Festive cranberry-studded cashew cheese... and giveaway winner!

You know all those fancy holiday cheeses studded with cranberries? Of course you do. They're hard to miss at gourmet food stores this time of year. Stilton and Wensleydale make cranberry cheeses, and there was cranberry-covered goat cheese at the Thanksgiving party I attended with my family.  Which is great for those who eat dairy--not so much for non-dairy folks.  Sadly, vegan cheeses don't seem to be quite as festive. Sure, Daiya and Vegan Gourmet both make a mean vegan pizza cheese--but I don't know anyone who'd call pizza "festive."

Last year Vegetarian Times did a feature with a couple of nut-based cheeses: an almond "feta" and a pepper-crusted cashew "goat" cheese. I am a huge fan of both varieties. They're creamy, somewhat crumbly, and nice on crackers or baguette slices.  But this time of year I just feel like having something pretty and red and slightly sweet. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for the holidays and I love cranberries.)  So, using the same method as in the VT recipes I came up with a cashew cheese that screams "holidays" to me.  Even though this recipe is super easy, it takes a while to make--so plan ahead if you're making this for a party. Enjoy!



Cranberry-studded cashew cheese

1 cup cashew pieces, soaked overnight in water

4 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp dry white wine

1/3 cup canola oil

pinch salt

1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Combine the cashews, lemon juice, wine, oil, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add the cranberries and pulse a few times to chop the berries a bit and combine everything.  Line a fine mesh sieve with cheesecloth and place over a medium bowl. Spoon the cashew mixture into the cheesecloth and form into a round. You don't have to be super precise here.  Anyway, fold the rest of the cheesecloth over the mixture and allow to sit at room temperature for about 24 hours.

After 24 hours or so, preheat your oven to 200 F. Take the cheese round from the cheesecloth and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Reshape if necessary into a small wheel.  Bake for 40 minutes (just to dehydrate, really) until the top and sides are slightly firm to the touch.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Wrap in waxed paper and chill until ready to use.

To serve, cut into wedges or spread on crackers.

And congratulations to the winner of my holiday giveaway! With a number picked by random.org, the goodies go to... Beth (#18)!  She says

Homemade baked goods are my favorite. Vegan, of course! And your caramels sound AMAZING!

Check your email, Beth! All I need is a mailing address for you and I'll get these in the mail!

--

*PS- Those hydrangeas? Rug Rat and I are doing the old "see how flowers suck up water" science experiment--but holiday-style with white and red. Because why the hell not? (And yes, most of the time those are kept well out of reach of the kids and my furry friends. I don't really feel like replacing my carpet less than a year into living here!)

Coconut fleur de sel caramels

After a ton of playing around with scorching-hot sugar, I think I've got this one down. For a while there I was worried that I wasn't doing things right as I boiled and boiled... and boiled some more. (Sugar takes a long time to reach candy temperature.) And then there were the two times I just cooked a tad bit too long and ended up with caramels that would take my grandmother's crowns right off her teeth. Now wouldn't that make for a great Christmas gift? "Merry Christmas, Grandma! I've included with the candies a gift certificate to your dentist. Enjoy!" At any rate, I had never even attempted candy-making before about three weeks ago, so excuse me for saying I'm feeling a bit pleased with myself for finally figuring out exactly when to pull the sugar off the burner. Because holy cow--even though it takes forever to get the candy to the mid 230s (F) it seems to cook a lot faster once it gets to 240. Which, of course, is near the temperature at which you need to take the stuff off the heat fast.

These are the caramels going out with my little giveaway this month, but since only one of you will win--and the winner may feel no inclination to make caramels him- or herself anyway--here's the recipe so that you, dear reader, can make some of these soft, chewy candies as holiday gifts... or your own stash of sweets. And don't forget to enter in the giveaway!



Coconut fleur de sel caramels

2 1/4 cups organic sugar

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1 tsp salt (ordinary table salt is preferable here)

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp water

1 15 oz can full fat coconut milk (Don't use the "light" stuff! These are candies, after all.)

6 Tbsp coconut oil

fleur de sel for sprinkling

Equipment needed:

large, rimmed cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper (then sprayed with cooking spray)

large (5+ qt) pot

candy thermometer

wooden spoon

waxed paper cut into 3" squares (number will vary)

heavy duty kitchen shears

In a large pot combine the sugar, corn syrup, table salt, and water. Heat over medium, whisking the sugar until dissolved. Stop stirring, and allow to cook (still at medium heat) until the mixture has reached 248 degrees.  While the sugar mixture is heating, heat the coconut oil and coconut milk to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Once the sugar has reached the correct temperature, quickly stir in the oil and coconut milk. The liquid will foam up quite a bit, so keep stirring.

After the mixture has calmed down, continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the temperature gets back up to 245F. This will take quite a while, but don't think you can just walk away from the pot.  Once the temperature hits about 235 F it will start to get hotter much more quickly.  At any rate, keep an eye on it or you'll end up with a hard, sticky mess.  Okay--back to the directions!  Once the temperature reaches 246 quickly take the pot off the heat and pour the caramel onto the prepared cookie sheet (*see "equipment needed" above*).  Sprinkle all over with fleur de sel (or kosher salt if you must) making sure to get the edges and corners as well. Allow to cool and set overnight.

Taking sturdy shears, cut the sheet of caramel into 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide strips. It will be sticky, so be patient (but work quickly). Cut each strip into bite size bits and wrap in the squares of waxed paper.  Store at room temperature.

*Note: Heating the final product to 245-246 will give you a soft caramel. I prefer them that way, but if you'd like a slightly harder caramel feel free to heat to 248 or so. Don't heat past 250 F or you'll end up with candies that'll take the crowns right off your teeth.

Sort-of borscht beet soup (tester photo)

I'm getting back into the swing of testing now that Thanksgiving is over. Here's a photo of a beautiful, earthy beet soup I tested for Carla of The Year of the Vegan (whose first book, Quick and Easy Vegan Bakesale, is coming out soon!)