Name: Basque Cheesecake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Basque
Ingredients: 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature; 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups sugar, depending on desired level of sweetness; 2 cups heavy cream, divided; 6 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon fine salt; ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

1 Place a rack in the middle of the oven, with no rack above it so the cheesecake has plenty of space to rise. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Tear off two generous sheets of parchment paper. Cross one on top of the other and press them into the base of a 9-inch springform pan. Roughly pleat the sides of the parchment against the pan to help make room for the cheesecake. Ideally, the paper will rise at least 2 inches all the way around the pan.

2 In a large food processor (minimum 12-cup capacity), stand mixer or large mixing bowl (with a hand mixer), combine the cream cheese, sugar, and about ½ cup of the cream. Process (or mix on low speed) until the mixture is very smooth and the sugar has dissolved, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes.

3 In the meantime, crack the eggs into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. While blending, pour in all of the eggs at once and blend until smooth. Reserve the measuring cup.

4 Pause and scrape down the sides if necessary. Pour in the remaining cream, plus the vanilla and salt. Process until combined, about 30 seconds (this will take a little longer if using a mixer).

5 Pour 1 cup of the mixture into the measuring cup. Whisk the flour into the mixture until smooth (this prevents the flour from flying everywhere when mixed). Pour the contents of the cup back into the food processor and blend until smooth, about 10 to 20 seconds.

6 Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Gently jiggle the pan to distribute the batter evenly. Take a moment to crease the folds of the paper more sharply so they rest against the side of the pan. Bake until the cheesecake is deeply golden brown on top and still very jiggly in the center, about 60 to 65 minutes.

7 Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack (it will fall dramatically as it cools). Let it cool for about an hour before serving it or refrigerating it for later, covered.

8 To serve, release the outer piece of the pan and peel away the parchment from the sides of the cheesecake. Slice the cheesecake into wedges and enjoy. The cheesecake will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months (the cheesecake is sliceable even when frozen, so you can thaw individual slices if preferred).