30-04-2014

Almond fermentation

An unusual cheese with a natural taste. A new nut-based vegan recipe

This recipe by chef Simone Salvini teaches us how to make a very unique cheese, thanks to the fermentation, for 24 hours or longer, of a mixture of almonds, cashew nuts and walnuts

To prepare this recipe I used vegetal milk enzymes and some draining sacs that can be used for the maturation of cheese made with nuts.

Almond fermentation

INGREDIENTS
200 g cashew nuts
100 g macadamia nuts
100 g Sicilian almonds
150 g water (better if spring water)
4 lactoflorene capsules (milk enzymes)
spicy oil
tips of dill (left soaking)
salt
200 g natural almond milk

Vegan chef Simone Salvini

for the almond milk
I prepared the almond milk using a vegan star that is to say a special centrifuge that blends legumes, cereals and nuts.
In this recipe we centrifuged:
1 l water
100 g peeled almonds

METHOD
1) Soak the nuts in water for 4/6 hours. Drain and blend them in a Bimby processor gradually adding the amount of water indicated in the recipe. Using a spatula, remove the mixture from the borders of the bowl and continue to blend until you obtain a smooth and foamy mix. Pour the mixture into a metal bowl; add the (vegetal enzymes) powder in the capsules and mix with the spatula. Pour the purée into a draining sac, previously cooled under running water and close it with a string. Leave the sac hanging inside a container and cover the latter with a linen or cotton cloth. Leave to rest for at least 24 hours in a temperate room.

2) Remove the fermented cheese from the sac and put it into a metal bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and some drops of spicy oil. Create some spheres, using your hands, and cover them with dill.

3) Warm up the almond milk to 40°C and with a hand blender mix it so us to obtain a soft and stable foam. Leave it to rest for 1 minute.

4) Put on the base of the dish some drops of almond milk foam. Place the almond cheese and dill sphere on top. Serve at room temperature.