Aged Nut-based Cheese, recipe and photos contributed by Monica Sturgess

Supplies:

• high-speed blender
• measuring cups and spoons
• small glass bowl
• cuisine mold rings: 4″ for camembert or brie, 3″ for bleu
• plastic container with lid to hold the cheese
• oven paper
• bamboo or plastic mat with holes cut to fit plastic container (to aerate the cheese)
• fridge
• paper towels

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1 inch square of rind from cheese (brie or camembert etc.) or some mold from bleu
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1.5 teaspoons salt (to add 3 days later)

Starting the Cheese:

1. First soak the cashews overnight or for at least 5 hours.
2. Then drain and cover with boiling water for a minute or two to kill bacteria and drain again.
3. Blend cashews with water, coconut oil and cheese rind or mold on high speed, scraping down the sides until mixture is smooth and thick. You may need to add a bit more water, watch not too much. This could take up to 10 minutes to get the right consistency.
4. Transfer mix to glass bowl. Cover with cling film. Let sit at room temperature for one day to start fermentation.
5. Refrigerate for about 4 hours to chill.
6. Wrap mold ring with cling film so that the cheese mixture will not touch the ring itself. Place ring on top of bamboo or plastic mat, covered in oven paper. Press cashew mix into the mold using a spoon or piece of cling film. Cashew cheese mixture should be touched as little as possible.
7. Place the mold holding the cheese on the mat and oven paper into the plastic container with lid and refrigerate at 52-56 degrees F or 11-13 degrees C. A wine fridge is ideal. A regular fridge is cooler, so takes longer to age.

Aging the Cheese:

1. For the first few days wipe off any condensation from the inside of the box. On day 3 carefully remove the mold and sprinkle the salt on top, bottom and sides of cheese and change the oven paper.
2. After that continue to wipe off condensation from box and flip the cheese every day to allow for maximum aeration. Mold should begin to form after 5-7 days. Try not to touch the cheese with your hands.
3. Camembert and Brie type cheeses should be ready after about 3 weeks and will keep for a month in the fridge.
4. For Bleu cheese, follow steps 1 & 2 above to start. After 2 weeks scramble the cheese and reform it in the mold. Then remove the mold and continue as in step 2 for 3 more weeks. Bleu cheese keeps for 2 months in the fridge.

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