The day I ditched dairy for good, Kleenex suffered a 50% plunge in stock price. It was sometime in my early twenties. After I realized that all my respiratory issues were caused by milk products. It was hard and sad but the pleasure of eating gruyere wasn’t worth it. I only sin in Paris but even there I think twice before I sacrifice my nasal corridors to the god of butter.
When you love cheese more than you love your pets it’s not easy to quit. Yet when the pain is more intense than the pleasure you just do it. Over time you convince yourself that cashew-based cheese tastes as good as ricotta. Fake it till you taste it.
Occasionally I would take a dairy digestive enzymes, however they don’t always help. And even if they did, I wouldn’t rely on them or any supplement. Because my philosophy is why take something to prevent something when you can eliminate the root of the problem.
This baked nut “cheese” is more or less the same as my easy cashew-based cheese, though this time I mixed almond together with the cashews and added truffle oil. I don’t love truffle oil but I knew it would make it more appealing for my boys.
No cheese cloth or straining is required. 30 minutes in total, assuming you pre-soaked the nuts in advance. Minimum 2 hours before, or even better, overnight. The nut mixture is much more silky when the nuts are pre-soaked. A powerful blender helps too.
Please don’t make my mistake and be patient. Give the cheese time to cool down and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set. I was impatient so one of my cheeses broke. It’s not the end of the world if it breaks – just put it in a container and use it as a spread – but if you are planning to serve it on a cheese board then wait.
One more thing: if you make it, please let your humble servant know how it came out and please follow me on Instagram for more dairy-free and bullshit-free goods.
Plant-Based Cheese With Truffle Oil
Equipment
- 2 2 oz. ramekins or 3 1 oz. ramekins
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ cup blanched almonds
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon truffle oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- Black pepper
- Olive oil or avocado oil - for greasing
Instructions
- Soak the cashews and almonds in boiled water with apple cider vinegar for 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. *Brush 2 oz. oven-safe ramekins with olive or avocado oil. Cover the bottom of the ramekin with black pepper.
- Drain and put the soaked nuts in the blender with truffle oil, garlic powder, salt and water. Blend until completely smooth and creamy – not too thick and not too runny. Taste and add more truffle oil and/or salt if necessary.
- Pour the cheese mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins. Tap gently to flatten and place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheeses have set. Touch the top gently, it should feel dry and look like a cheesecake.
- Let cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes and 10 more minutes in the fridge before flipping the cheese onto a cutting board or plate. Serve with crackers and olives. Keep in the fridge for up to a week. You can also use it in recipes that calls for ricotta or similar cheese.
Notes
- another way is to line the ramekins with baking paper. You can crumble it to make it easier to fit in the dish.
