The Artisan Vegan Cheese Book Review

Cheesecake , tacos and cheese,  pizza with cheese topping – these are all favourites around the world. Switching to a vegan diet might seem like giving up on all these delicacies. Not anymore, thanks to Miyoko Schinner’s new book, ‘Artisan Vegan Cheese’.
The author’s interest in cheese-making started about three years ago, after sampling lots of nut cheeses that did not taste ‘quite right’, not mentioning the fact that they didn’t melt.  This book covers everything  from cheddar cheese to cheese sauces. There are beautiful pictures in the book displaying different kinds of cheeses, as well as meal ideas to make with these cheeses, which are simple, yet scrumptious. There are over 20 different types of cheeses sub-divided into three categories, i.e. air dried, meltable and almost-instant cheeses.
There are many tools and ingredients that you will need to make perfect cheese. Cheese takes time to mature and, in order to get it right, you have to be very patient. Making it can range from a few hours to 24 hours, or even longer depending on the type of cheese and the taste that you want from that specific cheese. The recipe instructions are clear-cut and easy to follow, although some of the recipes do have rare-to-find ingredients, but those are very few in comparison to the simple changes that are dispersed in this book such as macadamia, ricotta and cashew cream cheese. Creamy sauces, milks and fresh creams are also dealt with in the other dairy alternatives.
The author also gives a variety of cheese-filled recipes to try out – these range from salads, croquettes, macaroni and cheese, calzones and tiramisu.
My knowledge of the extent of a vegan diet was very limited until I came across this book and became very curious to try out vegan alternatives.
I was a little wary at first as I absolutely love cheese and all food with cheese. ‘Artisan Vegan Cheese’ is the solution to anyone who wants to have their cheesecake and eat it too…..literally.

About the Author

Miyoko Schinner was born in Yokohoma and moved to the USA at the age of seven. She has been a vegetarian since the age of twelve and has been experimenting in the kitchen since then with meatless recipes. Her first job was in college as a caterer with a friend. In her twenties she returned to Japan where she learnt a lot more about raw food and preparing preservative-free culinary. Her first book was published in 1991 in the USA and kick-started her career, shaping her into the chef and writer that she has become.