Cashew Camembert – marvelously mild plant based cheese with the flavor of Camembert, this is a great addition to any appetizer cheese platter!

You all know how I love a snack tray – cheese platter – dinner of appetizers kind of thing. I also love to entertain – from the fancy party to the casual “stop by before the movie” or “come over after work for a snack and a seat in the sunshine…”

I like to assemble snack platters for any and all occasions, and they are super easy to create, with a mix of homemade cheeses, dips, and jams combined with store bought fillers like nuts, dried fruits, olives and my favorite, cornichons.

Pour some crisp cool white wine, and you. are. set.

The Cashew Camembert recipe is from the new book, This Cheese Is Nuts. This incredible plant based resource is from the delightful Julie Piatt – you may remember her from The Plantpower Way.

This Cheese Is Nuts isn’t simply a cheese book – it also includes recipes using the cheeses, and other recipes for crackers, kitchen staples (crème fraîche, yogurt, and sour cream, anyone?) and delectable desserts.

Having already made five recipes from this book, I feel they are straightforward and easy. They are also deliciously appealing. After making a few of the cheese recipes, I straight up needed to try the Banana Cream Pie. Super easy, warmly comforting, and a definite crowd pleaser. Will make again!

I also tried the Three Herb Macadamia Pine Nut Cheesy Pesto. Ha! In addition to being a mouthful of a recipe name, this is a mouthful you want. What, too cheesy? Oh no. I cannot stop. But seriously – this is quick and easy, roasting the nuts will make your kitchen smell lovely, and you can use this in a variety of ways. Yum.

On my list to make? The Classic Hollandaise Sauce. Because I love a good hollandaise, and this one sounds great. Then I’ll turn around and pour that wonder of a sauce all over the N’eggs Bennie recipe…

The Greek Salad Stack is brimming with flavor and color, and the Japanese Miso Cheese has piqued my interest too…

I also made the super easy Smoked Almond Cheddar Spread recipe from this book – so good:

While this Cashew Camembert is an easy recipe, it requires some inactive time and dehydration, if you’re into that sort of thing. Since I am always up for adventure, I dug through the pantry and unearthed my dehydrator, and let the camembert have a nap in there.

*dehydrating the cheese*

Now that I have made this particular recipe twice (it is that good), I will say that you might be able to have this ‘set’ in the refrigerator if that is what you’d prefer, or if you do not have a dehydrator. The flavor may not be as deep, and the texture may be different, but I think it would still work. Well, I know it would still work, it just might be more of a cream cheese consistency.

A delightfully decadent creamy cheese.

Both of these cheeses were great with my Salt and Vinegar Crackers…

Cashew Camembert

YIELD: one 4×2 inch round

dairy, egg, soy, and gluten free, vegan

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups raw cashews

2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, plus more for greasing the pan

3/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from canned garbanzo beans)

1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

1 teaspoon white truffle oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Easy Pre-Prep: Place the cashews in filtered water in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Lightly oil a 4 x 2-inch pan with coconut oil.

Drain the cashews. In the pitcher of a Vitamix, place the cashews, aquafaba, salt, coconut oil, and truffle oil.

Process first on medium speed, using the plunger to evenly distribute the mixture.

Gradually increase the speed, stopping intermittently to redistribute the mixture until the it is smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. and cover with a round of parchment paper cut to fit the pan.

Dehydrate for 24 hours at 90 degrees. Transfer to the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Run a sharp knife around the edges of the mold. Turn the cheese out onto a cutting board and remove the sides. Using the wide flat side of a large knife, run the flat edge under the metal round, pressing upwards to separate the round from the cheese. Smooth the cheese surfaces with rubber spatula. If desired, place in a humidifier for 1 to 3 weeks. Rub fine sea salt over your cheese after a few days and then repeat every few days or so to prevent black mold from appearing.

Serve.

If you enjoy plant based cheeses and other fabulous foods, I definitely recommend this book!

Cashew Camembert recipe reprinted from This Cheese is Nuts: Delicious Vegan Cheese at Home by arrangement Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2017, Julie Piatt.

printable Cashew Camembert recipe:



