Mini Pistachio Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Eat the entire cheesecake.
That is exactly what this Pistachio Burnt Basque Cheesecake is for. A mini, personal sized cheesecake, all for you.
And I’m not talking mini, like, muffin cup size. This is a respectable portion. A perfect amount for satisfying those cravings.
Burnt Basques are quite popular, and for good reason: less hassle.
No cookie crumb base, instead a rustic parchment paper lining
A beautiful burnt top, that tastes almost caramelized
The texture is super rich, velvety & custardy
For this recipe I’m using Mini Staub Cocottes (in the colour Cherry Blossom). It will make about two. So, you could potentially share— but I won’t blame you if you don’t.
To Bake: the oven temperature will be quite hot—480 degrees!
I messed around with the temperature and timing on 3 separate batches.
Trial and error, I found the sweet spot. A short 11-12 minute bake, to not allow the inside to fully set. Achieving that custardy texture. And finishing off the bake with a 2 min broil for that iconic burnt top.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Makes two, Mini Cocotte Cheesecakes (250ml)
200g cream cheese, room temperature
60g sugar
90g heavy cream, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
40g pistachio paste/spread
15g corn starch
10ml vanilla extract
pinch salt
Note: The brand of Pistachio Paste I’m using is Pasticceria 2 Esse which contains cocoa butter. But any brand of your favourite Pistachio spread will work!
To a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese.
With a rubber spatula, mix until smooth, creamy, and no lumps remain.
Add your granulated sugar, mix until pale and fluffy, Next, the pistachio paste and corn starch. Stir.
Add your egg, heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Stir until combined and smooth. Do not overmix or stir vigorously, as we don’t want to incorporate too much air.
Preheat your oven to 480 degrees Fahrenheit. (Yes! That hot! We want the tops to burn before the centre has the chance to fully set. Kind of a backwards way of baking, but trust me!)
To prep the bakeware:
Rip off two square pieces of parchment paper. Run them under tap water and shake off the water. Crinkle the paper and squeeze to get rid of any remaining water. This will make them pliable & easier to line the Cocottes!
Line two Mini Cocottes with your crinkled parchment paper, cut off any excess paper that overhangs the sides.
Divide the cheesecake batter evenly among the two Mini Cocottes. They can be filled almost to the top without fear of overflowing.
Bake in preheated oven for 11-12 minutes. For the last 2-3 minutes of baking, switch the oven mode to broil. This is to achieve that dark burnt top that we desire. Keep an eye on them as they will darken quite fast.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
These will last for 2-3 days, covered and refrigerated.
