BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE
Happy New Year! How to host a party without hosting a party. Plus: an easy Spanish menu, including American cheesecake's elegant Spanish cousin.
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Hello, beautiful friends!
Here is a quick note from the in-betweens—my favorite time of year—the days between Christmas and the New Year. These are the precious few days a year when rhythms and demands are replaced with time to luxuriate in a puzzle or a fantasy about the New Year (mine include owning a six-bedroom house with a Dutch barn on ten acres in Pennsylvania).
On the actual eve, we’ve taken to hosting a teen party, which started two years ago and will continue because—while my friends tell me it is very brave—I assure you it is just the opposite. My daughter’s friends are the most delightful humans: playful and hopeful, witty and wise beyond their years, with manners that outstretch those of most adults.
Hosting is the best excuse to stay home—my favorite place to end any year. The kids enjoy a buffet of treats we’ve set out for them: charcuterie, popcorn, cheese, and other nibbles (see more about our menu below); they get giddy and make their own fun of games and karaoke—while Andras and I get a rare private date of our own—with a movie and a shared Belgian beer in the other room. It’s a party and a non-party simultaneously, my favorite kind. I can dress up (I’ll do my hair, put on earrings), yet still stay in leggings and slippers.
Our New Year’s Eve menu always includes a few Spanish classics, owing to nearly a decade of celebrating New Year’s with our dear Spanish friends before we moved upstate. There is a Spanish tortilla, and there might be tinned fish, dry crackers, and our favorite piquillo peppers stuffed with codfish. We always finish with the tradition of the 12 Grapes at midnight (las doce uvas de la suerte—the twelve grapes of luck), stuffing our cheeks with 12 grapes in a row at the stroke of every bell just after the year turns into a new one.
This year, we’re adding a Burnt Basque Cheesecake to the menu. Find my story about how this cake got sucked into my craw below (in the headnote). It is an extremely special cake, not too sweet and deeply satisfying, with lemon and deep caramel notes at the finish. It will surprise you with its goodness and ease. It’s best made at least 24 hours in advance, leaving very little left to do before guests arrive.
Onward to 2025!
I’ll follow up tomorrow with thoughts on 2025; for now, I'll leave you with the recipe. As we always do, we’ll have a little pause on recipes going into the New Year. It is a time for our emotions and digestion to rest and nest for a New Year. Thank you for coming on our holiday ride with me this year. It’s been a joy!!
Lots of love from here.
xx
Sarah
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BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE
Makes 1 10-inch cheesecake (8-12 slices)