Cashew Cheese from Plant Miami
serves many, as an appetizer
Ingredients
2 c cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 c water, just enough to blend
1 probiotic capsule
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Method
Blend nuts, water, and probiotic capsule in a high-speed blender until smooth. Transfer mixture into a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Set strainer over a container to drain, and tie up the ends of the cheesecloth to create a bundle for the cheese mixture. Weigh down the bundle with something slightly heavy, like a jar of water. (NOTE: Strainer needs to be placed in a bowl or vessel that prevents the mixture from sitting in its own liquid.)
Let the cheese ferment at room temperature for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours, smell the cheese. It should have a slightly sour, fermented smell. If it just smells like soaked nuts, it has not fermented enough. If it is ready, split the cheese in half (like you would breaking a bread roll) and make sure the inside looks spongy. If it is, fermentation is complete.
Once fermentation is complete, stir in or use a food processor to mix in salt, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Press the cheese into a ring mold. Fill the mold almost to the top, but not quite. Use the back of a spoon to press down the cheese mixture until it’s flat, and spread the cheese base into the mold. Put the mold in a refrigerator for at least 48 hours, or in a freezer for at least six hours, before removing cheese from the mold. Once the cheese is firm, remove the mold. Set in the dehydrator for 24 hours, at 115 degrees, to get a rind.
To serve: Cut and serve on a platter with an assortment of fennel crisps, mustard, and pickled seasonal fruit.
Plant Miami is located at 105 NE 24 Street.