Spreadable Black Pepper Cheese (dairy-free, vegan)

One of my favorite spreadable cheeses used to be Boursin with black pepper. Most of it would go directly into my mouth from the foil wrapper, but on special occasions (read, when I could wait), it would make its way onto a cracker, thickly spread in all its glory. It’s been a number of years since I enjoyed Boursin… oh, so, many years…

When I saw this recipe, I just had to try it! The cheeze is a pretty good vegan version of Boursin, and has become one of my go-to cheezes when I plan a cheeseboard. It’s made with soaked cashews, seasoned with nutritional yeast, salt, vitamin c (gives it that zing) and coated in a thick crust of coarsely ground black peppercorns. It’s delightful on crackers.

I give this cheeze a 3.5 out of 5 rating.

SPREADABLE BLACK PEPPER CHEESE (dairy-free, vegan)

adapted from the sunny raw kitchen: cashew cheese au poivre

Ingredients

• 65 g (1/2 cup) raw cashews, soaked in salted water for 6-8 hours, drained and rinsed
• 1 probiotic capsule, contents only (optional)
• 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vitamin c crystals
• coarsely ground black peppercorns, for coating

Method

1. Process the cashews in a food processor until a smooth cashew butter forms. Stir in probiotic capsule contents if using. Cover, let sit for 12-14 hours at room temperature.

2. Line a ramekin with cling film (plastic wrap), leaving some overhang to fold over later. Add a layer of coarsely ground peppercorns to the bottom. Set aside.

3. To the ground cashews, stir in nutritional yeast, salt and vitamin c crystals. Transfer to the prepared ramekin. Smooth over the top to even out, and sprinkle on coarsely ground peppercorns to coat. tap the ramekin onto the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Gather the overhanging cling film (plastic wrap) to cover the cheeze completely.

4. Chill overnight. Before removing from the ramekin, freeze the cheeze for 30 minutes, and then lift the overlapping wrap on top and pull. The cheese should come out whole. Coat the cheeze, including the sides with coarsely ground black peppercorns. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!