The mini matcha Basque cheesecake adventures 🍵
And a bone-apple-tea.
Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we satisfy my bi-annual cheesecake craving, and more. Read past posts here, and please follow my Instagram, @fivethingsiate.
Key lime cheesecake at Magnolia Bakery
Several locations in several states and they all have cheesecake.
Approximately twice a year I get an intense craving for cheesecake, a dessert that I otherwise admire from afar. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a sign my body is lacking calcium or something, like pica? Or maybe it’s because cheesecake is pretty delicious. I maintain that the best (classic, NY style, see alternatives below) cheesecake is from Magnolia Bakery, specifically the key lime flavor, although all flavors are good. This cheesecake is GOATed for several reasons. 1) It’s perfectly cute, which constitutes about 90% of my eating experience. This is a cheesecake that could model as a cheesecake emoji, complete with an adorable dollop of whipped cream on top. 2) It’s the perfect size, aka I can easily eat half and save half for later the next day, but not so big that it starts to go stale in my fridge. 3) The texture is perfectly creamy, with a substantial graham cracker crust (my fave!) on the bottom. 4) Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts and this is the perfect marriage between key lime flavor and cheesecake texture. 5) Also, of course, it’s Not Too Sweet.
Mini matcha basque cheesecakes at home
Recipe adapted from Home Cooking Collective
Of course, in hot pursuit of my cheesecake obsession, I also had to try making one at home. In particular, I really wanted to make a basque cheesecake, which is a Spanish cheesecake that totally got co-opted by Japanese bakers so I feel I can’t speak to its authenticity. The Basque cheesecake is defined by a caramelized, burnt top and a custardy, smooth interior, usually achieved by a higher ratio of eggs and cream, and a very high baking temperature. I followed this recipe for a mini cheesecake, except I used 3 mini springform pans, and added 1 tablespoon of high quality matcha into the batter (make sure to sift, it clumps!), and baked for just 12 minutes at 450F with convection, which was the highest temperature my toaster oven would go. The cheesecake was very simple to make and had a great (not too sweet!) flavor, with plenty of matcha tones. However, the cheesecake puffed up while baking and collapsed during chilling, so the result was a pretty dense cheesecake (not as custardy as I’ve had before at a bakery). Does anyone know how to deal with this, or is it just part of the Basque cheesecake journey?
Beef bulgogi rice bowl at home
Frozen beef bulgogi from Trader Joe’s.
I’m constantly trying to meal prep, which makes no sense because I hate eating leftovers? Yet the concept appeals to me so much I end up meal prepping every day which means I basically didn’t meal prep. Most of my meal preps are fails, except this bulgogi beef rice bowl, which is my favorite meal prep of all time and the only one I will eat. Apparently the TJ’s frozen beef bulgogi is just mediocre, but it’s good enough to me and best of all it’s pretty filling (huge for me). I defrost the whole package by sauteing in a pan with olive oil, and then split into 4 tupperwares (can refreeze). For each bowl, put hot sushi rice (½ of 1 cup serving, you can make a second bento for lunch the next day). In a nonstick pan, fry an egg to the soft stage. Top rice with egg, then add handful of spinach to pan and wilt. Enjoy with rice, bulgogi, fried egg, baby spinach, and kimchi. Drizzle w/ sesame oil. For extra credit, top with half a ripe avocado, sliced, and eat with a little package of nori sheets.
Persimmons from Chinatown, 5 for $3
Look for the street fruit vendors.
Persimmons from Chinatown, 5 or $3, so beautifully orange and ripe they look like pumpkins drawn with an airbrush. No notes here, if you can’t get your parents’ homegrown persimmons, store-bought will do.
Yamamotoyama Matcha Apple Premium Green Tea at Kosaka
I had the privilege of dining at Kosaka, a Michelin star sushi restaurant in the West Village for a special occasion a few days ago. I am not a sushi expert by any means, mainly because I love sushi way too much (as a human cat) and I’m happy most of the time with my Seamless orders. I’ve also only eaten at one other super nice sushi place before in NYC, but mainly I was wracked by social anxiety because it was expensive, lol. Well I am happy to report that Kosaka is really lovely and very cozy and not pretentious and cat-friendly, so if you have a reason to book a nice meal you should go there. One of my favorite things about the meal (aside from the sushi being amazingly buttery and fresh) was that everything was served on homemade-looking ceramics and they served a cup of hot green tea at the end of the meal (along with strawberry shortcake with tiny wildflowers on it 🥺). I took a sip of the tea, and to my surprise, it was green apple flavored! I am not usually a fan of flavored teas or coffees at all (not even Earl Grey), but I really enjoyed how bright and crisp this apple tea tasted. It tastes like green apple candy, except in a fresh and clean, and not artificial way. I immediately asked the server where they got the tea, and I was further surprised to learn it was by Yamamotoyama, one of the biggest brands. I ordered it right away. (Pro tip: Make sure to follow teabag instructions and only use 8oz water!)
XOXO,
Soph
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