The following cheese board takes about five to seven days to make (because of the cheese) but if you're invested in the cheesiest tasting cashew cheese, this recipe is for you.
Ingredients
For the cashew cheese (Makes 1 x 500 g jar)
- 280 g (10 oz / 1¾ cups) cashews
- 125 ml (4 fl oz /½ cup) water
- ½ probiotic capsule
For the rest
For the seeded crackers
- 85 g (3 oz / ½ cup) sesame seeds
- 85 g (3 oz /½ cup) flaxseeds
- 65 g (2¼ oz / ½ cup) pumpkin seeds
- 65 g (2¼ oz / ½ cup) sunflower seeds
- 250 ml (8½ fl oz / 1 cup) water
- 30 g (1 oz / ¼ cup) gluten-free flour mix
For the truffled cheese
- 1 batch Cashew Cheese see above
- Olive oil for frying and greasing
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon truffle oil
- Pink Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste
For the caramelized pears
- Olive oil for frying
- 2 pears sliced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Seeded crackers
Instructions
For the cashew cheese
- Start by soaking the cashew nuts for 2 hours.
- All you need to do is add them into a bowl and cover with water. Drain the soaked nuts and tip them into a blender. Discard the soaking water, add the fresh water and the probiotic capsule into a blender and blitz until you get a smooth texture.
- If you are doing this in a high-speed blender, make sure not to overheat the mixture as this will kill off the probiotics.
- Once blended, transfer to a glass or plastic container. Do not use a metal one as the mixture won’t ferment. Leave the container outside the fridge for 24 hours with a tea towel or muslin cloth on top so that the mixture can breathe, and to keep out any insects flies.
- After 24 hours the mixture will be slightly fizzy and bubbly, which means it has fermented, so give it a good mix. Place a proper top on the glass container and leave it in the fridge for later use.
- The yoghurt will last for up to 7 days in the fridge ready to use.
- Tip If you’re in a hurry, soften the cashews by pouring hot water on them and soak them for 15 minutes. Make sure you cool them off in cold water before blending. I would recommend soaking them for 2 hours, but I understand that we are all busy bees!
- If you are allergic to nuts, the cashews can be substituted with sunflower seeds. Just follow the same measurements and method.
For the rest
- Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF/Gas 4).
- Combine all the cracker ingredients except the flour in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. When the seeds have soaked up all the water, add the flour mix and give it a good stir. Line a baking tray (baking sheet) with greaseproof paper (wax paper) and spoon out the mixture and, using a spatula or spoon, even it out on the tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Take the crackers out of the oven and mark out perfect squares on the warm dough with a sharp knife, but don’t cut them through completely, just enough so that it is easy to separate them later.
- Put the crackers back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes until they are cooked through and dry.
- In a pan, add olive oil and the shallot and fry for 5 minutes until lovely and soft, then take off the heat. Grab the cheese mix from the fridge and add the shallot, lemon and truffle oil, season with salt and pepper and give it a good mix. This can now be eaten straight away as
- a cream cheese or aged into 2 round-shaped ‘Camembert’-like cheeses.
- If you are going to age your cheese, get a metal ring and grease it with olive oil on the inside. Place it on greaseproof paper on a flat surface (a small chopping board or a plate). Pile in the cheese mixture up to the top, then flatten.
- Store in the fridge, uncovered, for 5–7 days until the cheese has produced a natural rind. At this point, gently remove the metal ring – it’s ready to eat.
- In a medium pan, heat some olive oil and add the pear slices. Cook them for 5 minutes on each side until beautiful and golden.
- Just before taking the pan off the heat, add the maple syrup and a sprinkle of black pepper.
- I love creating a proper ‘cheese board’ by serving the pears and the crackers with the cheese.