Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Basque Burnt Cheesecake
Served with Oloroso Sherry

#5ingredient #glutenfree #crustless #stunning #simple

With no fruit topping, no crust and five simple ingredients – cream cheese, sugar, salt, eggs, and cream – it is astonishing how absolutely fabulous this cheesecake actually is… Perhaps it is the extremely high baking temperature that coaxes those 5 ordinary ingredients into a synergistic masterpiece with a striking blackened top and a creme brûlée-esque caramelized flavor. And as if the cake itself wasn’t enough, the scorched parchment ruffles that surround this cake make for a beautiful unique presentation.

The recipe was originally developed by Santiago Rivera, Chef of La Viña in San Sebastian, Spain. The Chef says, “If I had to mention a key influence, which has determined the personality and the evolution of my cuisine, I would undoubtedly point at the movement of the New Basque Cuisine, starting in 1977.”

Oloroso Sherry from Jerez, Spain has wonderful aromas of nuts, vanilla and caramel plus rich nutty semi-sweet creamy flavors. Oloroso sherries offer a terrific balance between sweet and dry. This cheesecake and this sherry are a heavenly Spanish pair.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake Recipe

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Ingredients:

three 8-ounce packages (681g) cream cheese (We like Philadelphia brand)
1 1/2 cups (297g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
3/4 cup (170g) heavy cream

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Method:

Place rack in center of oven. Pre-heat the oven to 500°F.

Crumple 2 sheets of 16X12 parchment paper. Un-crumple the parchment and overlap in a 9″ springform pan, completely covering the bottom and sides.

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until completely smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides half-way through.

Pour batter into pan. Fold parchment down and away from the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is a deep-dark brown. A thermometer should read 185°F when inserted one inch in and one inch down.

Cool on a rack until the cake completely reaches room temperature. This will take about 2 hours or more. Serve cheesecake at room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Notes: I determined that my Wolf range was too hot at 500°F so I adjusted the temperature on my second time baking this cheesecake to 475°F. And in my oven, 26 minutes was the maximum time to cook, otherwise the top became too burnt. One extra minute of baking at that high temperature will make a difference. Also, keep an eye on the parchment paper – it will darken but should not burn! For both batches, my thermometer read above 185°F but the cake still came out perfect with the texture of baked cream.

This stunning recipe is from King Arthur Baking here.

Charming dessert plates from Juliska.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake