Vegan Cheese Please

 As any vegan or even vegetarian home chef will tell you cooking without cheese can be daunting. It figures in almost every dish, from French onion soup to pizza. Then there's the charcuterie platter which demands a variety of cold cuts and cheeses. Luckily there are more and more vegan cheeses out there to fill this gap. Better still, they actually taste just like their dairy counterparts.

Regular contributor and California restaurant critic for the New York Times wrote about this in the Critic's Notebook section of today's New York Times Food section. Vegan cheese has undergone a vast transformation in the past decade. Cheese is always the hardest food to give up. There's something about the tanginess of cheddar or the creamy goodness of Brie.At one time those non dairy kinds could not hold a candle to them. However that's all changed. The newer generations of packaged cheese is now more convincing, thanks to being produced in roughly the same way as regular cheese is. They're made from cultured plant based milks that develop texture and flavor. Companies that are leading the way are the smaller, more artisan Blue Heron Creamery of Vancouver, the Herbivorous Butcher in Minneapolis and Vtopian Artisan Cheeses in Portland Oregon. There is also Philadelphia's Conscious Cultures Creamery and the famed nationally known Miyokos.

Conscious Cultures Creamery owner, Stephen Babaki has made Barn Cat , a Camenbert , inoculating the surface with various strains of Penicillium candidum which is typically used to ripen Camembert and Brie. it's then aged for two to three months. Some work , some cheeses take more time to perfect. Miyoko Schinner, who first published  the how to Artisan Vegan Cheese, created her early ones with homemade Rejuvelc - sprouted fermented grains filled with probiotics and lactic acids. She researched her book by taking cheese making classes and studied the ways traditional cheeses were made. She experimented in her San Anselmo California  kitchen , giving her kids samples. She then opened up an alternative dairy business, Miyoko's Creamery that's sold all around the country. she is not without competition but she is a pioneer in the industry. A decade ago she couldn't even get what she called "culture houses" companies that sold cultures to take her seriously. Now there are vegan cheese makers everywhere.Aaron Bullock and Ian Martin started Misha Foods, in part to help African Americans eat healthier. They made alternative cream cheese from cashew milk, one of the most popular milks used by vegan cheesemakers. Denise Vallego makes vegan Mexican cheeses, in part from being inspired by Ms. Schinner. Then there is Kristen Maitland and Frank Zwar of Rebel Cheeses in Austen Texas  who recreate all sorts of cheeses and came up with a Cheddar Brie hybrid.

Now vegans can rejoice because there are actual cheeses for them. They can indulge with Brie smeared on crackers or a grilled cheese. It's time to celebrate again with a big wedge of cheesy goodness.

Creamery Goodness

Nothing beats a very good dairy product. I recently got to experience two of them,Devonshire clotted cream and farm fresh churned butter. Both are amazing and truly the definition of sinfully delicious. They can be hard to come by here in the States but they are oh so good and worth the hunt.

I wrote about clotted cream and how to make it last week. Luckily I was able to find Devonshire clotted cream on the web and ordered it. To me this is the best, especially with the jam (surprisingly the French Bon Maman) that came with it. The Devonshire type is a thicker , more buttery spread perfect for any type of bread , but ideal  on scones. It's the best ingredient for having a traditional cream tea . You could also serve it alongside holiday pies and pudding,s although the best way is still with jam and  fresh baked scones (or English muffins).I  would recommend making it at home butclotted cream  can be a bit labor intensive. You can order it from The English Tea Store, Jolly Grub, or British Food Depot.

Another treat I  got to savor was farm fresh churned sweet butter. I was lucky to score it at a local farmer's market, rare now, especially since many outdoor markets are closing for the season.Again, there is nothing like this.Of course it's great for a a vegetable saute or melted and oozy in a baked potato, however it's best again on toast  or any slice of bread.It's more cream than butter and doesn't  have that waxy aftertaste that some commercially made butters possess . Some grocery stores do sell it , such as Stop & Shop and A&P in the States. However if you live near any dairy farm or creamery, then you  have the chance to buy it.

Dairy products, especially rich ones are considered taboo  yet that ban can be waived when it comes to Devonshire clotted cream and fresh churned butter. Both are just amazing, with silky tastes and textures. If you;re going to indulge, these are the treats for you. They are just truly  perfect , especially with jam and bread.