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Fig Leaf Basque Cheesecake by Chef Ari Miller

Name: Fig Leaf Basque Cheesecake by Chef Ari Miller
Prep time: 15 s
Cook time: 65 s
Total time: 200 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: FOR THE CHEESECAKE BATTER; Cream cheese; Granulated or raw sugar; Eggs; Heavy cream; Kosher salt; Fig leaves; FOR ASSEMBLY; Fig leaves; Crinkled parchment paper; 9-inch springform pan (at least 3 inches high)

16 Feb 2025

Ari Miller

Chef

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Difficulty

Intermediate

Total Time

3H 20MIN

Cuisine

European

Ingredients

FOR THE CHEESECAKE BATTER

Cream cheese: 905g

Granulated or raw sugar: 300g

Eggs: 6

Heavy cream: 450g

Kosher salt: 5g

Fig leaves: 3 (frozen or fresh, torn into small pieces)

FOR ASSEMBLY

Fig leaves: 3 (frozen or fresh, whole)

Crinkled parchment paper

9-inch springform pan (at least 3 inches high)

Ari Miller’s fig leaf Basque cheesecake is a bold twist on the classic, balancing caramelized richness with delicate, herbal notes.

How to make Fig Leaf Basque Cheesecake

01.

Prepare the Batter

In a food processor, blend the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs, cream, and salt; blend until fully incorporated.
Add the torn fig leaves and blend until smooth.
Strain the mixture through a colander.

Chef's Tip

For an added depth of flavor, lightly toast the fig leaves before incorporating them into the batter. This enhances their natural aroma and imparts a subtle, nutty undertone to the cheesecake.

02.

Assemble the Cheesecake

Line a 9-inch springform pan (at least 3 inches high) with crinkled parchment paper.
Arrange the whole fig leaves on the parchment to cover as much of the pan as possible.
Pour the batter into the pan over the fig leaves.

03.

Bake the Cheesecake

Place the pan on a sheet tray and bake at 500°F (260°C) for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 400°F (205°C) and bake for another 50 minutes.

04.

Cool and Serve

Let the cheesecake set in the refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours before slicing.
Serve with caramel or Nutella drizzled on top.

16 Feb 2025

The Chef

Founder of restaurant Musi, Miller created a higher standard in the Philadelphia food world for using local, hyper-seasonal produce, cheeses and meats. There are few restaurants that take the avoidance and innovative reinvention of would-be food waste to the level that Chef Ari Miller does, who also in this short time, has been named Best Chef by Philadelphia Magazine.

Miller’s menus exhibited a constant and utterly delicious repurposing of rinds, tops, tips and often tossed-away bits — with a side of exquisite pastas. He draws upon flavors honed after a decade spent in Tel Aviv, but with restraint. As Hillary Dixler Canavan put it, while naming Musi one of Eater’s 16 Best New Restaurants of 2019: “Musi prioritizes the things that diners ought to demand — a menu informed by local product and a kitchen connected to the region’s best purveyors — but the restaurant doesn’t beat you over the head with it.”

Miller was most recently the Executive Chef of The Rosewood Washington, D.C. and is currently working on opening a new Philly-based project.

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