Togarashi Cheesecake
With Christmas just two weeks away and the hectic holiday season in full swing, if you’re like me, you can still taste the leftover roast turkey and pumpkin pie following the Thanksgiving feast. So, after turkey overload, I’m sure many of you have the same desire as me, to change up the menu for the next holiday gathering.
Baked ham is usually the star of the show for our Christmas meal and oftentimes I’ll create a brunch menu featuring cheese grits, boozy sweet potatoes, and scalloped potatoes, along with a vegetable and/or spinach salad. I like to have the cooking done early, so the rest of the day can be spent with family and friends while nibbling on the leftovers, especially the ham and dessert.
This year, I’m thinking of spicing up the menu and including several recipes from Southern Heat. I’m also breaking tradition with baking the usual pumpkin and pecan pies and making Togaraschi Cheesecake.
Togarashi Cheesecake
On our recent On The Road culinary adventures tour to the Bluegrass State, one of our stops was at MilkWood, the highly acclaimed restaurant of Chef Edward Lee. Chef Glenn Dougan served us a selection of tantalizing appetizers (several pictured below) and an impressive four-course tasting menu with wine pairings with the finale being Chef Lee’s Togarashi Cheesecake. It was the perfect way to end the menu that was inspired by international flavors and Southern ingredients.
Appetizers at MilkWood – Blue Cheese Arancini, Vincotto fig vinegar, fresh fig, and grated parmesan & Edamame hummus on cucumber with chili oil and chili thread
Quail pâté on pretzel crostini, bacon-raisin jam, fried quail egg, and chive
Chef Edward Lee was at the event and our guests received a signed copy of his book, Smoke & Pickles, which includes this recipe. Lee is the chef/owner of 610 Magnolia and MilkWood in Louisville, and a partner in the recently opened restaurant, Succotash, in Washington, D.C. He is a four-time finalist for Best Chef Southeast in the James Beard Awards. He was also on Top Chef and the host of a Mind of a Chef on PBS. Smoke & Pickles features Lee’s signature flavors combining his Korean heritage with recipes and stories from the South.
With Chef Edward Lee
Bourbon cocktails to start the evening
Smoked Pork Shoulder, black bbq, coconut rice, curry oil
Togarashi Cheesecake, peanut sea salt, miso caramel, blackened pineapple at MilkWood
What makes his cheesecake special is Togarashi. The peppery Japanese spice mixture blends red pepper flakes, white and black sesame seeds, black pepper, dried orange peel, and a variety of other spices. Chef Lee uses Bourbon Smoked Togarashi from Bourbon Barrel Foods, which is made in Louisville by our friend and owner, Matt Jamie. Perfect for seasoning anything from soup to meats to vegetables, this complex mixture has a unique aroma of black tea with a hint of heat and spice.
Bourbon Smoked Togarashi
This is a complex blend of spices and seasonings
When the spice is combined with the creamy filling for the cheesecake, which includes cream cheese, tangy buttermilk, lemon juice and zest, and just the right amount of fresh goat cheese, it creates a wonderful balance of flavors. Along with the buttery gingersnap crust, this is a beautiful and festive dessert ideal for holiday gatherings. No one will miss the pies and whipped cream when you plate the cheesecake drizzled with sweet sorghum (or honey as an alternative). It was the first cheesecake I’ve made where we didn’t share with neighbors and ate the whole thing by ourselves. It was that good.
Ingredients for the cheesecake
Fresh goat cheese is smooth and creamy and very mild in taste
Buy a soft fresh goat cheese for this recipe. Fresh goat cheese is mild in taste and very creamy and can be found at cheese counters in stores like Whole Foods or at your local cheesemonger. If you’re someone that doesn’t typically like the stronger taste of goat cheese, compared to cow’s milk cheeses, don’t back away and embrace the subtle difference that fresh goat cheese adds to this dessert. The recipe also makes a shorter cheesecake (as you can see in the photographs). It’s not as tall as a traditional New York cheesecake.
Combining the cheeses
The final mixture should look like this
The finished cheesecake after baking
Think outside the box this holiday season and create unique and different flavors for your menu planning. Spice things up for your family and guests. Togarashi Cheesecake should be the first addition to that menu.
Happy Holidays!
Togarashi Cheesecake drizzled with sorghum
Togarashi Cheesecake
For ease in removing the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan, cut parchment paper in a round circle to fit the bottom of the pan. Grease the bottom of the paper so it adheres to the pan and pat the ginger cookie crumb crust on top of the parchment paper in the springform pan.
Ingredients:
For crust:
2 cups ginger snap cookie crumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter
For filling:
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 eggs
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon togarashi (I used Bourbon Smoked Togarashi from Bourbon Barrel Foods)
About 1 tablespoon sorghum for garnish
Directions:
For crust and filling:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together with a fork the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter until evenly moistened. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 325.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the goat cheese, cream cheese and buttermilk until smooth and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in lemon juice and zest. Add ½ teaspoon togarashi. Mix together. Pour the filling into the pan. Sprinkle the top with remaining ½ teaspoon of togarashi.
3. Place the cake pan inside a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to have it come a third of the way up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The cake will be slightly puffed when done.
4. Remove the cake pan from the water bath. Allow it to come to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. To serve, cut around the sides of the cake pan and carefully loosen the pan bottom from the sides while pushing up the bottom to release the cheesecake. Slide the cheesecake onto a serving platter.
Note: If you can’t find togarashi, substitute a little cayenne pepper and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Reprinted with permission from Chef Edward Lee from his book, Smoke & Pickles (Artisan)
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