How To Make A Vegan Cheese Platter With Homemade Cheese

From plantbasednews.org

Thought your cheese platter days were over? Think again...

If you’re having guests over this weekend and want to prepare something fancy, why not try this dairy-free – and completely vegan – cheese platter? A few years ago, the idea of a plant-based cheese platter would have seemed laughable, but there has been a recent boom in cheeses like brie, camembert, and stilton that are completely free from animal products.

This particular vegan cheese platter idea, which comes from plant-based recipe developer Happy Skin Kitchen, features instructions on how to make your own red onion and apple chutney. It also offers ideas of vegetables, crackers, and other foods to include, but you can adjust these according to your taste.

The platter uses cashew cheese, which the recipe also shows you how to make, but you can opt for any vegan cheese you like. If you don’t have time to make your own, it is now possible to find a wide variety of options in stores.

          Here's how to make a dairy-free cheese platter, complete with homemade cashew cheese - 

                                 Media Credit: Happy Skin Kitchen

Where to buy vegan cheese for your cheese platter

While it’s often relatively easy to find plant-based versions of cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella in supermarkets, finding plant-based blue and soft cheese can be a challenge. The below recipe recommends cashew cheese, which you can often find in health food shops if you don’t fancy making it at home. Alternatively, you could seek out brands like Honestly Tasty, La Fauxmagerie, or I Am Nut OK.

If you want to put together a vegan cheeseboard but need some inspiration, check out the below:

This is the perfect sharing platter for dinner parties or when dining al fresco. I love adding grilled veggies, juicy olives, crackers, and obviously some super creamy cashew cheese! The apple chutney is just the perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients

For the chutney:

• 3 large red onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 1/2 Jazz apples, finely chopped
• 1 1/5 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/5 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf

For the platter: (these are just suggestions!)

• Grapes
• Roasted veggies like carrots and pepper
• Olives
• Crackers of your choice
• Cashew cheese

For the cashew cheese:

• 2 1/2 cups cashews which have been soaked overnight
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp miso paste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Powder from 2 capsules of probiotics
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill

Instructions

For the cashew cheese:

• To make the cashew cheese drain the cashews and place them in a food processor, add the water, nutritional yeast, miso paste, lemon juice, probiotics, onion and salt. Start blitzing and stop the food processor from time to time to scrape the sides. Keep blitzing until you have a smooth and creamy consistency.
• Pour the cheese mixture into a double cheese cloth. Tie the cloth at the top around a wooden spoon or something similar that will keep it suspended from a deep mixing bowl. Cover it with a tea towel and leave it in a warm and dark place (I put mine on top of the fridge) for 16hours.
• Transfer the cashew cheese into the fridge and leave it for another 24 hours. The longer you leave it, the more it will have a “cheesy flavour”.

For the chutney

• Add the finely diced onion to a large pot with a dash of oil. Cook them on a medium/low heat until they are soft. Add all the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer. Put the lid on and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, approximately 2 hours.
• Let it cool down completely before serving it with the cheese platter. Store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

https://plantbasednews.org/veganrecipes/snacks/vegan-cheese-platter-ideas/