Burnt Basque cheesecake

Bring all ingredients to room temperature; cold ingredients leave the centre and bottom underbaked and wet.

Preheat the oven to 475F.

In a stand mixer with the paddle, mix the cream cheese, goat cheese and sugar on low, scraping down after about a minute, until the sugar and cheese are one thing, 3 to 4 minutes.

With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, each fully incorporated before the next; do not raise the speed, which whips in air and makes it puff and brown on top before the middle cooks.

Scrape down; the batter should look like vanilla pudding. Add the salt, then stream in the heavy cream on low; scrape down again.

Add the flour through a fine mesh strainer and mix about two minutes on low to hydrate it; scrape down. The batter should be smooth, creamy and slightly thick.

Line a 9-inch springform: a parchment circle traced and cut to fit the base, and a roughly 30-inch strip folded in half to 6 to 8 inches tall, fitted to the circumference and stapled top and bottom. Spray the pan, place the paper, then spray the paper.

Set the springform on a sheet tray, fill with batter and bake at 475F for 40 minutes, rotating the tray 180 degrees halfway.

It is done when a shimmy shows it jiggly but not wet; bake it very dark, as the caramelization on the outside gives the flavour.

Cool 2 to 4 hours before removing from the pan and cutting.

Brownie-pan version: in a well-sprayed 9 by 13 metal pan, bake at 425F for 35 minutes, then broil the top 3 to 5 minutes.