Chef Lillian Cumic is a (vegan) cheeze whiz

Glancing through Lillian Cumic’s vegan cheese recipe is like taking a peek behind the wardrobe door into Narnia. There is untold potential and a universe of flavors to be had within its list of mostly ordinary pantry items.

Cumic, a vegan chef, created the recipe for herself more than 10 years ago while living in Japan. She had relocated from Sydney in 1989, a vegetarian who avoided most animal products but could not live without cheese. Back in those days, she said, it was difficult to find cheese in Japan. Eventually, she decided to take the plunge into veganism and created a vegan cheese for herself.

Cumic tried using almonds, tofu and even seeds, all of which delivered good options as a base for her cheese, but her best version came from cashews.

The recipe delivers a flavor-packed cheese sauce, whipped up from basic ingredients such as raw cashews, sea salt, apple cider vinegar and onion and garlic powders, plus nutritional yeast and tapioca flour, which are lesser known but not difficult to find.

Nutritional yeast, Cumic said, is a must in a vegan cheese, adding not just cheesy taste, but a depth of flavor. Tapioca flour provides a creamy texture.

The recipe is a “mother sauce,” a launching pad for a list of other cheese recipes.

TODAY, vegan cashew cheese recipes abound online, but Cumic’s version is particularly user friendly for its ingredient list, and unique for a couple of reasons. First, her recipes rarely call for sugar or oil. Cumic said the cashews usually provide enough oil. Second, thanks to her Japanese sensibility, it calls for one additional ingredient that takes the finished product up a notch, and it’s easy to find on Hawaii supermarket shelves: miso.

“A little miso paste gives the cheese a cultured flavor. It provides depth and adds umami,” she said.

Cumic’s versatile Silky Vegan Cheese Sauce is easy to make, but there is one caveat: It takes time. Cashews must be raw and soaked overnight before proceeding with the recipe. From there, ingredients are blended, then cooked on a stove for several minutes. The thick sauce that results can be used as is, poured over macaroni for a vegan mac and cheese, or tossed with rice for risotto. Add additional seasonings, and it becomes a fondue or nacho cheese sauce. Combine it in a pot with a soup base and some mushrooms, and you’ve got a comforting cream of mushroom soup. Chill it and the sauce becomes scoopable, perfect for spreading on a pizza crust.

With the addition of a thickening agent and adjustment of ingredients, Cumic turns the sauce into soft cheeses that can last 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

For firming up the sauce, she prefers kappa carrageenan, a red seaweed extract, but agar-agar can also be used. Kappa carrageenan delivers a product with a firmness that resembles traditional soft cheese and melts well.

Agar-agar, a vegan gelatin replacement made from algae, creates cheese that’s a bit more gelatin-like in texture and is more challenging to melt. Cumic says agar-agar must be dissolved before being added to a recipe; the additional water will impact aging.

Yes, even vegan cheeses can be aged. That’s thanks to the miso and apple cider vinegar, fermented products that Cumic says open the door to flavors that develop and improve from day to day.

Cumic’s list of cheese recipes continually grows. It includes sun-dried tomatoes and herbs, cranberries and pistachios, roasted garlic and pepper, beets and sunflower seeds, even chocolate and chili pepper. One sauce recipe, with add-ins, fits perfectly in two 1-cup ramekins. Chill for a couple of hours and use as a cheese spread.

But Cumic also takes her cheesemaking one step further, dehydrating the rounds of cheese to create a firmer product. The drying process intensifies the cheesy flavor and lends a more aged character. To maximize flavors, she often makes her cheeses a few days prior to serving them, allowing flavors to develop. Kept wrapped and refrigerated, they last a week.

CUMIC SAID her transition to veganism was influenced by the Japanese diet.

“They eat such healthy, whole foods — whole grains, fermented and fresh foods. They eat seasonal and colorful food,” she said.

That habit of eating flexibly translates to her basic cheese sauce. Cumic says folks should feel free to whip up their own versions using whatever’s in their fridge at any given time.

“I add leftovers like cooked broccoli,” she said. “Sauces can become so different from how my recipe reads. It’s very adaptable and flexible.”

Cumic has no problem saying that her cheeses don’t exactly replicate the flavor of traditional dairy cheese. But she said the virtues of a homemade vegan version are many.

“If you’re going to come from the place of comparing plant-based vs. dairy cheeses, you’re in trouble. But when you make your own, you can control the flavor with things like salt, fresh herbs, sun-dried tomatoes and dried fruits,” she said.

“One of the things attractive about vegan cuisine is it’s very clean. When you’re prepping food from a natural source like raw nuts, there’s so much satisfaction knowing it’s healthy. There’s no lactose intolerance with these cheeses, and there’s zero cholesterol. It’s food that will make you feel good.”

COOK VEGAN, EAT VEGAN

With chef Lillian Cumic

All events held at Harbor Court, 66 Queen St.:

>> Vegan Cashew Cheesemaking Demo and Tasting (6 to 9 p.m. July 3 and 19, $50): Learn to make fast and simple vegan cheeses such as brie; roasted garlic, pepper and herb; sun-dried tomato and basil; cranberry and pistachio; and beet and sunflower seeds. Sign up at eventbrite.com.

>> 7-Course Fine-Dining Vegan Cheese Dinner (6 to 9 p.m. July 23 and 24, $90): Includes appetizer, main courses and dessert, plus wine. Sign up at eventbrite.com or call 476-3549.

LILLIAN CUMIC’s cashew cheese recipes range from sauces to spreadable cheeses to firm rounds that can be sliced and served on a board.

Cumic said sauces and spreadable versions will keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Firmer cheeses can last up to a week but require proper storage because they don’t have preservatives. Cumic wraps them in parchment or butcher paper and keeps them in an airtight container in the fridge. Without proper handling, they will degrade; this is indicated by a strong vinegary flavor.

SILKY VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE

By Lillian Cumic

• 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon miso
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until creamy.

Transfer to a pan and cook on high, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cook another minute. Mix with macaroni or rice, or pour into 2 1-cup ramekins and chill 2 to 3 hours for soft, spreadable cheese or cheese dip. Makes 2 cups sauce.

To make a soft cheese, decrease water to 1-1/2 cups and add 1 teaspoon kappa carrageenan (see ingredient note). For a firm cheese, see note.

Approximate nutritional information, per 1/4 cup sauce: 35 calories, 2 g fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, no fiber or sugar, 1 g protein.

CHOCO CHEESE WITH ALMONDS AND HABANERO

By Lillian Cumic

1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight

1-1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons tapioca powder

1 tablespoon 100% cocoa powder

1/3 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kappa carrageenan (see note)

Chopped almonds, for garnish

2 pinches habanero or chili powder, for garnish

Place all ingredients, except almonds and habanero powder, into a blender and blend on high until creamy.

Transfer to a pan and cook on high, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cook another minute. Pour into 2 1-cup ramekins, then sprinkle with chopped almonds and a pinch of habanero or chili powder.

Chill 2 to 3 hours for soft, spreadable cheese or cheese dip. Makes 2 rounds of cheese. For a firm cheese, see note.

Nutritional information unavailable.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO & HERB CHEESE

By Lillian Cumic

• 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tapioca powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon miso
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kappa carrageenan (see note)
• 2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes bottled in olive oil, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs (or 1/4 teaspoon dried), such as basil, rosemary, thyme and parsley

Place all ingredients, except tomatoes and herbs, in a blender and blend on high until creamy.

Transfer to a pan and add tomatoes and herbs. Cook on high, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble, about 3 to 4 minutes, then cook another minute. Pour into 2 1-cup ramekins.

Chill in fridge for 2 to 3 hours for soft, spreadable cheese or cheese dip. Makes 2 rounds of cheese. For a firm cheese, see note.

>> NOTE: To turn any of these three recipes into a firm cheese, chilled cheese rounds may be dried in a dehydrator. Or, to use an oven, remove cheese from ramekins and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 90 minutes at 170 degrees; turn over and bake another 90 minutes.

For the Choco Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Cheese, turn off oven and let cheese sit and cool gradually, about 1 hour, before removing from oven.

The Silky Vegan Cheese Sauce will make a firm cheese resembling brie in flavor. To mimic brie’s cracked effect and texture, dust rounds with tapioca flour before baking. Remove from oven immediately after baking. Surface will crack and tapioca will give exterior a crusty texture.

>> INGREDIENT NOTE: Kapa carrageenan is available online. Be sure to select a high-quality food-grade carrageenan, such as the one by Kitchen Alchemy brand, which is certified Kosher.

Nutritional information unavailable.

MUSHROOM SOUP

By Lillian Cumic

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 15 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon konbu dashi powder
• 4-1/4 cups water
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 2 cups Silky Vegan Cheese Sauce (see recipe above)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, or herb of choice
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon shoyu

Saute onion in butter and olive oil. Add mushrooms and saute. Add garlic, mixed herbs and chili powder if using, stirring with each addition to incorporate. Add potatoes and konbu dashi. Stir, then add water, cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.

Add liquid smoke if using and cheese sauce; simmer 5 minutes. For creamier soup, pulse with hand mixer.

Add chives, nutritional yeast, pepper and shoyu. Stir and serve. Serves 6 to 8.

Approximate nutritional information (based on 6 servings): 170 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 6 g protein.

CHEESY VEGAN NACHO SAUCE

By Lillian Cumic

• 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon miso
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until creamy.

Transfer to a pan and cook on high, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cook another minute. Pour over tortilla chips and top with favorite items for a nacho plate. Makes 2 cups sauce.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Visit lillianvegan.com for information on the latest classes scheduled. Go to Cumic’s YouTube page, Lillian Vegan, where she demonstrates a number of her recipes. Also visit her Facebook page, Lillian Vegan, for more content.