- 1 cup whole blanched unsalted almonds (you can buy already blanched)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ C Olive Cart extra virgin olive oil (any flavor your heart desires)
- 3/4 teaspoon Olive Cart Himalayan sea salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1-2 TBLS Optional Seasoning of your choice (or taste)
The “Cheese” can be flavored by using infused oils, your favorite oils or a combination of both.
Some suggestions are Pesto oil and seasoning. Butternut squash seed oil. Rosemary lavender oil. The possibilities are endless.
Additional of nutritional yeast will give it more of a cheesy flavor.
If you opt to bake it, treat it like brie and cover with a glaze or jam. Our Raspberry Horseradish Glaze recipe is wonderful over the Pesto version.
DIRECTIONS
- Cover almonds in water and soak for 24 hours, covered and in refrigerator, before making cheese. (Optional but does make a creamier texture.)
- Drain and rinse almonds and pace in high powered blender, food processor, or ninja.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Blend until smooth 5-10 minutes.
You can stop at this point. Cheese will have consistency of ricotta cheese and can be used as a filling, a spread, or a dip.
If you choose, you can take the next steps to bake your cheese. Outside will be firm, inside still creamy, but it can actually be sliced.
- Line a strainer with a large square double layer of cheese cloth.
- Scrape the almond mixture into the cheese cloth and gather the cheese cloth around the mixture securing it into a bundle. Give the bundle a few gentle squeezes to remove liquid.
- Leave the bundle in the strainer and place in the refrigerator overnight. Place strainer over a bowl or rimmed plate that will catch any additional liquids that might drain.
- Refrigerate at least 12 hours. This will help the texture of the cheese become firmer.
- When ready to bake preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Carefully remove the cheesecloth. “cheese” will have the consistency of a cookie dough.
- Gently shape into a round about ¾” thick. Place round in/on a parchment paper lined pan. It will help with removing the paper if you wipe it with the same olive oil you choose to use.
- Bake 30-40 minutes. The top will be slightly dry and firm.
