Cheese Please - A Flavorable Non Diary Alternative

I make fake cheese,  instead of buying dairy or vegan alternatives readily available  in pretty much all food outlets I find more flavours can be had in my own kitchen.           

I make my substitute cheeses with grain, seeds and nuts and the flavours of my harvest. I have gotten quite a repertoire over time. 

My love of homemade substitute cheese has as much to do with the excuse it gives me to use my fermented ingredients as any bad       reaction to dairy cheese  I love the flavour  depth imbued by the fermentation process                                      

 

in everything from wild garlic and               Jerusalem artichoke in  spring, chillies and peppers at the height of harvest, Apples in 

Autumn to Oca and and Yacon throughout the winter months.                                           

So how do I make my version of substitute cheese? The process is pretty much the        same whether nut or seeds. If it's nut based 

I soak the nuts overnight even if it's cashew (cashew and almond mixed make one of our favourite fake cheese) then rinse thoroughly. Because pretty much everyone we know  grow sunflowers, that tend to be our go to seed.                                                    

We sprout the seeds which can happen in as little as 24 hours or as long  as 2 days. 

I use a high speed blender, but with care and doing by batch a ordinary blender     

might be OK.                                                    

For a basic cheese I put half the nuts in the blender. To this I add a standard pot and  a   

half of my homemade coconut yughort, this is made deliberately thick as it's chief  role is to provide an ingredient for 'cheese'         

Fermented carrots is a must. We simply pop a load into our 2 year old lacto-fermented 

pepper liquid. Unfortunately these carrot are so popular as a nibble, we have to     replace them every other week to make sure there is enough for our 'cheese' and sauce making.                                              

About 3oz of our home made apple cider vinegar and a generous tablespoon of live miso comes next. This is blended to a smooth paste.

Now is time to add 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt depending on preference. Quarter of an

onion, fermented wild garlic from last spring's harvest, one and a half dessert spoons of plain yacon syrup and half a

fermented lemon. These last packs an amazing flavour punch and are a simple thing to make. We use lemons constantly so in order to make the best of them we buy unwaxed organic (Alas our own trees produce meagre fare). We use the seeds for their pectin and the skins we stuff into a jar with a sprinkle of salt then cover with lemon juice. Shoved to the back of the fridge, a few months later you have an ingredient that's sublime.

But I digress, my mix is now ready for another blend after which I am finished for a cheese spread.

This is an amazing thing, bottled and refrigerated they ferment slowly,

continuing to mature and Sharpen for several months. Of course they never last in our house so there is nothing more delightful than finding a forgotten bottle that manage to fully age.

If I am making a round I now need to decide if I want something meltable. If I do I tend to add coconut butter at this stage. I used to make my own years ago. Then I realised life was too short so opted to buy a good quality raw organic one instead.

I add Irish Moss to provide texture and hold but also use a range of other seaweeds and plant based thickening depending on the 'cheese' I am making. If the mixture is too thick at this stage I add liquid from my mild pepper ferments and blend to a smooth paste.

I turn the mixture into a bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to ferment.

The mixture swell with visible pockets once fermentation occurs. In summer this can happen in as little as 24 hours but 48 to 72 is nearer the norm.

At this point I turn out the mixture into a pan and cook on a low heat stirring

constantly until it comes together and develop a sheen.

Back in the bowl the mix is shaped, covered and left to thoroughly cool.

I tend to leave it overnight before turning onto greaseproof paper. I wet and lightly salt my hands then rub across the full surface of the round.

Placed on a wire rack under a mesh cover the round is turned several times over the next 24 to 36 hours to allow it to dry.

Once dry this is a flavoursome soft 'cheese'
sliceable but not grateable

This seed 'cheese' on the other hand is of a far denser consistency , grateable so great on pizza's but not as creamy or well rounded to my mind, as the nut cheeses - but I am working on it.