Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I made the low-fat chipotle dip/sauce tonight. I actually used part of that recipe and part of the cheese sauce recipe ( I used half of the air dried cheddar/half gruyere). Turned out good! I like the butternut squash in it, and I added some salsa that I already had on hand too! Great with chickpea chips, guac, and salsa! YUM!

My gouda finished drying today and gah, wow. I'm not exaggerating to say that this is now one of my favourite foods. I think I'm going to start another batch in the next couple of days, because there's no way this one is going to stick around for long!

I just bought this online, excited for delivery! I think I'll get some rejuvelac going this evening.

I am going to make the guyere tomorrow night...
But I am wondering what I am to do with the chevere...I am making bread so maybe schmear it there...

My kappa arrived while I was out of town, yay!

Well, I kind of gave up on my air-dried cheddar getting firm as it was still very creamy and I was afraid it was getting too pungent (which is saying a lot coming from me). I decided to wrap it up and put it away, creamy cheddar is still good.

Then, I made quesadillas with it. Holy fork. Homeade chorizo, black beans, spinach, and creamy spinach, topped with fresh avocado. The cheddar was still the star of the show, it was the best dinner I've had in a while.

My air-dried cheddar is firm, but gummy, not stiff. I used agar, because, no matter how expensive, it's still cheaper than ordering carrageenan. I soaked my cashews longer and used just enough rejuvelac to be able to blend it.

My air-dried cheddar is just under a week of air-drying now, and it's cracked and flatter than I imagined, but the tiny crumb I snuck last night was SO GOOD (and didn't make my throat close up).

Do you brush it with wine brine or just salt it?

A vegan friend wants me to make a kilo of vegan cheddar for him. I guess that's double the recipe.

I've just been dusting it with salt (and more than once). Is there a mote about brushing with wine I missed?

We also made a batch of the chipotle cheddar sauce earlier today and between Juilia and I snacking on it (which is currently happening again) and Strawberryrock and I sneaking some onto a chips & salsa plate at happy hour earlier, I'll be making more SOON. Note: I made it with soaked sunflower seeds vs. cashews, too.

Miyoko recommends brushing with wine brine here:
http://veganmanifesto.blogspot.com/2012 ... heesy.html

I brushed it with wine because I was afraid it would get mouldy inside the cracks. I couldn't get dry salt into them.

Thanks! I'll start doing that daily.

Air-dried gouda: I tried to break off a small part last night, and yeah, still gummy inside. Patience.

I'm going to start one of the cheeses that call for kappa today. Any recs? I was thinking mozz....

I made the melty mozzarella balls today! Gosh, that was exciting and the cultured yogurt mixture was so reminiscent of Teese....

i am loving ALL the cheddars i've made: sharp, pub, and air-dried (next is the meltable). but i was disappointed with the flavor of my meltable mozzarella - it had that powdery quality (that's probably not the right description but i don't know how else to describe it) that a lot of vegan cheeses, including Teese, have, which i don't like. i made it with home made almond milk yogurt that i wasn't crazy about to begin with. i'm hoping that making it with soy yogurt or maybe even coconut milk yogurt will yield something better. anyone try that?

Do try soy yogurt (there's a recipe for soy/cashew yogurt in the book). Almond is a little thin and doesn't have the same richness. I noticed you're in Berkeley - I'll be demonstrating Gruyere Fondue and Cream Cheese (2 flavors - sundried tomato and lox) today at 3:30 at SF VegFest, Golden Gate Park (County Fair Bldg). Come and have a taste!

Also, I'm having a book launch party on October 20 in San Francisco - there will be many varieties of cheeses to taste, as well as appetizers made with cheese. Event info: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/273981

Thank you, Miyoko! Soy yogurt is my next attempt. Just wondering: have you ever tried coconut milk yogurt for the meltable cheeses?

i'm most definitely going to the book launch party; i'm looking forward to meeting you and tasting all the yummy treats!

Last night I tried to make soya yoghurt from unsweetened soya milk and Sojade plain soya yoghurt, which works with vanilla soya milk. Nothing happened. After 9 hours in yoghurt maker, I added 1/4 tsp sugar into every 150 ml jar so that the bacteria have something to eat. I really hope it gets fermented, because I have no more yoghurt to use as a starter.

So, I made the cream cheese for the second time and ended up adding lots of extra soy yogurt and sending it straight to the fridge. It's super thick and creamy, and I honestly can't distinguish between this and the original batch I made and left in room temperature for 36 hours. I think I will just take the lazy route and do it this way. Yummmm.

I had to throw away the unsuccessful yoghurt :( I guess there was something wrong with the starter.

Air-dried cheddar is gone. It's very tasty, I would like to make it again, but I need to try other cheeses as well.

I just made the cream cheese this morning. It's sitting on my counter...Fingers crossed. I miss cream cheese, a lot. And I cannot stand the weird after taste of Galaxy and Tofutti.

So, 12 hours in and my cream cheese is wildly fermenting. I opened it to give it a smell test and it has expanded in size and made a seal with the lid of the jar from the increasing pressure. Is this right? Normal? Smells... Like sourdough...

I just got this book and I am so excited! I can't decide what to make first.

Sourdough is fermented by wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria from the air. My air dried cheddar expanded a lot and smelled like sourdough (+ miso paste I put into it). It was very tasty after thickening and further fermenting.

I had my mom try the air-dried cheddar on a cracker (without telling her what it was first.) Her first response was "mmm, this is good." When I asked her what it tasted like, she said "Cheese. It tastes like sharp cheddar. Exactly like sharp cheddar..." Considering sharp cheddar is her favorite, I'm marking this one down in the Omni-win column. Unfortunately it never got to truly sliceable, it's still very spreadable, the taste is great and is perfectly able to meet any cheddar cravings I may have.

Speaking of, I tried it with a veggie burger and it was perfect.

One question I have about the yogurt. I was trying to be thrifty and follow the same method, just without cashews to have yogurt just to eat. Massive fail. It never thickened up at all and didn't even get yogurty. What magic do cashews bring to the party? I would love to make my kiddo homemade yogurt to take for lunch, but would prefer leave out nuts since there's an allergy in her class and I don't want to take chances.

Did you use carageenan or agar for air-dried cheddar? I used agar and it thickened.

Agar powder is very expensive here, but, at least I can buy it here. 3 tablespoons is a lot. I found a cheaper agar powder, but it's 20% agar and the rest is maltodextrin.