This recipe was taught at our Raw Chef 2 and 3 Weekend March 2012. Such a huge hit with the students. This is an elegant raw food — and not too difficult to create.
Macadamia Pesto Cheese:
2 cups macadamias, soaked 4 hours
1 cup water
1 teaspoon probiotics
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Place mixture in cheesecloth and place a weight on top. The weight should not be so heavy it pushes the cheese through the cloth but heavy enough to gently start to press the liquid out. Leave to culture at room temperature for 48 hours. Once culturing is complete stir or process in the following ingredients by hand or w/ food processor:
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Use a ring mould to build a layer of cheese inside it. On top of that layer place a layer of pesto. Top it off with another layer of cheese. Remove the ring mould and place it in the refrigerator to firm up.
Pesto: 3/4 cup tightly-packed basil leaves. 1/4 cup pine nuts. 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. 1/2 tespoon sea salt. 1/2 clove garlic. Pinch of freshly ground pepper. 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast. 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.
Grind all ingredients in a food processor, leaving some chunkiness.