Brie Even More Amazing

Most vegans will admit that cheese is the hardest thing to give up.  (Some might argue it's bacon, but spend 5 minutes on the internet seeing how those sweet animals are treated in factories and reconsider).  We think cheese is more ethical, but actually the cycle of pregnancy, kidnapping the calves for veal and enforced confinement is equally difficult to think about.

So what's a body to do when one misses the creamy, oozy, soft richness of a delicate wheel of brie?

I have the answer!!!

This is the second time I have made this recipe from Veg News, and it is fantastic.  Who knew that nut milks culture and ferment the way dairy milk does?

1 cup cashews
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tsp agar agar


Soak 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews in water overnight.  They will become dense fat bombs - perfect for a creamy cheese.

Combine in a high speed blender with 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup plain soy yogurt.  Add 1 tsp nutritional yeast and 1 tsp salt.  Add one cup filtered water and BUZZ.

Pour into a bowl and let rest for 24-36 hours at room temp.  Taste for a creamy, sharp flavour.  The more it cultures, the richer the flavour.

Add 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour and 1 tsp agar agar and whisk the mixture in a pot on medium to low heat until it thickens.  Keep whisking, and be patient.  You will be rewarded.

The original recipe calls for pouring this new dense cheese into a cheesecloth, rubbing the top with salt and letting sit for another 12 hours.  Then repeating.  I am too impatient just to create a fake skin on top of the brie, so I just pour the mixture into jars and refrigerate for about 4 hours.

Smeared on a soft baguette with a little bit of wine jelly?
On a toasted English muffin for breakfast?
A soft wedge with some crackers and pears?

Decadent, yet plant based, this brie will free you once and for all from thinking that vegans can't enjoy cheese.