This fluffy, mild cheeze is outstanding. I originally posted the recipe for it back in December. I’ve made it a few times since then, and this time, made a log out of it and brought it to my neighbor’s Super Bowl Party. It was a hit. I use the cheese as a pizza topping, sandwich spread, and pasta topper. Just this morning I made breakfast tarts using it. I recommend making a double batch at a time since it does take a while—but I guarantee you’ll love it!
The guys were (almond) Cheeseheads for the day!
INGREDIENTS:
1 C blanched almonds
1/4 C lemon juice
3 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled (I used minced)
1-1/4 tsp salt
Cheesecloth (a thin cotton napkin works great, too)
Toasted walnuts or pecans
Agave nectar
DIRECTIONS:
First, to blanch the almonds, add them to a small sauce pan and fill with water, just to cover the almonds. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pinch the skins between your finger and the skins will slide right off. Dry them off well.
Place almonds in a medium bowl and cover with 3″ of water; soak for 24 hours. Drain and rinse twice with running water. Next, puree the almonds, lemon juice, 3 Tbs olive oil, garlic, salt and 1/2 C of cold water in a food processor until smooth. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with a triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon mixture into cheesecloth.
Bring the corners and sides of the cheesecloth together and twist around the cheese, squeezing out any excess moisture. Secure with a rubber band. I have found that a cloth napkin works really well for this—even better than cheesecloth.
Chill 12 hours or overnight. Discard any excess liquid—I squeezed a little more out. After it has chilled, spoon it onto a layer of plastic wrap and form a roll, or log.
Unwrap and roll it out onto a plate. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts or pecans on top and then drizzle with agave. Serve with crackers or Grannie Smith apple slices. I love this recipe (from Vegetarian Times) and even though you have to soak and chill a lot, it’s worth it.
- 1 C blanched almonds
- ¼ C lemon juice
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled (I used minced)
- 1-1/4 tsp salt
- Cheesecloth (a thin cotton napkin works great, too)
- Toasted walnuts or pecans
- Agave nectar
- First, to blanch the almonds, add them to a small sauce pan and fill with water, just to cover the almonds. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pinch the skins between your finger and the skins will slide right off. Dry them off well.
- Place almonds in a medium bowl and cover with 3″ of water; soak for 24 hours. Drain and rinse twice with running water. Next, puree the almonds, lemon juice, 3 Tbs olive oil, garlic, salt and ½ C of cold water in a food processor until smooth. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with a triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon mixture into cheesecloth.
- Bring the corners and sides of the cheesecloth together and twist around the cheese, squeezing out any excess moisture. Secure with a rubber band. I have found that a cloth napkin works really well for this---even better than cheesecloth.
- Chill 12 hours or overnight. Discard any excess liquid—I squeezed a little more out. After it has chilled, spoon it onto a layer of plastic wrap and form a roll, or log.
- Unwrap and roll it out onto a plate. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts or pecans on top and then drizzle with agave. Serve with crackers or Grannie Smith apple slices. I love this recipe (from Vegetarian Times) and even though you have to soak and chill a lot, it's worth it.
wow, this cheese log looks great! I can’t wait to try it out. The beauty of nut based cheese is that there are so many different varieties and you can flavor them however you like. i am really impressed. have you thought about spicing up your cheese with maybe cayenne pepper?
Oh yeah, cayenne would be a great addition. One of the great things about this cheese is that it’s mild, so it’s simple to add different seasonings and herbs. Chives, pepper…you name it. Next time I’ll have to experiment.