Turkish Baked Rice Pudding (Sütlaç) vs German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)

Both desserts thicken with a milk-and-cornstarch slurry, but to very different ends. In sütlaç, milk is the body itself: rice is simmered in it with sugar, thickened, enriched with vanilla and a tempered egg yolk, then broiled until the top caramelizes, chilled, and finished with a pinch of cinnamon. Käsekuchen uses only a splash of milk to loosen the cornstarch for a dense quark filling with whole eggs, melted butter, vanilla and lemon zest, baked slowly in a buttery shortcrust where the egg yolk binds the dough. One is spoonable and creamy; the other is sliceable, set and framed by pastry.