Nothing will impress your holiday guests more than an entirely vegan cheese platter! Tune in to watch Kim Sujovolsky, founder of Brownble, demonstrate how to make a spreadable, creamy, cashew and chive cheese and that will make for a perfect holiday-themed platter!
Festive Cheese Platter
Yields 2 round cheeses.
Ingredients
Cheese Base
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours or overnight
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 ½ teaspoons agar agar powder, diluted in a bit of cold water
- 1 tablespoon water—use only if needed to help your blender run. The less you use the better
Cheese Decorations
- Chopped chives
- Smashed pretzels
- Whole pretzels—for adding on top of the cheese
- Crushed pink peppercorns
Platter Additions
- Fresh fruit—strawberries, raspberries, figs, grapes, etc.
- Olives
- Extra pretzels
- Toast points
- Dried fruit—apricots, dates, dried figs, etc.
Directions
- Drain the cashews from the soaking water and add them to a blender. If you didn’t soak the cashews ahead of time, place in a pot of boiling water for about ten minutes and drain.
- Add the garlic powder, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and coconut oil. Blend together, scraping down the sides as needed until you have a thick cream. Depending on your blender, you may need to add a tablespoon of water to help it run.
- Transfer the creamy mixture to a small pot and fold in the chopped chives.
- Add the agar agar—diluted in a bit of cold water—to the pot and mix.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let it cool slightly while you place some plastic wrap over two flat ramekins or small containers.
- Divide the cheese mixture between the two ramekins, placing the mixture on top of the plastic wrap. Press it down well into the ramekin with a spatula since this will be your mold. Wrap the top with the plastic wrap.
- Place the cheeses in the fridge for anywhere between 4 hours to 24 hours, depending on how firm you like it. It will still be a creamy cheese, but the more you leave it the more sliceable it will be. You can also increase the agar agar if you want an even firmer cheese.
- Right before serving your cheeses, carefully remove them from the molds by pulling a bit on the plastic wrap, and then remove the plastic.
- Place the extra chopped chives on a plate and carefully place the cheese over them so that they stick to the top. Turn it over and place it on your platter. Repeat the process with the second one, only this time using the crushed pretzels and smashed pink peppercorns.
- Stick some whole pretzels on top of the pretzel-peppercorn topped cheese for a beautiful and festive look.
- Add any additions you’d like to your cheese plate—from fresh fruit to different breads and toast, dried fruit, olives, etc.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!