Description
A smoky twist on the classic Basque cheesecake, made with Idiazabal cheese and topped with a rich black cherry compote. Perfectly burnt on the outside and creamy inside.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces Idiazabal cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (preferably hickory)
- For the cherry compote: 2 cups frozen black cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
1. Prepare the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 9-inch springform pan with two overlapping sheets of parchment paper, ensuring it extends above the edges.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in heavy cream, flour, vanilla, salt, grated Idiazabal cheese, and liquid smoke until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until deeply browned and jiggly in the center. The top should be dark caramelized.
- Cool completely in the pan at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- For compote: In a saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until cherries release juices. Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Serve chilled cheesecake slices topped with warm or room temperature cherry compote.
Notes
You can customize the seasonings to taste. For a deeper smoke flavor, let the liquid smoke sit overnight in the batter before baking.