Dubai Chocolate Burnt Basque Cheesecake
I first had Basque Cheesecake at a Spanish Tapas pop-up at The Eastern Columbia Building in DTLA just a couple of years ago. It was such a groovy night befitting the building’s lore, with flamenco guitarists playing, wine pouring, and because it took us almost 2 hours to get there (LA traffic), the chef comped us a slice of the creamiest cheesecake I’ve ever had. Sorry, NYC!
Since then, everyone’s been bitten by the Dubai Chocolate craze. Of course, I had to combine the two. With the buttery toast ed Kataifi (shredded phyllo dough) and added pistachio butter- this is the ultimate dessert that hits all the notes; creamy, nutty, crunchy, chocolatey, and yes- out of this world delicious. Can’t wait for you to try it!
Ingredients
1 8-oz package cream cheese – room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Kataifi Pistachio Crunch Ingredients
1 cup frozen shredded phyllo dough (Kataifi or Kadaifi)
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp pistachio butter
4 oz semisweet or dark chocolate
4 oz heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450°. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream and flour until fully incorporated. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
In a pan, add butter and kataifi on light-medium heat. Cook until golden and crisp. Be sure to stir often to cook evenly and to prevent burning. Set aside and allow kataifi to cool completely. Add pistachio butter to the cooked kataifi 1 tablespoon at a time. Incorporate well so you can adjust how creamy and crunchy you prefer it to be.
Line a 6-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Line 1/4 of the kataifi mixture on the bottom of the pan. Pour batter into the cake pan. (Pour the batter through a sieve instead of overmixing it and for a smoother consistency.)
Bake for 25-35 minutes, depending on your oven. The top should look burnt, while the middle is still very jiggly. Allow to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Take the cheesecake out of the fridge and top with remaining kataifi mixture. (It should be crunchy, like the sound of walking on snow!)
Bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. In a separate bowl with chocolate pour over hot cream over chocolate and coconut oil and stir until smooth. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly before drizzling on the cheesecake, or pour it over the entire cheesecake until fully coated for a richer flavor.
Slice and serve with fresh berries if you wish.