Cashew Brie
I'm am warning you all now - this recipe is addicting !!!
This is a plant-based rendition of the famous tangy cheese called brie that can be eaten hot or cold. I can see if some people found this recipe maybe a tad daunting as it requires leaving it out for 48 hours to culture to acquire that sharp tangy flavor but let me just say its so worth it and it lasts a long time in the fridge if you wrap it in waxed parchment paper.
Making your own cashew cheese is so fun and it will honestly make you want to stop buying it as it tastes better home made and you end up with more for less.
What is agar agar ?
Agar is a jelly-like substance derived from red algae. It is used to gel, thicken, and stabilize cosmetic formulations.
Being insoluble in cold water, Agar is able to absorb as much as twenty times its weight and dissolves readily in boiling water.
What you will need:
High Powered Blender
Rubber Spatula
Measuring Cups + Spoons
Cheese Cloth
6 or 8” Spring Form Pan or A Flat Glass Bowl
Cashew Brie
yields 1 pound / prep 30 min - 48 hours to culture - chill time 6-8 hours
Ingredients
1 cup - soaked cashews
1 cup - filtered water
1/2 cup - coconut oil
1/2 cup - dairy free plain unsweetened yogurt
1 tbsp - nutritional yeast
1 tsp - salt
3 tbsp - tapioca starch
1 tsp - agar powder
Instructions
Step 1 - Blender time
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! Take this moment to gather everything.
In the blender add in everything except the tapioca and agar powder as that will be added later.
Once everything is blended the mixture is going to need to sit out for 48 hours to culture. Simply pour everything from the blender into preferably a glass bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel and set to the side where it can hang out for 2 days.
Step 2 - Time to add the tapioca and agar powder
After the mixture has cultured for two days it should have some bubbles on top.
Before moving onto this step you are going to want to have a glass bowl or a spring form pan ready to transfer the cheese mixture into. I have always used a spring form pan with a cheese cloth that way I can pop off the sides and just make it easier on myself all together. I will say I wish I happened to have a 6 inch springform pan rather than an 8 inch but its okay we can make due with what we have. If you don’t have a spring form pan I you could use a glass bowl that has a flat bottom and simply put a cheese cloth inside to help the mixture to not stick or get stuck. That way you can serve it later or cut it into smaller circles like I did.
Once your bowl situation is ready for action. Pour all of this into a pot or sauté pan and slowly bring it to medium heat. While the heat is building, this is a good moment to carefully add in the agar and tapioca powder. For this I mixed both powders in a ramekin and then sprinkled it over the mixture in the pan. Using a food safe spatula, quickly yet carefully mix in the powder to avoid any clumps. You are going to want to keep an eye over it and keep it moving for 5-10 minutes to make sure it is evenly mixed in. After mixing for 10 minutes on medium heat you should be able to see the cheese mixture getting thicker and thicker.
Once it gets to a point where its sort of really thick and its all clinging together you can take it off the heat and pour all of the mixture into your spring form pan or glass bowl that has been lined with cheese cloth. After all the contents have been poured in, use a spatula or spoon to even it all out and give it a smooth surface. Once smoothened out, its going to need to set in the fridge overnight uncovered as you want to allow a sort of “crust” to form on the outside of the cheese, similarly to how brie has a sort of crust or rind.
Step 3 - Time to serve and eat
This step is sort of optional as I use circle cutters to cut my brie into smaller individual brie’s as I wanted to make numerous charcuterie boards for valentines day. You can keep it whole or cut them into individual circles.
To serve, you can eat the brie how it is with crackers, crisps or bread. Another great way to enjoy brie is by baking it and sort of enhancing it with other things which will be another recipe I will be sharing pretty soon as part of this cheese series.
You can sort of plate this brie on a cutting board or cheese board with grapes, nuts, chocolates, dried fruits, berries, olives and of course some plant-based deli meats.
Leftovers :
I can’t imagine someone eating this all in one sitting but if you do that’s all you my friend, there is no judging here. However to reserve any leftovers I highly recommend using some waxed parchment paper as it really helps to extend the life of the cheese so you can enjoy it for longer. Keep it in a food safe container in the fridge and enjoy for up to 2 weeks.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3