New York-style cheesecake with citrus zest and aromatics - a Phil Howard recipe
This has been on my desserts-which-deserve-to-be-made radar for a while. “A perfectly baked cheesecake is a wonderful thing…” says the Great British Chefs introduction. With a recipe as wonderful as this one from Phil Howard we all stand a reasonable chance of heading towards baking perfection.
Here is the link to his New York-style cheesecake with citrus zest and aromatics. It’s marked as an ‘Easy’ recipe which is fair enough but be prepared for the minor complication of a kitchen which needs constant clearing of jugs, bowls and utensils as you plough through a multitude of processes. Do that with good grace. Your efforts will be hugely worthwhile.
All you’ll have to decide then is whether the results are deliciously stunning or stunningly delicious. (#SpoilerAlert - they are both!)
Biscuit base crumbs have Grape-Nuts crunch after baking.
Our road has just been resurfaced outside. I watched carefully and gained enough skills to tamp down the crumbs.
Sieving the mix is not optional. Silky texture is required.
The zest has imparted its zing. Be brutal - discard it!
See. Told you. Silky.
The slow bake took 20 minutes longer than the suggested 90. My tin was a loose-bottomed 23cm square. I really doubt if you would get a satisfactory height spreading the same quantity into the recipe’s suggested 30x30cm frame. Use your spatial awareness and act accordingly.
My ‘young’ marmalade found a partner 11 years older - and formed an enduring relationship.
Zesty additions to begin with.
Aromatics? Yes, please. Things get even more interesting with thyme and peppers. I ground a little fennel seed in the absence of pollen.
Chilling overnight* resolved any concerns I might have had about the eventual texture. Fears of too soft had slipped nicely into ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ “just right'“.
*Not me. The cheesecake. I manage to stay reasonably laid back for months at a time. Pass that sloe gin!
Side pieces were taken off first for freezing.
The recipe produced eight slices in addition to those taken for our lunch offering. Your knife placement could easily alter the portion size.
Four reasonably presentable slices for our lunchtime serving with friends.
All the elements were now ready to cut, sprinkle with aromatics and slide onto a plate. I had a practice run with one slice before guests arrived which allowed for a photo and - I’ll be brutally honest - a fair amount of investigation of any ‘trimmings’ and ‘spillage’. Sneaky confirmation that things had gone rather well.
Presentation hardly matters when the eating is so much more important. I wasted no time on aesthetics and slavishly followed Phil Howard’s ‘minimalist’ approach.
Many previous baked cheesecake recipes have become firm favourites. But they have also been rather firm.
This one is more in the mould of a baked custard with a lovely soft, smooth texture. It still has all the other required elements - sourness, acidity and unctuous creaminess. The lively aromatics give a zing similar but slightly more restrained to that of popping candy. And that ‘bit on the side’ provided by bitter oranges and boozy fruits balances everything perfectly.
Flyaway seeds and zest escaped onto the cut surfaces. I recklessly served the utterly ruined slices - but no-one complained!
All ready to give indescribable delight to our assembled diners - who immediately and generously proceeded to give delighted descriptions.
A recipe which I recommend without reservations. Even if you don’t possess this chef’s level of intelligence, reproducing his ideas from your kitchen will endow you with a large portion of Phil Howard’s class.
