Cheddar Crock Cheese
As sometimes happens with me, thrifting determines my next recipe. Last week, I was dropping some things off at our local thrift store and my husband happened to be with me. Usually he is the one I have to convince to go into the thrift store but this time, he was looking for some jeans so he was the driver behind my little expedition. Not only did he find his perfect jeans, I found an awesome Halloween shirt and these cool little vintage stoneware containers. They have these metal clasps that lock the lids into place. Intriguing.
I had to put a picture into my search bar and it turned out that these are pottery storage containers used in the olden days for cold packing cheese odds and ends, ultimately ending up with something called crock cheese. There’s a whole conversation on Reddit based around an old recipe called “Bottomless Cheese Crock,” and the best I can muster is in 1975, people would just add cheese and a few other ingredients, like brandy, into these crocks, let ‘em sit around for a few days, then scoop out and keep adding to it indefinitely. What was a little salmonella at a time when people were smoking on airplanes?
While I am most definitely not in pursuit of food poisoning, I thought it would be cool to create a zippy, tangy spreadable cheddar-like crock cheese just so I could use these nifty containers. I decided to go old school with this recipe and dive back into silken tofu instead of cashews because why not. This has a lot of ingredients but it is still simple and thrifty to make. It is perfect for parties and you definitely do not need one of these crocks.
1 cup russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
⅔ cup carrots, peeled and sliced
Steam these together until tender. I put the potatoes and carrots with 2 cups of water in the InstantPot for seven minutes on high and quick-released.
10.9-ounces firm silken tofu
¼ - ⅓ cup roasted red bell pepper
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder mixed with 2 tablespoons water in a cup
2 acidophilus capsules
In a blender, add the silken tofu, steamed potatoes and carrots, roasted bell pepper, miso and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients except the arrowroot powder. Blend again until smooth. Transfer this into a medium pan and heat over a low flame. Add the arrowroot slurry, stirring until thickened, then add the acidophilus powder, removing it from the capsules. Stir over a low flame until everything is integrated.
Move into the air-tight container of your choice, allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. It is delicious on bread, crackers, soft pretzels: You name it.
As sometimes happens with me, thrifting determines my next recipe. Last week, I was dropping some things off at our local thrift store and my husband happened to be with me. Usually he is the one I have to convince to go into the thrift store but this time, he was looking for some jeans so he was the driver behind my little expedition. Not only did he find his perfect jeans, I found an awesome Halloween shirt and these cool little vintage stoneware containers. They have these metal clasps that lock the lids into place. Intriguing.
I had to put a picture into my search bar and it turned out that these are pottery storage containers used in the olden days for cold packing cheese odds and ends, ultimately ending up with something called crock cheese. There’s a whole conversation on Reddit based around an old recipe called “Bottomless Cheese Crock,” and the best I can muster is in 1975, people would just add cheese and a few other ingredients, like brandy, into these crocks, let ‘em sit around for a few days, then scoop out and keep adding to it indefinitely. What was a little salmonella at a time when people were smoking on airplanes?
While I am most definitely not in pursuit of food poisoning, I thought it would be cool to create a zippy, tangy spreadable cheddar-like crock cheese just so I could use these nifty containers. I decided to go old school with this recipe and dive back into silken tofu instead of cashews because why not. This has a lot of ingredients but it is still simple and thrifty to make. It is perfect for parties and you definitely do not need one of these crocks.
1 cup russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
⅔ cup carrots, peeled and sliced
Steam these together until tender. I put the potatoes and carrots with 2 cups of water in the InstantPot for seven minutes on high and quick-released.
10.9-ounces firm silken tofu
¼ - ⅓ cup roasted red bell pepper
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder mixed with 2 tablespoons water in a cup
2 acidophilus capsules
In a blender, add the silken tofu, steamed potatoes and carrots, roasted bell pepper, miso and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients except the arrowroot powder. Blend again until smooth. Transfer this into a medium pan and heat over a low flame. Add the arrowroot slurry, stirring until thickened, then add the acidophilus powder, removing it from the capsules. Stir over a low flame until everything is integrated.
Move into the air-tight container of your choice, allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. It is delicious on bread, crackers, soft pretzels: You name it.
Vegan, Recipe, Dairy Free, Cheese, Cheddar, Crock, Savory, Umami, Condiment