To Be Frank Basque Pistachio Cheesecake With Shortbread Crust

1. Read through the full recipe, including the tips below before starting. It’s a fine line between success and a complete mess.
2. Prep your tin. Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan / 180 °C conventional. Grease a 24 cm springform tin. Take two sheets of baking paper and press them in, letting them overlap and overhang the sides by about 5 cm, scrunchy and uneven is fine. That's actually the look.
3. Make the base. Blitz 300g shortbread in a food processor or by hand until it becomes crumb. Mix the crumbs, 80g melted unsalted butter, 25g caster sugar, and a pinch of salt together in Ooni Halo Core with the Angled Silicone-Edge Beater attachment at 20% (2 fully lit segments on the dial) until the mixture looks like wet sand and holds together when you squeeze a bit in your fingers. Tip it into the tin and press firmly and evenly across the bottom. Aim for about 5 mm thickness. 
4. Par-bake the base. Bake the base at 160 °C fan / 180 °C conventional  for 10 minutes or until it smells buttery and feels set. Take it out and let it cool completely while you make the filling. Increase the oven temperature to 220 °C fan.  Clean your mixer bowl ready for the next step.
5. Start your filling. Beat 870g cream cheese at 40% (4 fully lit segments on the dial) for 4–5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides twice. You want it completely smooth, any lumps now will bake in permanently. Take your time here. 
6. Add the pistachio and vanilla. Add 280g pistachio praline, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to the bowl. Beat on low until everything is evenly mixed and a uniform colour. Give the bowl a scrape and mix once more. 
7. Add the eggs. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time at 20% (2 fully lit segments on the dial), waiting for each one to disappear before adding the next. Go slowly, you want them fully mixed in without beating lots of air into the batter.
8. Add the cream and flour. With the mixer still at 20%, slowly pour in 320ml full fat cream. If it’s not looking smooth enough, you can pop on the Dual-Geared Whisk attachment and mix on low speeds but be careful not to overmix. Once combined, turn off the mixer and sift 25g plain flour into the bowl and fold it in gently by hand with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be very loose and pourable, this is exactly how you want it. 
9. Pour and bake. Make sure the base is completely cool before you pour the filling over it. Bake at 220 °C fan / 230 °C conventional oven for 45–55 minutes. The top should look deeply browned; dark in patches, almost burnt looking. Don’t worry if the centre still wobbles quite a lot when you shake the tin, it’s supposed to.
10. Cool in the tin. Leave the cheesecake to cool completely in the tin at room temperature for at least 2 hours. It will sink and deflate as it cools. This is supposed to happen. Don't refrigerate it yet. 
11. Chill, finish and serve. Once cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Peel back the baking paper, lift onto a board or plate and slice with a hot, dry knife. Before serving, spoon extra pistachio praline and chopped pistachios generously over the top. Serve cold for a dense, creamy texture or let it sit out for 20 minutes for a softer, almost molten centre. 

Tips

• Everything needs to be at room temperature. Cold cream cheese will leave lumps in the batter no matter how long you mix. Take it out at least an hour before you start. 
• The dark top is the point. A Basque cheesecake is supposed to look burnt on top. That caramelised crust is where a lot of the flavour comes from — don't pull it out too early. 
• Pistachio praline from a jar works perfectly. You'll find it in specialty food shops or online. Pistachio cream works too — both give a gorgeous flavour and colour. The caramelised sugar in praline is already accounted for in the reduced sugar quantity in this recipe. 
• The wobble is your guide. When you take it out of the oven, the outer edges should be set but the whole inner two-thirds should still jiggle like jelly. It sets up fully once it's cold. 
• It gets better the next day. The flavour deepens overnight in the fridge. This is a great recipe to make the day before you need it. 
• Clean slices every time. Dip your knife in a glass of hot water and wipe it dry between every cut. It makes a big difference!