Adventures in Cooking: The Lively

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The Lively sits on the corner of Bannock St. and 5th in downtown Boise. A beautifully appointed grand old building plays host. The first floor is Bar Gibbon. A spacious and comfortable place where the cocktails are always delicious and inventive and the appetizers include fare like steak tar-tar made from American Wagyu or Nonna Anna's meatballs, which quite frankly are so delicious my mouth is watering as I write this.

A trip up the grand winding staircase, or elevator, to the second floor will land you at The Lively. Large plush booths wrap around an ornate centerpiece, seasonally decorated with a Christmas tree and every different size and shape of nutcracker.

The dining room is comfortable and elegant but in an inviting sort of elegance. The aromas from the open kitchen combined with the wait staff walking past with incredible-looking dishes that range from caviar and Wagyu steaks to a Maine Lobster puttanesca that will have you constantly scanning the menu. Just after you're sure you have made your selections, the table next to you will be fawning over their selection of foie gras ganache, or marinated hamachi and it's back to the drawing board.

But, we are here for a specific reason, something special. The pastry chef, Sam Hughes, makes an incredible Basque cheesecake. The Basque cheesecake is different from a New York-style cheesecake because there is no crust on the bottom. Instead, this incredible dessert is baked at two different temperatures, creating an intoxicating combination of crust surrounding the entire cheesecake and a soft delicious center. For the full recipe see below.

The Lively is running a special the week of December 20th. You can order one of these incredible desserts ahead of time for pickup. There is a limited number of them so if you are wanting to try Sam's out for yourself I would hurry:

Order your Basque Cheesecake here.

The Lively is a truly special restaurant. To check it out for yourself you can make a reservation here!

The Lively Basque Cheesecake:

Pastry Chef-Samantha Hughes

1000g softened cream cheese

300g sugar

7g salt

1g vanilla bean paste

350g eggs

200g cream

30g white rice flour

1. Preheat oven to 260 degrees Celsius.

2. Cream together cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth with no lumps on medium speed.

3. Add eggs one by one until fully incorporated.

4. Slowly stream in heavy cream.

5. Sprinkle in the white rice flour and mix on low until combined.

6. Pour batter into a 9” spring form pan lined with parchment paper.

7. Turn oven down to 230 degrees Celsius and bake cheesecake for 19 minutes.

8. After the 19 minutes turn the oven down to 200 degrees Celsius and continue to bake for an additional 17 minutes.

9. Chill cheesecake overnight before serving.

10. Enjoy!

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