The Art of Plant-Based Cheesemaking

Make your own real, non-dairy cheese at home — traditional methods for making plant-based cheese

• Author has been a chef for more than 5 years specializing in plant-based/vegan cuisine
• The recipes in the book are unique and were created for retail, restaurants, and private companies
• A practical guide to the general principles of plant-based cheesemaking
• An introductory guide to advanced cultured non-dairy cheesemaking
• Specific, guided recipes for beginning cheesemakers
• Defies the stereo-type that plant-based or vegan 'cheese' is often rubbery, and lacks the depth of flavour and texture of real cultured cheeseExtensive information on the variety of potential plant-based cultures
• Encourages experimentation, includes suggestions for serious foodies and chefs
• Plant-based, dairy free, vegan cheeses are increasingly popular and are widely available in grocery stores
• Contains three dozen recipes with variations from fresh soft cheeses to hard, cultured and aged cheeses includes Havarti, cheddar, gouda, feta
• Ageing techniques for desirable mould growth in the style of blue cheeses
• New Society Publishers is committed to the highest environmental practices in the industry including: printing all their books in North America, on 100% post-consumer recycled FSC-certified paper, using vegetable-based, low-VOC inks; and offsetting their emissions to make all of their business operations carbon neutral and is proudly B Corp certified. Their books are so Green you could eat them!

Make your own real, non-dairy cheese at home — traditional methods for making plant-based cheese

As plant-based, dairy-free diets continue to expand in popularity for health and ethical reasons, cheese often becomes the "last hurdle."

Much of what passes for non-dairy "cheese" lacks the quality and depth of authentic, cultured cheese. Yet for aspiring DIY plant-based cheesemakers, much of the knowledge of this new craft is scattered in isolated kitchens, and there's no real reliable guidance to what works, what doesn't, and why, when making real, cultured plant-based cheese. This book aims to change all that and bring this new craft into the kitchens of the world.

Written by a pioneering plant-based cheesemaker who draws deep from the well of experience, The Art of Plant-based Cheesemaking is a clear, highly practical guide that extends traditional cheesemaking methods into the realm of plant-based media as a substitute for dairy.

Coverage includes:

• Understanding culturing and fermentation
• Essential ingredients and equipment for crafting plant-based cheese
• Plant and nut-based media and how to make them
• How to create and train plant-based cultures
• Delicious recipes for quick cheeses
• Advanced recipes for cultured and aged cheeses
• Resources for sourcing equipment and cultures.

Packed with step-by-step recipes, straightforward processes, and encouraging experimentation, this book makes plant-based cheesemaking accessible for beginners and serious foodies alike.

Simply everything you need to make delicious non-dairy cheese right at home.

Karen McAthy is Executive Chef of Zend Conscious Lounge and Chef and Founder of Blue Heron Creamery in Vancouver, BC, which creates and supplies authentic cultured plant-based cheeses to restaurants, retail outlets, and private customers.

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction

1 Core Elements of Plant- Based Cheesemaking
Terminology: "Cheese" versus "Cheeze"
Non-Cultured Cheeze
Cultured Cheese
More on Informal Classification

2 Equipment, Sanitization, and Food Safety
Food Safety and Sanitization
Tools and Equipment
     Key Tools
     Ingredients

3 Making Quick Non-Cultured Cheeze
Non-Cultured Soft Cheeze
Cultured Soft Cheeze
Soft Cheezes
     Walnut Ricotta
     Cashew or Sunflower Seed Cream Cheeze
Semi-Soft Cheeze: Base Recipe
     Modifications
Firm/Hard Cheeze Base
     Modifications
Notes on Ingredients
     Tapioca Starch
     Adding Tapioca Starch to Recipes
Working with Agar Agar
     Adding Agar

4 Making and Using Plant-Based Cultures
Rejuvelac
Making Rejuvelac
     Step 1: Purchasing your Wheat Berries
     Step 2: Sprouting
     Step 3: Fermentation
Kefir: Coconut, Cashew, Almond . . .
     Starter Batch: Process 1: No Preheating of Coconut Milk
     Starter Batch: Process 2: Heating the Coconut Milk in Advance
     Using the Starter Batch for Subsequent Batches
Probiotic Capsules, Miso,Tempeh Culture, Sauerkraut Brine

5 Fresh Cultured Cheeses
Almond Ricotta
Queso Fresco
Chevre Style
     Modifications
     Forming and Aging
Short-Aged and Semi-Soft Cheeses
     Coconut Kefir Curd
     Cultured Cashew Kefir Curd
     Cultured Almond Curd
Coconut Kefir and Macadamia Garlic and Herb Cheese
Feta-Style Cheeses
     Coconut Kefir Feta
     Almond Curd Feta

6 Firm Cheeses and Cheese Aging
Cashew and Coconut Havarti/Gouda Style 84
Cashew and Coconut Double-Cultured "Cheddar"
Aging and Rind Curing Methods
     Air Drying
           Troubleshooting Air-Drying at Home
Salt Brining and Rind Washing
     Using Brine
     Beer, Wine, Vinegar, or Kombucha Rind Washing
     Oil Curing
     Dried Herb or Spice Rinds
     Dehydrator Use
     Bloom Rind Aging

Appendix 1: Resources
    Food Items
    Cultures
    Equipment and Tools
Appendix 2: Quick Reference Guide to Smell, Taste, and Texture
About the Author
About New Society Publishers