Alison Roman’s sweet and salty cream cheese tart

My perfect cheesecake has about half the filling of a traditional one, yielding a better crust-to-filling ratio.

Cream cheese tart. Picture: Nikole Herriott

My perfect cheesecake has about half the filling of a traditional one, yielding a better crust-to-filling ratio. If you are able to make this tart with labne, you will be very glad you did. The tart will be a bit saltier, a touch smoother, and a whole lot tangier.

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Sweet & salty cream cheese tart

For the crust

150g crackers (Ritz or similar)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
60g unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt

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 For the filling 

450g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature, or 500g (2 cups) labne
250g (1 cup) sour cream or full-fat Greek-style yoghurt
110g (½ cup) white sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons grapefruit, lemon, lime or orange juice
Sea salt flakes
Fresh citrus, halved or sliced, to serve (optional)

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Preheat the oven to 160°C. Pulse the crackers in a food processor until you’ve got a fine crumb; you can do this by hand by placing the crackers in a resealable bag and crushing with a skillet or rolling pin. Transfer to a medium bowl and add sugar, butter and salt. Using your hands, mix until the crumbs are evenly coated and you have a wet sand texture. Press mixture into an unlined 23cm tart or springform tin, or a cake tin lined with baking paper. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or small bowl, press the mixture down firmly, including into corners. Bake until crust is lightly golden brown at the edge, about 10-15 minutes.

Combine the cream cheese or labne, sour cream or yoghurt and sugar in a food processor and whiz until very smooth, scraping down sides to incorporate any chunks. Add eggs, citrus juice and a pinch of salt flakes; process until smooth and creamy. Pour into the baked crust and bake at 160°C until filling is set and no longer jiggles when tapped, 25-35 minutes; it should not brown at all.

Turn oven off and open the door a crack. Let the tart sit there for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack on a counter to cool completely. Place the tart in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. Sprinkle with salt flakes and serve with fresh citrus of your choosing. Serves 8-10

Alison Roman is a cook, author and columnist based in Brooklyn, New York City. Edited extract from Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman (Hardie Grant, $45). Photography: Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott