Vanilla and Orange Basque Cheesecake

STEP 1: INFUSE THE CREAM

Warm the heavy cream with the vanilla bean and seeds, lemon peel and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan until it is hot and just starting to bubble at the edges; do not let it boil. Take off the heat, cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, discard the aromatics and cool to room temperature.

STEP 2: BLANCH THE ORANGE PEEL

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from 2 oranges in wide strips, trim away any thick white pith and slice into thin strips; keep the peeled oranges for the curd. Cover the strips with cold water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and drain. Repeat twice more to remove bitterness.

STEP 3: CANDY THE PEEL

Bring the sugar and water to a simmer in the same saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the blanched peel and cook at a bare simmer for 45–60 minutes, until translucent and tender, adding a splash of water if the syrup gets too thick. Lift the strips onto a wire rack set over a tray to drain. The peel should be soft but chewy.

STEP 4: REDUCE THE ORANGE JUICE

Finely zest a third orange and set the zest aside. Juice all 3 oranges and strain; you should have about 1 cup. Simmer the juice in a small saucepan until reduced to ½ cup, 8–10 minutes. Cool slightly.

STEP 5: COOK THE CURD

Whisk the reduced orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs and egg yolks together in a clean saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat a spoon and 170°F on an instant-read thermometer. Off the heat, whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time. Strain, press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill for at least 1 hour, until firm enough to pipe.

STEP 6: PREPARE THE PAN

Heat the oven to 425°F. Crumple two large sheets of parchment, smooth them out and press them, overlapping, into the springform pan so they stand 2 inches above the rim. Set the pan on a baking sheet.

STEP 7: MAKE THE BATTER

Rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingertips until fragrant. Beat with the cream cheese and salt on medium-low until completely smooth, scraping down the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and mix on low. Stream in the infused cream and mix until the batter is smooth and pourable; do not overbeat.

STEP 8: BAKE

Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 50–60 minutes, until the top is a deep, scorched brown and the center still wobbles when the pan is nudged.

STEP 9: COOL AND CHILL

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour. To set it quickly, place in the freezer for 45 minutes, then the refrigerator for 30 minutes; otherwise chill overnight.

STEP 10: PIPE THE CURD

Release the cheesecake from the pan, peel back the parchment and set it on a serving plate. Stir the chilled curd until smooth, spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe a bold spiral from the center out across the top.

STEP 11: FINISH AND SERVE

Arrange the candied orange peel over the curd spiral. Serve chilled, slicing with a hot, dry knife.