Tarta de Queso (Basque Cheesecake)

“This recipe comes from the pintxos bar in San Sebastián that invented it – I go there every year with my gastronomic group. It’s like a big soufflé, and is cooked fast and hot. We stand in the street outside the bar eating it while sipping sherry. Inside, there are shelves and shelves of this burnt cheesecake. In case you’re wondering if it goes straight to your thighs, the answer is yes.” — Peta Mathias

Serves 6

4 medium-sized eggs

500g cream cheese

250ml cream

200g sugar

1 tbsp flour

fresh berries or chopped summer peaches, to serve

Preheat oven to 220° C.

Place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.

Break eggs into a large bowl and beat well with an electric beater. Add the cream cheese and beat in. Add the cream and beat in. Add the sugar and beat in. Finally add the flour and beat in.

Line a 21cm springform cake tin with a removable base with baking paper.

Pour the mixture into the tin and place onto the hot baking tray in the oven. Bake for around 45 minutes – the colour will be your best indication of doneness. You want the top of the cake to caramelise, so you are looking for the surface of the cake to turn a very dark brown colour; almost burnt-looking. When you gently shake the tin, the cake will appear wobbly but after 45 minutes it will definitely be cooked.

Remove the cake from oven and leave to cool in the tin. Remove and serve caramelised side up.

Serve with fresh berries or summer peaches.

Note: This recipe is very good doubled so that it is twice as high, in which case you would line the sides with baking paper that came up a few inches above the tin.

Images and text extracted from Recipes from the Supper Club by Peta Mathias, published by Peta Mathias Publishing, RRP $59.00.

📷 Photography by Ken Downie.