Super-Simple Cheesecake Recipe
This recipe comes from San Francisco chef Charles Phan’s new cookbook, The Slanted Door (Ten Speed), which features dishes from his modern Vietnamese restaurant of the same name.
Photo: Ed Anderson
No-Bake Cheesecake with Walnut Cookie-Brown Butter Crust
Makes one 8-inch cheesecake; serves 10 to 12
Our classic cheesecake has evolved over the years at the restaurant, and this version celebrates fresh cream cheese. Look for cheeses that do not have stabilizer or gum, such as Gina Marie or Sierra Nevada. At the restaurant, we crush homemade walnut–brown butter cookies for the crust, and the bulk of the remaining recipe is fresh cream cheese. It is a “cheese cake” in the most literal sense.
CRUST
1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 cups walnut halves
Pinch of kosher salt
1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus 9 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 egg
FILLING
2 1⁄2 pounds cream cheese
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup heavy cream
Blueberry compote, for garnish (below)
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a baking sheet and an 8-inch round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. To make the crust, in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, walnuts, and salt and set aside. Usinga stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 1⁄4 cup of softened butter and the brown sugar together on low speed. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix just until incorporated.
3. Spread the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and crumble with a fork when still warm. Return the crumbled dough to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, stirring the mixture and breaking up any lumps every 5 minutes to ensure even baking. The crumbs should be a toasty brown color. Let the crumbs cool, then pulse in food processor until the crumbs are the size of a pea, and set aside.
4. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 9 1⁄2 tablespoons of butter and continue cooking until the butter turns amber brown and smells caramelized but not burned, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Place the crumbs in a medium bowl. Add just enough of the browned butter to make the crumbs hold together. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared springform pan on the bottom only. Chill for an hour before filling.
5. To make the filling, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, and lemon zest until smooth. Gradually add the cream and mix just until smooth.
6. Spread the filling over the prepared crust, usinga small offset or rubber spatula to make sure the filling is spread evenly and there are no air bubbles. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Garnish with blueberry compote. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Blueberry Compote
1 pound blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Zest of 1⁄2 lemon
To make the compote, in a medium sauce pan over low heat, combine all the ingredients and cook until the compote thickens and coats the back of a cold spoon, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cool the pan in an ice bath, then transfer the compote to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
More cake recipes:
Joy the Baker’s Classic Birthday Cake
Swedish Chocolate Cake Recipe
Chocolate Stout Cake
