Food, Photography and Bons Mots
What in the heck is a Mamushka? Depends upon whom you believe. At its most basic, Mamushka is an archaic Russian term of endearment for “Mother.” Culturally, Urban Dictionary says it is a literary reference to a bit made famous in The Addams Family movie…
We all have our unicorns–those elusive “finds” that we search for and can’t quite grasp. This is one of mine. Chickpea Sandwich Filling. (I know. I know. My search is a modest one. But still….) I’ve always known it could be done. I’ve…
Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.”Here is a recipe for a beautiful Beet and Lentil Salad: Pickled Beet Salad With Lentils and Feta.
You don’t want to miss this great recipe…again.
Want to dive deeper into our recipe archive? Just click one of the categories at the top of this page or use the category search drop down menu on the right side of this page.
And…here is a link to Blue Cayenne’s main page: Blue Cayenne. If you are in the mood to cook (or eat!), we hope you will take a moment to look at the many excellent recipes we have featured.
“To be Irish is to know that in the end the world will break your heart.” ― Daniel Patrick Moynihan There is a sorrow in Irish history that is undeniable–the famine, “The Troubles,” and on and on. There is also strength and resolve…
Rough puff. It’s a thing among home bakers–a shortcut to glorious puff pastry. What’s the big deal about puff pastry? The magic of puff pastry (and rough puff) is the moisture in the generous amount of butter that is incorporated into the dough. As the…
Could you use a steaming bowl of creamy rich soup about now? The world is having a heartbreakingly-bad week.
This recipe is adapted from Melissa Clark’s recipe on the NYT site. Here is a link to the original recipe: Lemony Carrot and Cauliflower Soup.
Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.”Here is a recipe for a tasty Macaroni Salad that appeared on Blue Cayenne in 2015: Macaroni Salad. You don’t want to miss this great…
Need some recipes for dinner dishes that you can make right from the pantry? There are nights when I sure do! Here is a cookbook for you to consider. It is Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, Shelf Love. The premise of the book is just that—recipes…
I usually march to the beat of my own drummer, but the crush of interest in recipes for Burnt Basque Cheesecake has piqued my interest.
It turns out that Burnt Basque Cheesecake originated in the 1990s as a Tarta de Queso at La Vina Restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain. The quirky cheesecake eventually caught the attention of several top chefs in the United States and The New York Times’ Kim Severson named the cheesecake “the taste of the year” in 2020. Interest in the cheesecake exploded.
So, what’s so special?
A Basque Cheesecake is a crustless cheesecake baked at a high temperature (400 degrees F.!). The high temperature bake produces a tall cheesecake with a deeply caramelized exterior that appears burnt but tastes divine.
I decided to give it a go. It is a really easy recipe. The reviews for the cake were effusive. And, who passes up an opportunity to enjoy a cheesecake? (Not moi.)
You’ll find a lot of recipes for Burnt Basque Cheesecake on the Internet. The recipe I used was from Bon Appetit here. Bon Appetit suggests you enjoy this cheesecake with a glass of sherry. Why not?
If this Basque Cheesecake intrigues you, you might want to compare it to a traditional American cheesecake. Blue Cayenne has a recipe for an extraordinary (not a word I use often) cheesecake here.
This is a beauty of a galette–redolent with lightly-caramelized onions, loaded with tender potatoes and sitting atop a layer of Boursin cheese and a generous crisp crust. There is a lot of love here. A galette, by the way, is a rustic free-form tart from…
