I don’t know about you, but for me special occasions like Christmas and New Year scream to me “Eat ALL of the cheese and wine”… And I seriously mean all of it… you know those super kinda stinky and potent cheeses like Stilton, Gruyère, or Boursin coupled with a gold old slosh of Argentinian red for good measure. The only problem is that sometimes you can go into a full-blown, dairy overload causing you to break out in hormonal acne, or feel bloated and sluggish. I mean these days it’s so hard to source good quality grass-fed and/or raw dairy as it is. So, earlier this year I took it upon myself to recreate one of my most favourite cheeses but make it fully dairy-free – that’s right the beloved Boursin that us Brits just can’t live without.
A delicious raw vegan Boursin style cream cheese that’s worthy of cracking out on the cheese board at any festive occasion. This creamy cashew based cheese is laced with oven roasted garlic and fresh herbs that will blow your taste buds away.
This isn’t your typical cashew based cheese – for starters there isn’t even the tiniest spec of tahini, almond butter, or nutritional yeast to be found – just good old creamy cashews, freshly roasted garlic, chives, parsley, and the quintessentially British white pepper. I’ve added just a little lemon juice to create the perfect cheesy tang but you can definitely add a little as you go along to suit your own personal tastes.
I’d just like to take a moment to apologise for my appalling photographs – these were taken a while back on my iPhone and I have since acquired a fancy DSLR (which I am still figuring out how to use) so the quality is a lot lower than you might have gotten used to.
What I love most about this recipe the most is that it is truly simple to make – just soak cashews overnight, bung everything into your food processor, leave to set – et voila – the most, perfect garlic and herb cream cheese that you can enjoy with a little glass of bubbly on the side!
So just in time for New Year’s Eve – I bring to you my gift of Raw Vegan Boursin Style Cream Cheese… you’ll have to get your own wine though sorry (I don’t share)!
Pictured above is the Wüsthof 9cm (3.5″) Classic Paring Knife – you’ll find my review here.
- 1 small head garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup cashews (soaked overnight and rinsed)
- ½ tsp dried chives
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp fine Himalayan pink salt (if coarse grind)
- Juice ½ lemon (roughly 4-5 tbsp)
- ¾ tbsp fresh parsley leaves (roughly chopped)
- 2 fresh chives (roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp fresh chives (finely chopped)
- Firstly you will need to start by roasting your garlic. Pre-heat your oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8/450°F. Cut off the top of your garlic head with a sharp knife - about ¼" to ½" from the top of cloves, leaving the individual cloves of garlic exposed. Drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil and wrap the head in foil, shiny side on the inside. Place your head of garlic into the oven and roast for 30 minutes or until fragrant and soft when pressed. Remove and allow to cool completely before unwrapping to let the steam do its magic work.
- Place all of your ingredients, except for the lemon juice and fresh herbs (and those reserved for the topping), into the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth. Add your lemon juice 1 tbsp at a time until you get you desired taste. Next add your fresh parsley leaves and chives and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped within the cheese. Be sure to stop periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl before processing again to ensure everything is incorporated fully.
- Grease and line either one large or 2 small ramekins with cling film. Divide your freshly chopped parsley and chives between the 2 ramekins, then divide the cheese equally whilst pressing down firmly. Be sure to gently smoothe out the base of the cheese too. Fold over the cling film and then cover the top of the ramekin(s) with another layer of cling film. Place in the fridge for 2 hours or until firm. For best results place a heavy weight on to the top of the cheese to ensure the cheese becomes compact. Serve with your favourite gluten-free/Paleo crackers, rice cakes, apple slices, or even as a filling in a baked potato.
*Prep time includes a 2 hour chilling time.
No Comments