San Sebastián Cheesecake

The San Sebastián cheesecake — officially "tarta de queso" at its birthplace, La Viña restaurant in San Sebastián's old town — was invented by chef Santiago Rivera in 1990. It was an accident of sorts: Rivera was trying to make a traditional cheesecake but forgot to add flour, baked it at an extremely high temperature, and pulled a deliberately burnt, crustless cake from the oven. He put it on the menu. The rest is culinary history.

For nearly three decades, the burnt cheesecake remained a Basque Country secret known mainly to serious food travellers making the pilgrimage to San Sebastián — arguably the world's most Michelin-starred city per capita. Then in 2018, a photograph of the burnt top went viral on social media. Within two years, the San Sebastián cheesecake was being made by home bakers and professional kitchens on every continent. The global spread was faster than almost any dish in history.

The paradox of the dish is its technique: you deliberately burn the top to a deep amber or near-black. This Maillard reaction, usually something to avoid in baking, creates a slightly bitter, caramelised layer that balances the intensely creamy, almost liquid centre. Our version honours the original: high oven, high cream content, no flour, served slightly warm when the centre is still trembling.