Basque cheesecake —and Part 6 (and last) of the vegetable garden: the ground cover
You’ve probably heard of Basque cheesecake, San Sebastián cheesecake, or cheseecake from La Viña restaurant. I’m sharing that recipe today, which is not mine, but Santiago Rivera’s, chef at La Viña resturant in San Sebastián.
I thought this cheesecake was perfect to accompany Part 6 (and last) of the construction of our vegetable garden last year. My aunt Isa loves gardening, and she has a green thumb —her garden is always colorful and exuberant— and gardening reminds me of her.
I’ve mentioned my aunt Isa on this blog before. My aunt Isa (my mom’s youngest sister) moved to Puerto Rico after she married my uncle. They lived there for a number of years and then, with three young children in tow (one of them a baby) moved back to Spain. While in Puerto Rico, my aunt, like any good expatriate (I feel identified!) experienced in the kitchen with dishes typical of the island, and also with her husband‘s family recipes. One such recipe was flan de queso, cheese flan.
And this is how the bottom barrier looks like
Cutting through the bags and seeing the pea gravel run off is the easiest and most satisfying task
Cheese flan has been made over and over by her and by my mom in Spain ever since she moved back in the 80’s. Cheese flan is the family recipe we don’t share (it’s a family secret!), but has always been present at family reunions, house parties and sometimes brought to potlucks.
Recently, I’ve been seeing a cheesecake (both on TV as on social media and weekly publications, both Spanish and American ones) that looked almost exactly like my aunt’s cheese flan. In fact, this so-called San Sebastián cheesecake, or Basque cheesecake, or cheesecake from La Viña restaurant in San Sebastián, has become almost viral.
Spreading more fabric, stapling it to the ground, spreading pea gravel, section by section
Pea gravel is very heavy, and getting it in bags was more practical than ordering it in bulk
One last effort, as the leaves keep announcing that winter’s coming
The burning beauty
The leaves will protect and feed the soil when they decompose
Ready for winter. Until next spring!
Since it looked so much like my aunt’s cheese flan, I was very curious about it. To my surprise, the restaurant’s chef is so generous, he has shared the recipe with the world! I found the original recipe the restaurant has followed for years, and after reading the list of ingredients I realized it was quite different from my aunt’s cheese flan recipe. Only two ingredients were the same! I have to say I was quite relieved, because as I said, my aunt’s recipe has been kept in the family.
I, however, had to try the Basque cheesecake from La Viña and made it. To my surprise, even if the ingredients were not the same, not only its looks, but also its flavor and texture was practically identical to my aunt’s cheese flan. Unbelievable!
So, because I cannot share our family’s cheese flan recipe, I’m sharing the La Viña‘s restaurant Basque cheesecake recipe. For our family, I reduced the quantities (and therefore the pan size and the baking times), but I’m including the original ingredients list from the restaurant, and added a few notes on pan size and baking times if you decide to make the original, larger cheesecake from La Viña restaurant.
This cheesecake is not only easy to make, but I can promise you haven’t tasted a more delicious cheesecake before.
Some of the differences between Basque cheesecake and American cheesecake:
- Basque cheesecake looks slightly burnt on top (it is not)
- Basque cheesecake doesn’t have a cookie crust
- Basque cheesecake melts in your mouth, it is lighter than American cheesecake
- Basque cheesecake doesn’t include butter, or vanilla, or any other flavorings
Make it, and let me know how you like it. I bet it will become a favorite!
Vegetable garden: the ground cover
As for my vegetable garden, after building the fence and gate it was time to remove the chicken wire that had been protecting the plants in each bed during the summer. So the next step was to ensure that the small animals wouldn’t get under the fence (even the ones who burrow!). Dave dug a trench where we buried yards of rubber garden edge. At the same time, I cut out strips of chicken wire, which I proceeded to staple to both the rubber edge and the wood fence.
We spent a good amount of time pondering whether to line the wood fence with more chicken wire to block the access of other animals (namely: rabbits) to the garden. In the one hand, it would protect the vegetables, but in the other hand, we weren’t so sure about how it would look, esthetically. My friend Alice Eshelman game us the answer: she suggested we use a product called blood meal instead —apparently animals are repelled by it. That solved our conundrum —thank you, Alice!
At last it was time to cover the ground. Of all the options possible, Dave conceded and agreed to use pea gravel, my wish! Before spreading the gravel we covered the ground with garden fabric and fixed it with U-shaped garden staples. Spreading the pea gravel and seeing the garden being transformed was a dream come true. Just in time for the leaves to burst into autumn colors, fall, and be collected to protect the beds until next year…which is now.
Time to plant.
PS: for links to the products used, click on their names (in purple)
BASQUE CHEESECAKE
Ingredients
- 2 packs or 2 cups cream cheese
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 Tbs flour
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Line the cake pan with 2 overlapping sheets of parchment paper, making sure paper overhangs at least 2" above the rim of the pan on all sides. You can even wet the paper slightly so it becomes easier to fit in the pan, and wrinkle the edges to give the paper its characteristic rustic look after baking. Set the pan aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add in the cream in a stream while continue beating. Add in the sugar and mix until incorporated. Next, with the mixer still running, add the eggs one at a time, beating for 10 seconds before adding the next. Lastly, add the flour and mix until incorporated.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, making sure the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and place in the center of the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, checking at the 30 minute mark to make sure the top doesn’t burn too much —if it does, you can cover it with aluminum foil for the last few minutes of baking, but take into account that one of the features of basque cheesecake is a slightly burnt top. The final cake will have a medium brown top.
- When the cake is almost set, turn the oven off, open the oven door half way and leave the cake in the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set on a cooling tray until the cheesecake reaches room temperature.
- Loosely cover with foil or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
- To serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan by holding and lifting by the parchment overhang. Place on a plate, gently peel back the parchment from the sides of the cheesecake and cut into wedges.
Notes
- The cake will swell while baking, but will deflate somewhat when taken out of the oven
- The cheesecake can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered
- If you deceide to make the original recipe, use a 10.5 inch diameter cake pan or springform, and bake for 65 to 70 minutes
- 1,200 gr cream cheese
- 7 eggs
- 400 gr granulated sugar
- 500 ml whipping cream
- 1 1/2 Tbs flour
