Concept Cooking: Coconut cream “cheese” or something

For health reasons right now I can’t eat dairy products from cows, and I have no source of goat milk, and I WANT CHEESE!!
Before I start this: did I end up with CHEESE? No, but I ended up with something yummy if you can’t have cheese. Better than zero. Better than I expected. Kinda cream cheese, or sour cream, or farmer cheese or something. If you have the option of real cheese, you probably don’t care about this. If you don’t have that option, this might be worth trying.

I found this recipe online:
https://www.dailyforage-glutenfree.com/2014/09/homemade-dairy-free-coconut-milk-cream-cheese.html

Coconut cream cheese

  1 can coconut milk (not low fat), very well chilled - I use Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
   1-3 capsules non-dairy probiotic - powder only
   OR
   1 1/4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
   pinch of kosher salt

Directions

   Carefully remove the chilled can of coconut milk from the refrigerator, using care not to tip or shake the can. You want to keep the solid milk separate from the coconut water.
   Open the can and, using a knife, trim around the edges of the can to loosen the solid milk. Slide the milk out without tipping the can. Place the solid milk into a bowl. Reserve the coconut water for smoothies or shakes, if desired.
   Add the probiotic powder OR the lemon juice and salt to the coconut milk. Stir well to combine.
   Place coconut milk mixture into a nut bag nestled inside a coffee-filter-lined strainer over a bowl. Cover with a coffee filter, if desired.
   Place in a cool, dark place, such as the microwave or oven. Let sit for 24-36 hours to drip off the excess liquid and become cultured. Taste after 24 hours to check the tang level. The longer it sits, the more the tang will develop. Don't go past 36 hours.
   Transfer the creamy, semi-firm mixture to a container with a lid. If you wish to flavor your cream cheese, this is when you stir in your "add-ins". Cover bowl and store in fridge for at least 6 hours to allow cream cheese to solidify and chill.
   Ready to serve when firm.

And I said hmmm.... and got weird, I’m like that! Tried a batch, learned some stuff, and then my mom was at the scratch and dent store we like and brought home six #10 cans of Roland brand Coconut milk at $4.00 each! Whoo!!

So this is what I did for my latest batch:
Stuck a #10 can of coconut milk outside on a cold day and chilled it, opened it and scooped off the solid cream on top. That can was HALF cream! I didn’t expect that, most of the cheap stuff we buy is around 1/4 - 1/3 cream. The rest of the milk got used for other recipes.

I added a GOOD probiotic pill (just the powder,) a slosh of lime juice, a spoonful of turmeric powder, a good splash of a good mushroom soy sauce, stirred it all well, covered the bowl, and let it sit. Stirred it a couple times a day for three days or so, tasting it, when it got good and sour I was ready to drain it.

Put it into colander lined with cheesecloth, once it had dried out a bit, weighted it down, and let it press for a day or so. Then I was ready to put it into 4 smaller dishes that can go in the fridge (yogurt containers with lids.) Added flavors to each dish:
1: celery seed, basil, tarragon, green onion (actually onion grass from the yard at the rental) salt
2: onion soup mix (mom made sour cream onion soup dip! I want some....)
3: porcini mushroom powder, turmeric, kala jeera (adds a smoky cumin flavor,) red chile, salt
4: garlic powder, onion powder, salt

The spoon lickings were all yummy, I will let them sit a few days in the fridge before I start eating them. I think #3 is going to be the best.

Weirdness and the scratch and dent store for the win!!

Pearl, We are vegetarians trying to go vegan and having the same problem with giving up dairy that you are apparently having. I found this really incredible book called The Non-dairy Evolution Cookbook by Skye Michael Conroy The Gentle Chef that has some fantastic non-dairy alternatives in it. Here is the Table of Contents so you can see what's in there. It's a bit pricey at $25 for an ebook, but well worth it for the incredible variety of recipes (which include eggless recipes and egg substitutes too). Some of the "cheeses" aren't all that convincing, but some are -- you just have to experiment. The non-dairy creamer is incredible! And there are lots of recipes for butter and cream that you really can't beat.

Table of Contents
An Introduction 1
The Non-Dairy Glossary 2
Non-Dairy Milks 12
Soymilk 12
Quick Buttermilk 13
Whole Soymilk and Chocolate Soymilk 14
Raw Cashew Milk 15
Chocolate Cashew Milk and Hot Chocolate 16
Almond Milk 17
Rice Milk 18
Horchata 18
Non-Dairy Creams 19
Crēme 19
Quick Crème Fraîche 20
Sweetened Coffee Creamer #1 21
Cashew Cream 22
Sweetened Coffee Creamer #2 23
Chai Thai Iced Tea 24
Heavy Whipping Crēme 25
Organic Powdered Sugar 26
Whipped Coconut Cream 27
Non-Dairy Butter
28
Better Butter 28
Seasoned Butter 29
Cultured Non-Dairy Butter, Buttermilk and Creams
30
Rejuvelac 31
Vital Butter 33
Cultured Raw Buttermilk 34
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and Dip 35
Chilled Cucumber Buttermilk Soup 36Cultured Sour Cream 37
Cultured Crème Fraîche 38
Greek-Style Yogurt 38
Greek Tzatziki 40
Indian Raita 41
Mango Lassi 41
An Introduction to Non-Dairy Cheeses
42
Cultured Cashew-Based Cheeses 44
Cream Cheese 45
Chèvre 46
Peppercorn Chèvre 47
Chèvre with Fines Herbes 47
Chèvre with Mulled Wine Swirl 48
Chèvre with Rosemary Balsamic Swirl 49
White Cheddar Amandine 50
Extra-Sharp White Cheddar 52
Bleu Cheese 53
Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing 54
Iceberg Wedge Salad with Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing 55
Block and Wheel Cheeses 56
An Introduction 56
Preparation and Cooking Technique 59
Troubleshooting Tips 61
Mozzarella Fior di Latte 62
Saganaki 63
Eggplant Rollatini 64
Mozzarella di Tuscano 65
Mozzarella di Campana 66
Mozzarella Fresco 67
Insalata Mozzarella Fresco 68
Pizza Margherita 69Provolone Affumicata (Smoked Provolone) 71
French Brie and Camembert 72
Brie (or Camembert) en Croûte with Caramelized Mushrooms and Onions 73
Pepper Jack 74
Dill Havarti 75
Suisse 76
Muenster 77
Smoked Gouda 78
Smoked Gouda, Spinach and Artichoke Dip 79
Golden Cheddar 80
Broccoli Cheddar Soup 81
Golden Stock 82
Americana 83
Potato Cheese Soup 84
Gloucester with Onions and Chives 85
Tofu-Based Cheeses 86
Sharp Tofu Cheddar 86
Mediterranean Herbed Feta 88
Chèvre Soja with Basil Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes 89
Basil Pesto 90
Gorgonzola 91
Gorgonzola, Pear and Candied Walnut Salad 92
Queso Fresco 94
Creamy Ricotta (with optional herbs) 95
Spinach Ricotta 96
Baked Manicotti 97
Chef’s Best Marinara Sauce 98
Cottage Cheese 99
Garlic Herb Gournay 100
Zesty Onion Dill Gournay 101Miscellaneous Cheeses 102
Hard Parmesan 102
Garlic Parmesan Crostini 103
Risotto Parmesan 104
Grated Parmesan 105
Italian Mascarpone 106
Cheese Sauces 107
Golden Cheddar Sauce 107
Classic Mac’ and Cheese 108
Scalloped Potatoes Gratin 109
Sauce Fromage Blanc 110
Potatoes Dauphinoise 111
Mornay Sauce 112
Queso Nacho Sauce 113
Queso Blanco Sauce 114
Salsa con Queso 115
Cheese Melts 116
Colby Melt 116
Twice-Baked Cheesy Broccoli Potatoes 117
Jarlsberg Melt 118
Käsespätzle (German Spätzle with Cheese and Onions) 119
Spätzle 120
Tangy Cheddar Melt 121
Classic Grilled Cheese 122
Cheesy Broccoli, Cauliflower and Rice Casserole 123
Gruyère Melt 124
Gruyère and Chive Mashed Potatoes with Peppered Walnuts 125
French Onion Soup 126
Brown Stock 127
Fondue 128Non-Dairy Seasoning Blends
129
Instant Cheddar Cheese Sauce Mix 129
Nacho Cheese No’ritos Seasoning 130
Cool Buttermilk Ranch No’ritos Seasoning 131
Eggless Egg Specialties
132
Sunrise Scramble 132
Sunrise Scramble Seasoning Blend 133
Sunnyside-Ups 134
No-Yolks Sauce 135
Over-Easys 136
No-No Huevos Rancheros 137
Eggless Eggs Mornay 139
Eggless Omelets 140
Eggless Frittata 142
Mushroom, Onion and Suisse Quiche 144
Bedeviled Eggless Eggs 146
Eggless Egg Salad 148
No-Eggy Mayo 150
Non-Dairy Sweet Treats
152
Italian Mascarpone Cheesecake 152
Graham Cracker or Cookie Crumb Pie Shell 153
Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake 154
Crème Caramel 156
Fresh Fruit Gelato 158
Vanilla Bean (or Chocolate) Gelato 158
Marshmallows 159
Appendix - U.S. to Metric Conversions 162
Recipe Index 163
Bonus Recipe – Home Churned Butter 168