Bryanna Clark Grogan is a favorite visitor to Everyday Dish TV. You can visit her at Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/21st Century Table.
VEGAN BOURSIN-STYLE SPREAD
This creamy vegan cheese spread is absolutely addictive! My #3 son-in-law, once brought some Boursin® Cheese spread to our house on a visit. He wondered if it was possible to make a vegan version that tasted as rich and delicious as this favorite of his. Always eager to prove that “it can be done” (especially to George, who good-naturedly teases me about being vegan), I went to work in the kitchen and developed this recipe. George loved my vegan spread and he is definitely not a vegetarian, never mind a vegan! He actually said and I quote his exact words: “I would eat this every day!” The bonus: 1 tablespoon contains 43 calories, slightly less than 4 g fat (1 g saturated), no cholesterol and 100 mg less sodium than the “real thing” (and only slightly less protein). In comparison, 1 tablespoon of the plain Boursin® Cheese spread contains 120 calories, 13 g of fat (8 g saturated) and 35 mg cholesterol.
- Yield: 2 Cups 1x
- Category: Soft Cheese Spread
- Cuisine: French/North American Fusion
Ingredients
- 1 (12.3-ounce) box extra-firm silken tofu, drained and crumbled
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons raw cashews or cashew pieces, ground very fine in a clean, dry coffee/spice mill or mini-chopper
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon miso (a light variety)
- Basic Flavoring:
- 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
- Alternative Flavorings:
- #1) Omit herbs and garlic and use more pepper
- #2) Use shallots instead of garlic
- #3) To the Basic Flavoring, add 1 teaspoon dried basil or dill weed (or other favorite herb) or use 1 tablespoon of the chopped fresh herb
- #4) To the Basic Flavoring, add 2 tablespoons chopped roasted red pepper or sundried tomato
- #5) Make a sweet version with chopped nuts and dried fruit (Omit the Basic Flavoring, of course!). A holiday version of this might use chopped apple and dried cranberries, perhaps chopped toasted pecans and a pinch of cinnamon. Use no more than 1/4 cup of the chopped mixture, in total.
Instructions
- Before you do anything else, prepare the tofu – this is an important step! Transfer the crumbled tofu in a clean kitchen towel or piece of cotton sheeting, gather the ends up and twist, knead and squeeze for a couple of minutes to extract as much of the water from the tofu as is possible.
- Process the squeezed tofu and the rest of the Basic Spread Mixture ingredients in a food processor at high speed for several minutes. Be patient– it has to be very, very smooth. You may have to stop the machine a couple of times and scrape the sides and push the ingredients that have accumulated under the blade towards the middle.
Notes
© Bryanna Clark Grogan; from “World Vegan Feast”, Vegan Heritage Press, 2011
This is Amazing!!!!!!! If I could give it 10 stars – I would!!! I added garlic, chives, dill, black pepper and crushed red pepper. My husband (who never likes vegan cheeses) loved this and kept going back for more. He said it tasted just like the Boursin you buy at the store. YUM!!!
★★★★★