The newest sweet to captivate Americans is neither. Nor, at almost three decades old, is it really new. It's not even particularly pretty to look at; it's burnt.
Basque country crustless cheesecake has cropped up around the U.S., from tiny apartment kitchens—thanks to love from sites such as Food52 (yes, you should make it, too)—to such exclusive dining spots as Dialogue in Los Angeles. Essentially, it's a typical cheesecake but with textural twists like singed edges and a gooey core.
Basque cheesecake may look like a bungled home-ec project—cratered, blotchy, and scorched—but it's this “Shrek factor” that makes the cake so beguiling. Looking at one, you'd never imagine its center would ooze lazily, like Epoisses, or that its puffed edges would dissolve on your tongue, as cotton candy does. Nor would you predict that its caramelized burnt corners would become so addictive.
The cake was birthed behind the swinging door at La Viña in Spain's San Sebastián, a neighborhood pintxos (skewered snack) joint whose bartenders remember your name. Though the region has had a long love affair with custards, this creamy dessert didn't exist until La Viña created it. The ingredient list is shockingly short: cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cream, and, depending on whom you ask, flour. The bar uses good old Philadelphia cream cheese; this was a relatively new ingredient in the Basque region in the 1970s, and locals embraced it.
