It's rare to fall in love with a slice of cheesecake, isn't it? I mean, sure, a good cheesecake isn't that hard find, but a great (and memorable) one is a rarity.
A cheesecake truly worth traveling for is the parsnip and black sesame cheesecake at Winnipeg's buzzworthy Nola. Created by chef/owner Emily Butcher, the two-tone filling is comprised of two equally rich layers of parsnip and black sesame cream cheese fillings. Studded with wisps of sesame tuile and finished with a drizzle of miso caramel, it's as lovely in presentation and it is to spoon (or fork) into.
To quote myself in my Globe and Mail column from earlier this year, "If someone has yet to fly to Winnipeg specifically to eat a slice of cheesecake, I may wind up being the first to do so."
Butcher says the inspiration for this cheesecake came from her favourite dim sum dish, red bean sesame balls.
"They're such a treat, but very dense, so I wanted to play with really earthy flavours, lightening them with citrus and add complexity with the parsnip," says the chef. "Our first rendition was actually a cream pie, but the flavours [seemed to require] a dense creaminess to be brought together. Thus, a baked cheesecake!"
Nola is located at 101-300 Tache Ave. and is open from Tuesdays to Fridays for lunch and dinner and Saturdays for dinner. Reservations can be made online.
