Virtually every vegan will tell you that the hardest thing to give up when going non-dairy is cheese. Sure, there are plenty of vegan cheese alternatives out there by now, but they rarely hit the mark in the eyes of real fromage fans.
Making your own vegan cheese is definitely an option worth considering, and it is less complicated than you may think.
The following recipe by vegan chef and cookbook author Barbara Stukenborg for a cashew-based cream cheese is a timeless classic that only requires a couple of ingredients. – dpa
- 250g cashew nuts
- approx. 50-70ml water
- approx. 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 probiotic capsule (optional)
- approx. 1 tsp salt
- herbs or pink pepper berries of your choice
1. Soak the cashew nuts in water overnight. Alternatively, simmer them in water for about 5-10 minutes, then let them cool.
2. Drain the nuts and puree them in a high-performance blender together with 50 ml of water, the apple cider vinegar, the lemon juice, the garlic clove and, optionally, the probiotics.
3. Depending on the power of your blender, wipe any residue from the container wall to create a smooth mixture.
4. If necessary, add a tablespoon of water or more if the mixture is too thick. The cream cheese will firm up a little once it is left to mature in the fridge but it should already be firm enough at this point so it can be shaped into balls later on.
5. Season with salt and ideally leave to mature at room temperature for a day.
6. Then leave in the fridge overnight to enhance the slightly sour, fresh flavour of the cheese.
7. Form balls with your hands or an ice cream scoop and roll them in freshly chopped herbs (eg thyme, basil, dill, rosemary) or in crushed peppercorns or pink pepper berries.
8. If you are in a hurry, it’s enough to put the cheese in the fridge for about two hours after pureeing, then shape it and roll in herbs.
