Before we get started, this cheesecake takes a while to make. With that said, it might be the best cheesecake I have ever eaten. After you make the batter, it needs to rest in the refrigerator: 30 minutes. Also, after an hour of cooking, the cheesecake needs to come come to room temperature: 1 hour. It also needs to be refrigerated for quite a while: 4 hours.
Hat tip to Serious Eats for the recipe. I only tweaked it slightly.
The Basque cheesecake really doesn’t need anything to make it fantastic… BUT. How about adding a Salted Bourbon Caramel drizzle? Please and Thank You! This caramel is ridiculous. I mean dangerously good. Caramel is good anyway but add the salt and the pop from bourbon, just yum.
Why did I make this cheesecake? I first had a Basque cheesecake at one of our favorite restaurants in downtown, Greenville, South Carolina. Urban Wren has a great, ever changing menu and such a neat space. On a visit with friends, my wife and I decided to split a dessert. We agreed on cheesecake. It came out in an individual portion with three accompaniments. Pictured below and the menu description. It was so good, I became obsessed. The charred, almost burnt top, the rich, creamy insides and it has no crust. I researched a bunch of recipes and settled on this one.
BASQUE CHEESECAKE
caramel
warm butter peach compote
almond crumble
Why is it called Basque Burnt Cheesecake? The internets says it was created at a San Sebastián, Spain restaurant called La Vina. The NY Times even called it the “Flavor of the Year“.
Ingredients for Salted Bourbon Caramel Drizzle
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
How to make a Salted Bourbon Caramel Drizzle
- Add sugar and water to a medium sauce pan and stir to combine.
- Turn the burner to medium-high and leave it alone. The mixture will start to bubble and caramelize. Continue cooking until the mixture turns to a dark amber, think the color of a penny.
- Once you have achieved the color you want, turn off the burner and remove from heat.
- Working quickly, carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble a lot, continue to whisk and add butter until combined.
- Add bourbon, vanilla and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Allow to cool slightly and it will thicken up.
- Serve immediately or place in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator.
Ingredients for Basque Burnt Cheesecake
- 2 lbs Philadelphia cream cheese, 4 8 ounce packages, at room temperature
- 9.5 ounces granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp to top
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 8 ounces heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1.5 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp AP flour
How to make a Basque Burnt Cheesecake
- First prepare a 10 inch spring form pan. Spray the pan with non-stick spray. Cut two peices of parchment paper, large enough to overlap each other to cover the pan plus 1-3 inches over the edge. Be patient and make sure the parchment is formed into the pan. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine cream cheese and sugar. On medium-low, combine until smooth. You will need to stop and scrap down the sides of the bowl. Continue to mix until smooth and sugar is dissolved.
- With the mixer on medium-low, add eggs one at a time. Allow each egg to incorporate, about 10 seconds. Continue to scrap down the bowl to make sure the mixture is fully incorporated and smooth.
- Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest and salt. Set the mixer to medium-low until combined and smooth. Use a fine mesh strainer and sift the flour into the mixture and continue to mix until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Set the pan on a rimmed sheet pan, dust with the remaining sugar and place in the oven.
- Bake the cheesecake 25-30 minutes and rotate the pan 180 degrees. Continue baked for another 25-30 minutes until the cheesecake jiggles as a whole.
- Flip your oven to broiler and brown the top of the cheesecake. Monitor constantly to make sure it doesn’t overly brown.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to rest for 1 hour.
- Place the cheesecake in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours. You’ll be tempted to cut this short or skip this step but do not.
- To remove the cheesecake from the pan, release the spring form pan. Gentle hold the parchment overlap and pull the cheesecake out and place on a cutting board.
- To plate, cut with a sharp knife in wedges, drizzle with Salted Bourbon Carmel.
- Enjoy.
one foodie and his food 