The first cheese-making workshop.

Non vegetarian colleagues had really liked the Boursin and the Pub Cheddar in tasting sessions. When I set up a workshop for them they made the Basic Cashew Cheese, then experimented with flavours, adding very tangy sun-dried tomato and ground up dried porcini mushroom for extra umami: so more-ish! They also made a fabulous version with a few drops of liquid smoke in it which I am definitely adding to the repertoire.

It's great that omni's are enjoying vegan cheese - that is a result! We are now thinking of other ways to develop this.

Boursin

Boursin went down well with work mates: "fresh and light". It's the basic cashew nut cheese with a ton of parsley, tarragon, oregano and some home grown garlic. Next time I'll just stir the herbs in rather than blend so it doesn't end up quite so green.


Edit: I'm under pressure on Vegan Reddit for the recipe so here goes. It's from Miyoko Schinner's book Artisan Vegan Cheese, all credit there. 

The Basic Cashew Cheese is the start: 
2 cups raw cashews soaked in water for 3-8 hours, longer gives an easier blend.
pinch of salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup of rejuvelac, (see post below) 

Blend these ingredients, then put it in a clean glass bowl and cover. Leave to culture at room temperature for 8-36 hours, it will taste sharper the longer you leave it but a warmer environment speeds the process up. You can form the cheese to eat at this stage or tinker about with it adding flavours.

So to make the Boursin to Schinner's recipe:

1lb of Basic Cashew Cheese cultured for 1-2 days (she says don't let it get too tangy, I like it more that way).

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

2 to 3 minced garlic cloves (I used one as I prefer it less pungent)

1 tablespoon fresh minced fresh chervil or 1 teaspoon dried (I used more tarragon as we didn't have chervil)

1 tablespoon fresh minced fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoon fresh minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

Thoroughly mix the Basic Cashew Cheese with the herbs, garlic and yeast flakes. Taste, modify with additional herbs or garlic as wished.Shape it by hand or use a mold lined with cheesecloth or clingfilm, Cover and refrigerate  till firm, at least 6 hours.

Wrapped in clingfilm and stored in the fridge in a sealed freezer bag Shinner says it will keep for 2 weeks, or up to 4 months in the freezer. Ours just gets eaten so I can't vouch for that!

Definitely tinker about with this to suit your own taste, but people like the herby freshness of this one.

Boursin in a bap with beetroot made for a perfect summery lunch.

Pub cheddar with chives.

This is a knock-your-socks-off recipe, too good not to share! I am indebted as ever to Miyoko Schinner's 'Artisan Vegan Cheese'...

1) Blend 2 cups of raw cashews (soaked in water 3 to 8 hours and drained), 2/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes, 1/2 a cup of rejuvelac, 1- 2 tablespoons of medium brown miso, 1 teaspoon salt. Aim for an even, smooth creamy blend. Taste and add more miso if needed.

2) Culture the cheese.
Put the cheese into a clean glass bowl, cover and leave at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, depending upon the sharpness of flavour you want. A warmer environment also speeds up the culturing process...  It can be refrigerated up to 48 hours prior to the next stage.

3) Thicken the cheese.
Into a saucepan of 3/4 cup of ale or dark beer ('fursty ferret' for my cheese) stir in 1 tablespoon carrageenan powder with a wooden spoon. Bring to a medium-high simmer. Stir in the cheese. Lower the heat, stir constantly, until smooth and glossy for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup minced fresh chives.

4) Form the cheese.
Pour it into a glass mold and smooth the top. Cool it completely at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

This is so tasty it doesn't live long in our fridge! Words cannot express the pure joy of vegans encountering this cheese. Whilst mine has been more of a spreading texture (more work still to do on this), the taste is magnificently cheddary, so much so that my dairy-eating-one is very happy with it...

The beginning:

Perennially disappointed with commercially available dairy free cheeses, I am always excited at the possibility of finding the vegan holy grail: a vegan cheese that is properly and satisfyingly cheesy. So, reading on Vegan reddit of Miyoko Schinner's book Artisan Vegan Cheese, my curiosity was stirred: people who had tried making her recipes were waxing lyrical about how tasty it was. So I thought I would see what the fuss was about.

Book in hand for my first effort, I found the individual stages remarkably easy, mostly it just requires time for each process, and a warm enough ambient temperature for the rejuvelac culture to get going. I made a Brie but was slightly disappointed with the coconut oil taste and the non-melty consistency (a chilly spring probably didn't help).

But the next batch I made was a revelation. I split a batch of 'basic cashew cheese', reserving half as it was: "Very like cottage cheese" I was told, and made a 'boursin' with the rest. Well, this was the start of something beautiful. Flavourful, tangy, with a cheesy mouth-feel and after taste, I was ecstatic and the dairy-eating-one was similarly impressed.

Spring arrived, chives were suddenly tall enough to cut, so I had a go at 'pub cheddar with chives'. Mere words cannot describe the jubilation in our household at the results, this was a fabulous creation. Too good to keep to ourselves, this cheese made from nuts packs a fearsome cheddary punch and if any vegan cheese is going to make the crossover into mainstream eating it's this one. So here goes: my second attempt at this wonderfood!

Start by soaking a cup of wholegrains for 8 - 12 hours. Drain the excess water and keep lightly moistened in a warm place out of direct sunlight till they sprout: around 1-3 days.

These barley grains sprouted in a day so now I'm adding 6 cups of water to make the rejuvelac (culturing liquid).

The rejuvelac.

The basic cashew nut cheese,  tastes a bit like cottage cheese and is the starter for a lot of other cheeses.