Rosemary Honey Macadamia Cheese with Figs and a Balsamic Reduction
When fresh figs make an appearance at the market, my heart skips a beat. I love everything about them. Their beautiful shape and the deep colors remind me of a renaissance painting. The soft, pink fruit is delicately sweet. The texture starts with firm flesh that yields to the juicy interior intermingled with crunchy seeds. Truly a chef’s dream, their flavor really shines when paired with other ingredients that they in turn enhance.
Figs are high in potassium which protects your heart and high in fiber. They help protect your eyes from macular degeneration and protect your bones with a healthy serving of calcium. They are not just beautiful, they are smart, too!
This raw food recipe has it all. A rosemary honey macadamia cheese (no dehydrator needed) spiked with shallots is topped with a balsamic reduction that is easily done in the dehydrator. Rosemary almond pepper crackers provide the base for the cheese and the star … figs.
By combining and layering the flavors, you get a delicious, gourmet treat that takes surprisingly little time to prepare! A little advanced planning and you have a delightful treat for even the fussiest foodies. An alternative way to serve would be to slice the figs and top with the “cheese”. Don’t be intimidated by the directions. Actual time that you are touching food is very small. Read through the directions first and you will see!
Look for the cracker recipe on Wednesday!
Rosemary Honey Macadamia Cheese with Figs and a Balsamic Reduction
Rosemary Honey Macadamia Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked overnight
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 large probiotic capsules (or one teaspoon probiotic powder)
- 1/2 lemon, juice from
- 2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped fine and divided in half
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons honey (not vegan….you can substitute agave nectar)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Himalayan salt and cracked pepper to taste
- Place soaked macadamia nuts and water in high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Stir in probiotic powder and lemon juice.
- Line sieve with cheesecloth. Pour in nut mixture, fold cheesecloth over the top and set on a plate.
- Leave out to culture for 24 hours.
- Transfer to bowl and stir in half the rosemary, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. Remove 1/2 cup and set the rest aside.
- To the 1/2 cup, stir in the remaining rosemary, honey and shallot. Mix well.
- In a 3 1/2-inch baker’s ring, layer 2/3 of the main mixture, the shallot mixture, then the remaining 1/3 of the main mixture. I use this ring: HIC Stainless Steel Food Ring, 3-1/2-Inch
Place in refrigerator to set for a few hours.
Balsamic Reduction
- 1 cup good quality, aged raw balsamic vinegar (most balsamic is not raw…check your sources)
- 1 tablespoon honey (not vegan, you can substitute agave nectar)
- Place one cup of the balsamic vinegar in a shallow glass dish in the dehydrator. Dehydrate at 115 degrees overnight or until reduced to 1/3 cup.
- Stir in honey.
Assembly
- Fresh Figs, quartered
- “Cheese”
- Rosemary Almond Crackers (recipe will be posted later this week)
- Balsamic Reduction
- Spread “cheese” on crackers, top with fig and a drizzle of Balsamic Reduction.
Angela wrote on July 24, 2012
This looks amazing- Are the probiotics essential to making the nut cheese, or can it be omitted?
Susan wrote on July 24, 2012
They are not essential but give the “cheese” a distinct tart flavor. If you don’t use them, I would put it in the refrigerator for setting up and draining. Cheers!
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy wrote on July 24, 2012
oh my gosh that looks SERIOUSLY delicious! yUMMM!
Eileen wrote on July 24, 2012
Wow–this sounds amazing! I’ve made some raw nut cheeses before, but haven’t ever actually cultured them. Super intrigued to try it out! (And of course beautiful fresh figs never hurt anything.)
Kasandra Bracken wrote on July 24, 2012
Wow… this looks incredibly BEAUTIFUL. Rich and velvety. Smooth and silky. Food porn, but the kind you don’t feel bad about! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Alyssa wrote on July 24, 2012
Absolutely gorgeous!
Susan wrote on July 23, 2012
Bariani makes one. Cheers!
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal wrote on July 23, 2012
Wow the images are simply stunning! Great creation, my dear.
sheryl wrote on July 23, 2012
Looks super yummy! The first day of figs is always a big deal at my house, too. What brand of raw balsamic vinegar did you find?
this is lemonade wrote on July 23, 2012
oh.wow.
That cheese round looks amazing. I think I need to pin it so I can ogle it again 😉
Looking forward to the cracker recipe – they look delicious too!