Easy Cashew Cooking Cream

Forgot something...?

Ever found yourself in the middle of making a recipe, only to find out you're missing an ingredient? Yeah, this happens to me more often than I'd like to admit. Though if a dish (Creamy Mushroom Soup in my case) calls for a cream and the nearest supermarket is a 15 minute drive away, you tend to get creative with what you have.

I switched to a plant-based diet before the market offered as many vegan products as it does these day. So one was left with tofu, soy milk and one's own creativity. I must say it ended up being the thing that got me into cooking-from-scratch in the first place. There's something fun and rewarding about cooking with what you have. I did blow up a couple of kitchen applications though... Apparently, not all blenders can handle big batches of high-fiber, dense ingredients.

Let me assure you there, you shouldn't run into any of such complications when making this cream. When soaking cashews, they become a lot softer and easier to blend, especially because you'll be adding enough water for your blender to take it.

Cashew Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews

• 1 cup hot water

• 1 tbsp neutral oil (optional, adds richness)

• 1/2 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste)

• 1–2 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (optional)
  NOTE: Cashew are naturally a little sweet, so I find adding just a little acid balances the flavours better for savoury cooking

Method:

1. Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water for about 15-20 minutes. This softens them up enough to be blended.

2. Next, throw the cashew, plus soaking water in a blender cup. This cashew-to-water ratio is a good place to start. You can always add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency for the cream.

3. Toss in the sea salt, along with the oil and lemon juice/vinegar, if you’re using these.

4. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. You can give the cream a taste after a minute of blending and see if it needs any adjustments to your liking (salt, water, acid, whatever you prefer).

You can add the cream directly to your dish that calls for cream. It makes a great pasta base too. Do keep in mind that the cream will thicken up a little when heated with the rest of your dish. If that's what you're after, awesome! Otherwise, I'd recommend to add the cream at the latest possible stage.

This cream will keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, though I find the flavours change a little bit after 3, especially if you used apple cider vinegar (with the mother), which causes the cream to ferment a little. It sure makes for a richer complexity in flavours, almost cream cheese-like.

Next time you need a quick creamer, you know what to do. I am happy you are here :)