We dissect what London’s much-loved dishes are made from.
How does Hot 4 U’s builder’s-tea-infused basque cheesecake differ from a traditional one? ‘It’s got builder’s tea in it,’ says co-founder Matthew Scott. He says the idea came about because ‘everyone wants a basque cheesecake these days’. Lacing it with humble Yorkshire Tea was a way to balance the dish’s bougie reputation. ‘It’s a combination of social classes in a mouthful,’ he says. ‘I wanted to make something garish and fun.’ He explains what goes into it.
The ingredients
‘We use high-welfare rich-yolk eggs, blue-top milk, soft cheese and Estate Dairy cream. The produce is high class, but the execution of it is… a cup of builder’s tea.’
The ratio
‘One cheesecake serves 16 and we brew eight tea bags with 16 heaped spoons of sugar. I wanted the ratios to be two teaspoons of sugar to one tea bag, like in a builder’s tea.’
The process
‘We don’t have a stand mixer so we whisk it by hand – it’s a labour of love. Then we chuck it all in a tin and bake it and cross our fingers it’s set enough in the middle to slice.’
The tea
‘Why does everyone put earl grey in everything? We use Yorkshire Tea and there was no deliberation on that. We brew the tea with milk and cream in a pan on the hob.’
The topping
‘There’s a Rich Tea biscuit and condensed milk. We were about to open and I thought it needed something. I went to the shop and found condensed milk: it was impulse.’
Builder’s Tea Basque Cheesecake is available at Hot 4 U’s Westgate Market stall and its residency at The Plough.