Cultured Cashew Cheese

 

Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 3 to 8 hours and drained
a pinch of salt
¼ to ½ cup rejuvelac

Instructions
Put the cashews and salt in a blender. Turn on the blender and pour in just enough of the rejuvelac through the cap opening in the lid to process the cashews. (The longer the cashews have soaked, the less liquid will be required for processing. Also note that a high-powered blender can process the cashews with less added liquid.) Process until smooth and creamy, occasionally stopping to scrape down the blender jar and move the mixture toward the blades.
Transfer to a clean glass bowl or container, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 8 to 36 hours, depending on how sharp a flavor you want and the ambient temperature (culturing will proceed more quickly at warmer temperatures). The cheese will thicken as it cultures.
If you will eventually be using the cheese as a base for another recipe, simply cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Otherwise, transfer to a glass or into a nonreactive metal mold and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, until firm.
Enjoy!

Wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator, Basic Cashew Cheese will keep for about 2 weeks. It can be stored longer, but it will continue to get sharper and stronger in flavor, so taste it occasionally. Once it has achieved the desired flavor, it can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Note:Several other recipes use Basic Cashew Cheese as a foundation. These recipes require the cheese to have various degrees of sharpness. Be sure to read other such recipes in advance so you’ll know how long to culture the Basic Cashew Cheese to achieve the necessary sharpness.