Smoky Cashew Cheese
120 mins
Serves 1 x 500g cheese
"Perfect for a plant-based cheese board or antipasto platter this Cashew Cheese is soft and spreadable, packed with protein, vitamin B12 and totally delicious. It gets its cheesiness and vitamin B12 from the nutritional yeast.
I use Bragg’s, as the list of vitamins and minerals are clearly marked, it’s free from questionable ingredients and it tastes great. Cashew nuts are nutrient dense and linked to many positive health benefits. This cheese is easy to whip up and will store in the fridge for a week."
Our thanks to Anna Valentine for sharing this recipe! Click here for more delicious recipes.
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Ingredients
Refer to next section for ingredients.
Directions
You will need a cheesecloth, muslin or the like, to form the cheese. It needs to be sterilized first. Cover the cloth in boiling water and boil for five minutes then drain, leave to cool a moment before touching it, then drape over the sieve ready to use. Choose your preferred herbs for coating the cheese. I have given a few suggestions, so mix and match to your taste.
1. Cover the cashews well with water: either for 12 hours in cold water or boiling hot water for one and a half hours before processing:
- 2 cups raw cashews
2. Gather and prepare the ingredients in a food processor:
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbs smoked paprika
- 2 tsp smoke liquid
3. Drain the cashews and add to the food processor. Whizz ingredients together to form a smooth paste, adding ¼ cup water if the processor is struggling.
4. Place the sterilized cloth over a sieve placed on a bowl. Scoop the mix out of the processor into the cloth and gather up the edges and twist gently to form a disk shape. Secure with a rubber band and place in the fridge to set for 12 hours. Not a lot (if any) of liquid will come out but the dry cold of the fridge takes any excess moisture away.
5. Prepare the coating and place it onto a plate:
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs, e.g. parsley, dill, chives or onion flowers, mint or coriander
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
6. Take the cheese from the fridge and remove the cheesecloth carefully. Undo the rubber band, open out the cloth and tip the cheese disk straight onto the herb mix on the plate. Then remove the rest of the cloth, using a spatula to flip the cheese over, and gently pat the herbs over the rest of the cheese. It is now ready to serve. Keep any remaining cheese in an airtight container in the fridge.
