Its creaminess, there is the key to success
We spoke with Fernando Alcala , the chef from Marbella at the KAVA restaurant , and winner of the Best Cheesecake in the first edition of the National Cheesecake Championship.
“This cheesecake is like those potato tortillas that are slightly curdled in the center. The secret is in the texture achieved ”, comments Fernando Alcalá, the chef at the Marbella restaurant Kava, who has just returned from collecting the award in Gran Canaria and is already rolling up his sleeves for another intense day of work in the kitchen.
And the best things happen by chance. Which is not to say that there isn't a great effort behind many years and much sacrifice.
But yes, chance did that the winning cheesecake will arrive at KAVA from a family member.
Behold the queen of cheesecakes
Later, the recipe was modified until it became the only dessert served in the restaurant : "We were so sure that it was a real marvel...", comments Alcalá, who this year also received the award for Revelation Chef of Madrid Fusion 2019.
But back to the cheesecake , "The Best of Spain", which is said soon. Let's go back to that particular mixture of eggs, cream, cream cheese and a Cordoba goat cheese (from La Calaveruela cheese factory, in Fuente Obejuna), sugar, cookies and butter.
The recipe is a classic that everyone loves. But the secret, as he told us, it's in its texture.
How to get it? “Once you mix all the ingredients, baking is very short . Thus, the heat reaches the center and, when it is left to rest, it is the residual heat itself that cooks it without letting the egg set completely. A) Yes, the cheese is left with a custard and cream texture ”. Come on, an absolute blessing!
So much so that it was the contest organizers themselves who encouraged him to present this blessed cake to the contest, one day they passed by.
If you taste it, you won't be able to forget it
In fact, few of those who have tried it manage to forget it and ask for it constantly. However, "apart from being a cake that takes time to make and takes time to rest, the infrastructure of the restaurant is not that of a pastry shop, so I only make a maximum quota of four cakes per day two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
And to this portion that puts the finishing touch to the Kava menu, it would be sacrilege to put anything else on top. “No, we put absolutely nothing else, no jams, no dressings, no nothing . the taste is to cheese , which at the end of the day is what the people who ask for it want to eat”. So, what has been said, we will have to go to Marbella to try it.
For those who dare, the new location of the restaurant is in the Antonio Belon Avenue , number 4, opposite La Lonja and two minutes walk from Venus beach (open every day except Monday and Sunday).
It is a much more accessible place and with more possibilities than the previous one that was located in the charming old town, in a small square that bears the name of his grandfather, Fernando Alcalá.
Because yes, the chef who was going to be a lawyer and who even worked in Zurich, it is 100% Marbella , and one day, the chip changed and he decided to bet on his city and his passion, the kitchen.
Fernando Alcalá is the architect of this delicacy
"My market cuisine is the result of reading a lot and eating a lot," he explains to Traveler.es between laughter and humbly when we ask him about his influences and his career.
Actually, he explains, "This is a project very focused on the client and not on personal egos" he explains.
But the truth is that this unpretentious place is one of those places where you really enjoy cooking. “Here you come to eat well and drink well”.
Surrounded by wood and leather, their wine list is truly insane, with 140 references and above all, reasonable prices that are enough to drink the second bottle at the table. “Yes, it is clear, the wine list here is very important because I like people to drink”, he sentences between laughs.
I said, a place to enjoy with a finishing touch, its cheesecake, which is now officially the best in Spain.
Address: Avenida Antonio Belón, 4, Marbella See map