Soy yogurt cheese aged about a week and coated in mesquite powder.
2 sumac rounds and my "pizza" cheese all aging
This cheese reminds me of a silky camembert or "laughing cow cheese" as it is made from the milk and not the entire legume or nut like most vegan cheeses. It is oil free, so it isn't as "decadent" as a brie, but this method of cheese making is legit! It is most similar to labneh cheese which uses kefir or yogurt to form balls, usually with herbs and spices added, and is stored in a jar in oil (kind of like bocconcini but not in brine). My method however, AGES the cheese to a firm, tart wheel!
left is mesquite cheese soaked in vinegar & turmeric brine, then olive brine, right is sumac coated shiitake cheese soaked in same brine. Note how small the cheese rounds have shrunk once completely dry! Also note I did not like the rind and scrubbed it off with a small food brush.
As this is an aged product hygiene is of utmost importance at every stage of the process. Even your fridge should be mould free! Utensils and hands must be VERY clean before any handling of the cheese at any stage. Please do not eat any questionable cheese with red on it, questionable smells or tastes. It's not worth getting sick or worse, throw it out!
If you look closely you can see white camembert mould start to grow (seeded from a vegetarian camembert) on this mixed herb cheese.
Unfortunately it also grew bacteria. IN THE BIN it went! Shame.
Makes approximately (totally guessing) 150g of cheese depending on maturing time and quality of ingredients (it will shrink as it dries) based on 375ml of homemade soy yogurt. This is a very tiny wheel of cheese. You may want to double the recipe or make a full Litre of yogurt. I prefer to make 375ml at a time in case it fails (it has failed before but not often. Ensure hygiene of tools and hands at all stages of cheese making!
STEPS:
1- Make the yogurt
2- Strain the yogurt
3- Coat the "cheese"
4- Dry the cheese
5- (optional)Bathe the cheese in a vinegar/brine
6- Eat!
MAKE THE YOGURT:
(Alternatively I'm sure you could also BUY it, but I have had best results this way and it is MUCH cheaper!)
INGREDIENTS:
2 TB live store bought yogurt, yogurt 'whey' or homemade yogurt (I've had success with nudie coconut yogurt in 'Natural')
375ml or 1 1/2c Vitasoy Protein Plus Soy Milk or other high protein soy milk (or homemade) - Room temp, freshly opened. I have had varied success with regular soy milk (sweetened) - believe it or not the bit of sweetness in the cheese isn't a bad thing!
Optional 1t quinoa rejuvelac for added "tangy" flavour profile
Note how thick the homemade soy yogurt can get!
2- Place in an Easiyo maker, with freshly boiling water added to the reservoir.
3- Ferment for at least 8-12 hours, can go as long as 24 hours - depending on the level of tang.
4- Refrigerate over night or 8 hours.
I suggest making a batch every day. Once the yogurt gets around a week old in the fridge it should distinctly get more of a cheesy tang rather than a yogurt tang and have let out a lot of 'whey' (this depends on how long you have cultured it for, it can take a few days). If you use a clean serving spoon every time you can use a half eaten container of yogurt as the cheese mixture too. You can of course use "fresh" yogurt and strain right away, it will age later anyway and still work out fine.
sumac coated cheese
STRAIN THE YOGURT - CHEESE MIXTURE
1- Drain off 'whey' (use as a yogurt starter, or any place you would use stock like cooking grains or a soup) - this step is optional as it would drain off later in step 4 anyway.
2- Add in any or none of the following ingredients that you desire, get creative! Also optional.
(If you use no added flavours it tastes somewhat like laughing cow cheese)
(based on 375ml of yogurt):
1t liquid smoke
1-3 TB nutritional yeast
1 TB herbs of choice (or omit)
2 sun dried tomatoes, small diced
<4 olives, small diced (use less! if using miso or other salty ingredients)
<1/4 lemons rind, zested -or a pinch- this stuff is strong!
1/2t mustard powder
1/2t miso or 1/4t truffle salt/oil or to taste (remember it will seem saltier with time, but truffle salt adds that "Stinky Cheese" smell)
1 TB mushroom powder (I make this at home, also adds to the umami "Stinky Cheese" feel)
1 pinch turmeric (optional, for more vibrant yellow colour -which the nutritional yeast already provides)
1/4t onion powder or a crushed garlic (optional)
My fave mix is
2 TB nutritional yeast powder
1/4t truffle salt
1/4t miso paste (another fermented product)
The shiitake yields a yeasty bite to it, which I'm not too fond of myself, but I enjoy my non-matured cheese without bite personally.
3- Mix well with a spoon.
4- Place mixture in a nut milk bag that is dripping/hanging over a bowl IN THE FRIDGE (I use my imitation Magic Bullet blender cup as it has bits on the side that hold the nut milk bag perfectly).
5- After 8 hours or when a skin has formed place a weight on it (like a small ramekin filled with water or a weight like the "lucky iron fish" - don't forget to oil the bottom or place oiled glad wrap on first!). At this stage you may also be able to wrap it up and press it in a press on light weight if you have one- if you press too hard it will just seep out the holes.
6- Wait a minimum 12 hours (you will have great difficulty getting it to maintain a shape) but preferable 24-48 hours or more. That's right, 2 entire days. This allows it to "thicken" and drip more 'whey' to yield best results, sturdy and easy shaping and fastest maturing/drying time.
6 hours of Weighted "Draining" - note the coloured flavoured 'whey' at the bottom (use for cooking grains or soup stock). I use an imitation magic bullet tall blender cup to suspend the nut milk bag. If the liquid touches the bottom of the cheese it is time to pull the nut milk edge down so it will lift above it or drain and reassemble.
If you waited 1-2 days as you should (Go you, you patient thing, you!!!) flip out onto glad wrap with coating of choice on it, and dust over with the coating and manipulate to desired shape using the glad wrap to help keep things clean. Once done carefully place on a sushi mat or other ventilated surface (I place the sushi mat on a container so there is excellent air flow). DO NOT forget to flip daily or mould will grow. At the beginning stages you can use a napkin or paper towel to wick the moisture away quickly, and change it daily.
Notice cheese "straining" on the left, and cheese drying on the elevated rack on the right, the paper towel is changed daily. You could also use a fabric napkin you don't mind staining as certain herbs/spices will stain it.
HERBED COATING MIXTURES
Ideas are:
- sumac powder - non mouldy success
- mesquite powder - non mouldy success
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
- nigella seeds
- crushed almonds
- dried herbs - be careful with hygiene as I have had cheeses grow moulds with this on it
- pepper of choice (intense!)
- smoked salt (good to mix with another flavour or else it will be WAY too salty!)
- nutritional yeast
- chilli powder
- paprika
- corn starch (not fond of the raw starch flavour, but note that any coating can be rinsed off later, keep reading)
- charcoal
- spirulina
- Get creative!
Blend to a powder as fine as you prefer or leave whole (crush the nuts however).
Don't forget to turn it daily to prevent mould and keep in a brine bath once it is dry enough and to add flavour.
*Note that you can use whatever cheapest option you have AND wash it off later to create a rindless plain cheese- I have had great success in this. This is because without a coating it is very hard to shape it without things just going all over the place. It helps it dry up. Corn starch makes a good plain coating that you can wash off later.
Left: Fresh herb mixture, plain cheese, based on 375ml drained yogurt.
Top right: Failed mesquite coated "Bean" cheese based on 400g mixture.
Bottom right: Mesquite coated plain soy yogurt cheese, 1 week maturing, based on about 200g yogurt.
Alternatively you may use a flour product like mesquite powder for example (pictured above, but do keep in mind the "raw" taste), or just 1 nut, seed or herb. I prefer sumac the best as a single ingredient coating with a pinch of smoked salt - but after aging I did not like the hydrated texture of it so I washed it off in a brine. And if you are not afraid of oil you could try using oil to shape it into a round but the "dry" product helps in wicking off moisture so I couldn't say if that would work for sure....
COAT THE CHEESE
1- Flip the drained cheese onto the coating mixture using the nut milk bag and turning inside out like a sock (keep the flavoured "whey" to use in soups or to cook rice/quinoa with for extra flavour, or anywhere you would use stock. I use this whey to make my flavoured rice cheese) Note the "drier" top will now be at the bottom.
2- Use the powder/coating to cover the cheese (the glad wrap keeps things neat and can be used to flick the powder up along the sides without getting your fingers sticky and coated too). Flip and roll the cheese gingerly to coat on all sides.
3- Once coated use hands to shape the cheese into desired shape- you can make a wedge or a round or anything you like (try not to mash it too much as the "drier" top is useful to make the cheese shape hold firmly when you store it for aging)!
4- Place cheese top side down (firm and dry side prevents "sinking") on top of a sushi mat, rack, or an amount of skewers to "raise" it from the bottom of the container for airflow and faster drying time.
DRY THE CHEESE
1- Turn daily or twice daily with VERY clean hands to prevent moulds. You may place the container in a brown bag or cardboard box to protect from anything dropping on it but allow "breathing" so it dries out. I suggest you age the cheese at least a week or until there is a firm rind on the outside so that it is firm enough to slice and not be a paste - if you want stronger flavour and firm enough to use pressure with the knife you will need to wait longer. You can eat this the second you shape it but the flavour profile and texture will be more bland and more of a soft spread. Eat at your preference- it's your cheese! I also recommend using a creme brûlée torch to "toast" the outer coating for a more gourmet experience before serving if you like but I have not tried this. You may eat the cheese "dry" like this but I prefer the bath method in the next step. Give it a try! Once dry to your liking store in an airtight container and keep an eye out for moulds, you may need to have a slight vent, and give it a bath periodically if it dries out too much.
BATHE THE CHEESE
1- Once the cheese has developed a good rind- or if it is overly dry, in a bowl add in 1 TB of vinegar/lemon juice, 1 t of salt, and place the cheese in indefinitely or for just 8 hours depending on preference. If your cheese is too soft it will disintegrate in the brine. You can also add turmeric to the brine to create a yellow rind. If you have placed a coating you are not fond of, soak for a day you use a pastry brush to wipe away the coating and be left with a clean rind. Alternatively I have had success storing the cheese in simple a olive brine (yes, the brine olives come in from the store once you have eaten all the olives). You can also store it in pickle brine or any other brine you have from the store. It imparts flavour as well. Be careful as usually these will not be very clean after you have opened them so eat cheese within a week or so of being in the brine or remove from brine after a week or so, use your better judgement. I like to keep it in the brine indefinitely after it develops a rind, it keeps the cheese moist and tasty. If you make a homemade brine it is best to change it daily, or at least every few days. Once desired saltiness is reached you could easily store it in a sealed container to maintain moisture content. I have not had a cheese last that long so I'm not sure how long it would go!
left is mesquite cheese soaked in vinegar & turmeric brine, then olive brine, right is sumac coated shiitake (you can see the brown flecks in the cheese) cheese with the same baths.
Simple olive brine bath for ease and flavour!
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