Last month I published my Spicy Aged Raw Macadamia Nut Cheese recipe. I have made raw nut cheeses before, but this was my first attempt at aging a nut cheese. Much can go wrong if all you are using is your intuition.
By now, the cheese was aging for almost a month and today I decided to find out whether my energy was wasted. To my astonishment, the cheese turned out better than I expected and I can imagine that it would improve even more if I allowed it to age for another month or so.
My cheese has a texture of a Spanish Manchego cheese or a young Parmigiano Reggiano. The rind is edible, though. My cheese does not crumble and it cuts very nicely. Most importantly, it is absolutely delicious!
This is quite encouraging and I decided to produce a whole variety of nut cheeses in the near future. I will use my basic nut cheese recipe. The variation of taste will come from different nuts, herbs and spices, as well as from a different lengths of time that I will allow for my cheeses to age. This is important. The longer they age, the dryer they become and the taste gets stronger.
If you have not yet tried a raw nut cheese recipe, you probably should brave it and give it a try. Raw nut cheeses are a wonderful addition to a raw food menu. They are a great alternative to pasteurized milk cheeses, provided of course, that you are not allergic to nuts. And believe me, once you have started your own cheese "production" there is no stopping you! Your own success will be your motivational force to go on creating your own original recipes.
Spicy Raw Macadamia Cheese recipe here