The Whole Ingredient

Vegan, wholefood, delicious: easy recipes for healthy comfort food.

  • About
  • Recipes
  • blog
  • Press
  • FAQ & Terms

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese

02/09/2016 By Laura Hemmington Leave a Comment

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese

It might be September, but –

Wait. That’s not quite right, is it?

IT’S SEPTEMBER!!!

There, that’s better. The best, most wonderful time of the year is upon us here in the UK, as we prepare to welcome Autumn in all it’s glory.

But before I go all spiced apple, pumpkin, cinnamon and baked goods on your inbox, I have a couple more sunshine-weather recipes for you.

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese

Partly, this is because we’re not going on our ‘summer’ holiday until the middle of this month (more on that later), and partly because I have somehow, for the first time ever, got ahead of myself with recipes-at-the-ready; so I have a teeny queue of goodness to send your way.

Starting off with a real taste of the Mediterranean, with this Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese! It’s so tasty.

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese

Part cream cheese, part goat, I really wasn’t sure what to call this one, because it started life as a tiramisu! (I really need to make it again so I can share it with you.) Somehow, it ended up a savoury cheese for all occasions and snack-ortunities – by simply replacing the sugar with olives.

If you’ve been reading my recipes for a while, you’ll know that’s my speciality: turning sweet into savoury. It just happens.

But back to the cheese. It’s:

  • creamy;
  • a little sharp;
  • a little briny;
  • spreadable;
  • full of rosemary-infused wonder;
  • easy to make; and
  • only requires 7 store-cupboard ingredients!

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese

This version is the result of a few (several) trials, starting by merely taking out the sugar, to adding (and then taking away again) different flavourings. The olives really add something – it’s that different level of saltiness that you only get in cheese (and olives).

It was in a pretty liquid state the first time I made it, as it was essentially a sweet dessert cream, so I experimented with ‘ageing’ it in the nut milk bag I use to rinse quinoa (that’s a top tip, for what it’s worth). But, as a cheese-ager, it didn’t work so well, and the cheese was difficult to extract from the bag.

So I did some research into using cheese cloth and came across this recipe from Vegetarian Times (clearly, making almond cheese is nothing new). Their technique is to wrap the mixture in cheesecloth, leave in the fridge, then bake it, so I gave that a go with my recipe. It worked out much better than with the bag, and it’s easy to wash and reuse the cloth, so I would definitely recommend it.

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese

If you want an even simpler version though, you could store the cheese in a container in the fridge and enjoy it raw – but I highly recommend baking it, it really enhances the flavour.

This is a great cheese for every occasion. We’ve enjoyed it with:

  • crackers;
  • soup;
  • chilli (yep);
  • bowls full of delicious ingredients like these aubergines; and
  • a wonderful summer salad – keep an eye out for a delicious holiday-inspired recipe coming your way soon.

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese
 
Print
Preparation time
10 mins
Cooking time
35 mins
Total time
45 mins
 
A wonderfully creamy, smooth and herb-infused taste of the Mediterranean. This Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese is simple to make, but so impressive.
Author: The Whole Ingredient
Recipe type: Vegan Cheese, Snacks, Sauces, Jars
Cuisine: 60 minutes or less
Ingredients
  • 150g ground almonds
  • 200ml pre-boiled or filtered water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tsp for baking
  • Juice of 2 lemons (about 4 tbsp)
  • Generous pinch of good salt
  • 6 green olives, chopped small
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary
Method
  1. Put all the ingredients except the extra 2tsp of olive oil, olives and rosemary into a food processor and blend until completely soft and creamy. Stir in the chopped olives by hand.
  2. Line a small colander or sieve with cheesecloth* (or a piece of thin cloth or netting) and pour in the cheese, spreading it out evenly with a spatula. Fold the edges of the cloth over the top, weigh down with a small jar and place the whole thing in a bowl to catch any liquid.
  3. Refrigerate over night.
  4. Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
  5. Line a tray or small tin with parchment paper. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil onto the paper and add 1 tsp of rosemary. Carefully turn the cheese out onto the paper, flattest side down. Top the cheese with the remaining oil and rosemary and bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden.
  6. Leave to cool before serving. Cheese can be stored in the fridge for at least a week in an airtight container.
Notes
I used a piece of organic, unbleached cotton cheesecloth measuring approximately 30cm square.
Technique adapted from Vegetarian Times.
3.5.3208

 

Want to be first in line for new recipes, straight to your inbox?
And get a free PDF guide to vegan London?


 

Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Email this to someone
email
Print this page
Print
Share on Yummly
Yummly
Share on Reddit
Reddit

Related

Filed Under: snacks, sauces, jars, vegan cheese Tagged With: almond cheese, mediterranean, plant-based, vegan, vegan cheese, vegan recipe, wholefoods

« No-Tuna Salad Sandwich
Quinoa Greek Salad Bowl »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe for recipes & get your downloadable guide to Vegan London for free!

Welcome to The Whole Ingredient! Simple recipes for delicious & healthy vegan comfort food.

Read more here

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

Smoky Maple Tofu Bacon

MAINS

SALADS

Aubergine Muhammara Traybake

SIDES

Sticky Chilli Cauliflower Wings

SWEET

Sweet Potato Popcorn Pie

VEGAN CHEESE

Rosemary-Baked Almond Cream Cheese

SNACKS, SAUCES, JARS

Store Cupboard Muhammara

AUTUMN

Fettucine with Squash, Sage and Pecans

CHRISTMAS

FINDING VEGAN FOOD IN LONDON

Finding Vegan Food in London
Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

© 2014-2016 The Whole Ingredient · About · Press · FAQ & Terms



All content is subject to copyright. Recipes, text and photographs can only be used with prior permission, credit and a link back to the original.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.