Tangy, cheesy, and 100 percent plant-based. Another vegan cheese experiment that turned out great. I am enjoying these vegan cheese tryouts. Next in the row is trying to make a vegan camembert or brie.

It’s the first time I used probiotics and fermentation instead of relying on the nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor and I must say WOW. So good and it tastes and smells like real cheese.

Expect more experiments to come. In a week, our bakery will close for 2 weeks. Though we are going camping in the cardamom mountains for a week, the other week I plan to get very busy in the kitchen.

While I am so happy that our bakery keeps doing well in times of corona, I miss being an active hiver. I don’t even find time for my website which urgently needs a reform and update lol.

Let’s hope we get plenty done in my week home. The other week will be spend kayaking camping, trekking, zip-lining with a few good friends, and the hubby…. Looking forward to this holiday as no road leads to where we are going. The camp is in the middle of the Cambodian Cardamon Mountain jungle. Only accessible by boat….

But let’s talk vegan fermented cheese now!

VEGAN FERMENTED CREAM CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups raw cashew nuts, soaked
1 T minced cloves of garlic
1-2 T lemon juice (ACV would work too)
2 T nutritional yeast
½ t Himalayan pink salt
¾ cup water
2 probiotic capsules

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak cashew nuts for at least 6 hours, overnight is best. The longer they soak the easier they will blend into a creamy cheese. Drain soaked cashews.

Blend cashews, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt until a smooth thick paste.

Then add water a little at a time until you are left with a creamy and airy mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Transfer to a bowl and add probiotic capsules. Mix well.

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and add 2 layers of cheesecloth. Scoop the mixture onto the cheesecloth. Take the 4 corners and form a disc or ball. Secure the cheesecloth with a rubber band.

Let sit at room temperature for 24-72 hours. Taste every 12 hours and leave to ferment until you got a cheesy tangy flavor you like. I left mine out for 48 hours. During this time you will see the color change and it will start smelling very cheesy.