Set filling aside (refrigerate if necessary) until crust cools to room temperature. When crust is cool, use a rubber spatula to spread filling over crust in an even layer. Place bars in refrigerator to chill while preparing the sauce.

Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream over low heat (you do not want it to boil, but just want bubbles to start to appear on the surface). In a medium saucepan, heat sugar and honey over medium until sugar is dissolved and mixture beings to boil. Continue to boil mixture, stirring with a metal whisk every 30 seconds, until it becomes caramel colored and thin, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully add butter, one piece at a time, and heat and stir until melted. Use caution, as mixture will bubble and sputter when butter is added.

Pour in warm cream and whisk quickly until mixture bubbles up. Remove pan from heat and continue to whisk as the bubbles calm down. Whisk in kosher salt and then set sauce aside to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Transfer sauce to a jar and store in refrigerator.

Assemble the bars: Once the bars have chilled at least an hour or up to overnight, remove from refrigerator and cut into bars. Place bars on serving plates. Using a spoon, drizzle some of the salted honey sauce over each cheesecake bar (or pass sauce at the table so everyone can drizzle their own). Sprinkle a few pecan pieces and a tiny bit of coarse flaked salt over top and serve. Store any leftover cheesecake bars and sauce in the refrigerator.

Recipe notes: Labneh is a type of Middle Eastern fermented yogurt cheese -- comparable to cream cheese -- that has been strained to remove the whey. If you can't find it at the store, you can easily make your own. This recipe below makes just the amount you will need for these cheesecake bars.

Homemade labneh recipe: In a bowl, combine 28 ounces of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt (such as four 7-ounce containers of Fage brand yogurt) and 1 teaspoon of salt. Pour mixture into a bowl that has been lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather cheesecloth around yogurt into a bundle and tie it from one of your kitchen cupboard handles, with the bowl on the counter underneath the yogurt bundle to catch the liquid. Let the yogurt drain for 24 hours. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, but if this makes you squeamish, go ahead and rig up the system in your refrigerator.

(Jessie Shafer is a registered dietitian and a contributor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)