2022 Tour de France - Stage 18: Lourdes to Hautacam.
Welcome to French Basque Country! Much like Spain has its own Basque territory in the NE reaches of their borders, this area stretches just across the French-Spain border in SW France…not to be confused with France’s other Basque region in NE France. So, if I’m in Basque Country, why wouldn’t I make a Basque Burnt Cheesecake?!
I think I did ok for my first go. The only thing I was disappointed with was the cracking. This style of cheesecake is supposed to flop/sag and compress during the cooling. But, I had to pull the cake from the oven because it cracked while rising in the bake, almost like a souffle, and I was afraid it would spill out of the pan. Because I pulled it out a bit early, it also prevented me from burning the top enough. There’s multiple culprits to the issue here (one my fault as I only had a 9” pan, as opposed to the 10” mentioned in the recipe) so I have adjusted the recipe mixing instructions, slightly, as such. Let's not get anything twisted here, though, this cheesecake was absolutely delicious and no one would really care about these cosmetic issues but for a food critic!
Basque Burnt Cheesecake from Bon Appétit, Molly Baz
2 lb. cream cheese, room temperature
1.5 cups sugar
6 large eggs (at room temperature)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
Butter, parchment paper, 10” springform pan, fine mesh sieve or sifter
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the rack set in the middle of the oven.
Mix the cream cheese and sugar, in a large bowl of a food processor fitted with the paddle attachment, for a couple of minutes on medium-low speed. Use a rubber spatula to clean down the sides of the bowl.
Once mixed well, increase the speed to medium and add in the eggs, one-at-a-time, about 12 seconds apart. Then add in the cream, salt and vanilla and continue to mix for 20-30 seconds until just blended. Stop the motor.
Prepare your pan by smearing it with butter and lining the springform pan with a double-layer of 12x18 sheets of parchment. You will need to fold a few creases into the paper to make these fit. Place the prepared pan on a baking sheet.
Scrape down the bowl sides, if necessary. Place your flour in a fine mesh sieve and tap the sides over the bowl of cheese and eggs allowing the sifted flour to coat the surface evenly. Return the bowl to the stand mixer and mix, on low speed for 10 seconds. Stop the motor. Scrape down the bowl once more and mix on low speed again for 10 seconds ensuring everything is smooth.
Pour the mixture into your prepared pan. If you have a smaller pan, don’t fill all the way to the top. Bake in the oven for 65 minutes until the top is well browned. Open the oven, only at the end of the baking, to check the consistency. The center (about a 4-inch radius) should still be wobbly, and at that point remove it from the oven, or keep baking for a few more minutes.
Remove and let cool in the pan for 45 minutes. Release the tension on the springform ring and allow it to fully cool. Once fully cool to room temperature, carefully remove the parchment; slice and serve. ______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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