Recipe: Mint and Yuzu Basque Cheesecake
Plus a few suggestions for variations! Seasonally appropriate and still fresh.
Hello paid subscribers! There are nearly 20 of you now, and I definitely did a little dance in my apartment when I realized that. I’ve also gotten some feedback on a few recipes I’ve posted so far. Thank you for encouraging me to keep writing. I will encourage you to keep baking, and to keep the questions and feedback coming!
I’m a citrus more than a PSL person
Though most people associate this time of year with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, I am admittedly ambivalent about warming spices and prefer to turn my attention instead to citrus! When I lived in New Orleans, September/October brought about the start of satsuma season, a dreamy, bright orange fruit with jewel-like flesh that makes your mouth water once broken open.
Since I don’t have satsumas handy, I put together a recipe that uses my precious stock of Yuzu Co. yuzu juice. (I am not sponsored by them, I just really like the product.) But you can also find yuzu juice in a bottle at your local Japanese grocer. You could also replace the yuzu with fresh squeezed lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit juice. The citrus’ main role here is to add depth and a hint of acidity to the cheesecake, so feel free to also add a teaspoon or so of zest if you’d like.
This recipe is simplified so that you can chuck everything in a blender, and is also very versatile. Mint leaves could be substituted for lemon balm, sage, or rosemary. I’ve even used pandan leaves instead of herbs, the extra step with pandan cheesecake will be to make pandan cream by food processing or blending the leaves with the heavy cream to release the flavor and signature green color from the plant.
Basque cheesecake (a little history lesson) may seem easy, but is notoriously subjective. Some people like theirs a little more set; some a little more creamy. Some like it blackened, while some may prefer a more subdued caramelization on their crust. Whichever kind of basque you prefer, I hope you’ll make the recipe a few times this season so that you can get your version just right. And don’t be too hard on yourself! Cheesecake is tricky, but is usually delicious regardless.
Xo,
V
