Cashew Cheese (Basic and Fried Versions)

Soak the cashews, covered in water, for about 12 hours. Then drain and rinse soaked cashews.

Add cashews to food processor with olive oil, salt and lemon juice and puree for 6 minutes.

While that is processing, line a colander or mesh strainer with cheese cloth and place it over a bowl. Spoon the processed cashew mixture into the cheesecloth. Fold sides of cloth over cheese, and form the mixture into a 6-inch-long oval loaf. Twist ends of cloth and secure them with rubber bands. Don’t worry if you can’t get this into an oval loaf shape. Even if it’s more round, it’ll still work just fine. Set the loaf in a strainer over a bowl, and let it stand 12 hours at room temperature. Then discard excess liquid that is in the bowl and chill the loaf in the refrigerator (for at least an hour).

Preheat oven to 250F. Place entire cheese cloth wrapped cashew mixture onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, roll to expose the other side, bake for another 15 minutes.

The cheese stays fresh in the refrigerator for about a week.

**It is delicious to eat at this point. I spread it on a baguette, top with some sun-dried tomato or olive tapenade, or just eat with some crackers. Either way, this is a great substitute for goat cheese!

If you are frying:

Make three separate dipping stations:
First station: combine 1/2 cup potato starch plus salt/pepper to taste in a bowl.
Second station: combine non-dairy milk and lemon juice (will thicken and become like buttermilk) in a bowl.
Third station: Combine breadcrumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of potato starch and salt/pepper, to taste in a bowl.

Form the cashew cheese into small patties. Dredge in the potato starch. Make sure each piece is coated in a thin layer of the starch, tapping off any excess. Next, submerge into the liquid mixture. And last, coat each piece with your breadcrumb mixture.

Place coated pieces on a baking sheet and store in refrigerator until ready to fry.

Fry them in shallow pan over medium heat with about 1/2 cup oil of choice until each side is a golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil.

These can be used in any recipe for a non-dairy option to fried goat cheese… and they are amazing!