Basque-Style Ricotta Cheesecake
and my dreams of living abroad
If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be a small Mediterranean island somewhere off the coast of Southern Europe. Whether it’s Sicily or Sardinia, Corsica or the Canary Islands, or a Mamma Mia-esque Greek island, I could happily spend the rest of my days in a little village bathed in Mediterranean sun, caked in saltwater, snacking on the absolute abundance of vibrant fruits and vegetables growing around me. I want buckets of freshly harvested olives and juicy summer figs and as much sheep’s milk cheese as I can stand.
Until I figure out how to make my Mediterranean island dreams a reality, I find myself channeling that vibe in my kitchen regularly, especially in the summer, where fruit is ripe and sweet and simplicity feels a little bit magical.
The other week, at my perfect little market, I found a quart of made-in-store fresh ricotta cheese for $6. Because passing up a deal like that would be criminal, I bought it and, when I’m not sneaking spoonfuls as a snack, I’ve been baking with it. I made a rendition of a yogurt cake with it—dense and moist, filled with pistachios and citrus (I’ll get that recipe to you later this summer) and then found myself turning to an old favorite—the Basque-style cheesecake.
While the Basque region is not an island and therefore does not fit exactly into my Mediterranean island category, it does border water so I’m counting it. A small region in northern Spain that bumps up against South West France, the Basque region is known for their delicious simplicity when it comes to food. A Basque cheesecake is truly the simplest cheesecake you can make—it has no crust, just a rustic custard baked in jagged parchment paper until deeply caramelized.
For this recipe, I took that traditional Basque cheesecake and swapped out some of the cream cheese for my fresh ricotta, giving it a lighter texture and a bright bite. The result was a tangy, ricotta forward cheesecake, perfect to serving with a large dollop of cherry preserves and a drizzle of olive oil.
plus a few book Mediterranean summer book recommendations…
Rebekah Peppler’s newest book, Le Sud was just released last month and while I have not yet gotten my hands on a copy, her first book is one of my all time favorites and I can’t wait to dive in.
In 2020, when the world was in lockdown, my entire birthday dinner/celebration was inspired by Letitia Ann Clark’s Bitter Honey. Her second book, La Vita è Dolce is one of my most used for inspiration.
Basque Country by Marti Buckley (where you can find the recipe that inspired this cheesecake) is such a beautiful and informative look at the food and culture in the Basque region.
basque-style ricotta cheesecake
makes one 8” cheesecake
Ingredients:
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
zest of one lemon or orange
14 oz whole milk ricotta cheese*
8 oz full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
pinch of salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
288 g (1 ¼ c) heavy cream, at room temperature
18 g (2 tbsp) all purpose flour
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Press a sheet of parchment paper into an 8” round cake pan, creasing as needed to line the pan leaving a good amount of overhang. Set aside.
Place ricotta in a cheese cloth or paper towel-lined fine mesh sieve and let drain for about 15 minutes, while you prep the other ingredients. See notes below on this!
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and the citrus zest. Rub together with your fingertips until well combined and fragrant.
Add the drained ricotta, cream cheese, and salt and beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until smooth, creamy and very well-combined.
With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, along with the vanilla. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often to ensure even mixing.
Stream in the heavy cream followed by the flour and mix until just combined and batter is smooth and homogenous with no clumps.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is deeply golden brown and caramelized and the center only has a slight wobble when jiggled. Turn off the oven, crack the door, and allow the cheesecake to cool for about 30 minutes before removing it from the oven to cool completely. When cooled, transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight, or for at least 4 hours, before slicing and serving.
and a few recipe notes:
on draining your ricotta cheese: I used a freshly made ricotta cheese that didn’t have a high water content to begin with so I only needed a quick drain to remove a little of the excess moisture. If you are using a tub of ricotta with a higher moisture content, you may want to let your ricotta drain for longer (an hour or so or even in the refrigerator overnight). We’re just trying to remove a bit of excess liquid to make sure our final cheesecake isn’t too wet.
on ingredient temperatures: Temperature is key to good cheesecake! If any of the ingredients are too cold, the batter can get clumpy and won’t homogenize properly. Making sure everything is at room temperature will help you get silky smooth cheesecake every time.