake at 350 degrees F until puffed and almost set, 25 to 30 minutes.
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7
Mix the sour cream and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar; spread over the hot cheesecake and bake 5 more minutes.
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8
Let cool, then chill 2 hours.
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9
Make the chips: Unroll the pie dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to flatten slightly.
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10
Brush the dough with the milk and sprinkle with the sugar.
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11
Cut the dough into 2 1/2-inch-wide strips.
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12
Cut each strip into as many 2 1/2-inch triangles as possible.
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13
Place the triangles about 1 inch apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.
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14
Bake in batches at 450 degrees F until lightly golden, 7 to 10 minutes.
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15
Transfer to a rack and cool completely.
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16
Make the salsa and garnishes: Cut the Swedish Fish into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with 2 tablespoons strawberry jam.
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17
For the chiles, cut the green licorice on the diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
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18
For the olives, cut the black licorice dots into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
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19
Use a straw or pastry tip to remove a circle from the center of each round.
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20
Tint the sour cream orange with yellow and red food coloring to look like melted cheese.
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21
Spoon the orange sour cream into a resealable plastic bag.
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22
Press out the excess air and seal.
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23
Press the pie chips into the cheesecake.
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24
Add the black licorice, chocolate-covered raisins and some green licorice and jam-coated Swedish Fish.
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25
Snip a small corner from the bag of orange sour cream and pipe a few dots on the cheesecake for the melted cheese.
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26
Serve with extra chips on the side, and make extra salsa by mixing leftover candies and jam.
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27
Photograph by Kat Teutsch
