Philadelphia Style Cashew Cream Cheese Brick

 

Ingredients
2 cups unroasted cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 cup cultured vegan buttermilk, preferred (substitute 1/2 cup water and 2 tbsp vegan yogurt if you don't have buttermilk)
salt to taste

Instructions
Put the cashews, vegan buttermilk, (or water and vegan yogurt), and salt in a blender. 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 24 to 48 hours, depending on how sharp a flavor you want and the ambient temperature (culturing will proceed more quickly at warmer temperatures).
To make a firm cream cheese brick, press the cheese after it’s cultured. Line a small sieve or colander with a double layer of cheesecloth, using enough cheesecloth that it hangs over the edges. Put the sieve over a bowl. Put the cheese in the sieve and wrap the ends of the cheesecloth over the top. Put a plate on top and put  a 5- to 10-pound weight on the plate—a clean river rock, a container of water, a cast-iron skillet, or whatever you have handy. Let stand at room temperature for about 24 hours to press much of the liquid out of the cheese. (Discard the liquid.) The resulting cheese will be quite firm. Use as is, or flavor with chives, herbs, or garlic. Wrap and refrigerate. The cheese will get firmer as it chills.
Enjoy!
Stored in a covered container, this Philadelphia Style Cream Cheese will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 4 months in the freezer.