NOvolone Cheese- my BEST AIP cheese!!!
Updated: Apr 8, 2019
I'm so over using agar and gelatin in AIP cheese (They give me digestive issues!)
I'm also not a fan of tapioca starch, cassava flour and arrowroot starch- more belly aches and not exactly nutritional superstars.
That's why I'm SO SO SO excited about my latest cheese creation and why I am not experimenting any more on cheese. I have found the ONE! I am MARRYING this AIP cheese recipe for life!!!💕💕💕
Marrow will give the cheese a delicious savory umami flavor that will make you forget this is dairy-free!
Bacon fat will give it a yummy bacon flavor. Choose either one, it's a win-win either way!
Don't have bacon fat or marrow? This cheese can also be made with duck fat, lard or tallow.
In a pinch, you could even use (refined!) coconut oil, although it won't be as flavorful. You can add in herbs or a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast to make up for that.
I like it best made with marrow!!
FOR MARROW CHEESE:
Start with 2-3 lbs of marrow bones. You can buy grass-fed marrow bones online HERE!
Roast them on a rack in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Let cool enough to handle and scoop out the marrow.
Set aside 1/4 cup (60g) of the cooked marrow for this recipe and freeze any leftover marrow for future cheese recipes. Other uses for the leftover marrow: throw some into a soup, mix some into your burger meat or mix into mashed root vegetables, salad dressing or dip.
Other ingredients:
200g cooked (boiled or pressure cooked for 30 min) chopped green plantain. This is about 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups.
1 T FRESH lemon juice (bottled lemon juice just isn't the same- at all!)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder (opt.)
Directions:
Blend marrow, plantain, lemon juice, and salt (and onion powder if using) in a high speed blender using a tamper to pack down until mixture is hot and melty and the blades are spinning consistently. (You'll see what I mean in the video tutorial)
This could take 5+ minutes, don't give up, the end result is worth it!! 🙂
NOTE ON BLENDING!: If you are using a Vitamix or high speed blender, this works best if you use plantain that was cooked the day before and cooled overnight. If you use freshly cooked plantain in the Vitamix it gets a solid gummy consistency that can overwork your blender and make it shut off. I do not understand the physics behind this phenomenon, lol, but trust me on that!
If you want to use fresh cooked plantain, use a food processor with the metal S blade to blend everything. A dough blade might work even better, but I didn't have one to experiment with.
Pour the mix onto parchment paper (You could pour it into a well-greased bowl as well. I tried using a mason jar once, it stuck SO much to the sides! A greased wide bowl would be better, parchment is ideal.)
Bunch up the sides of the parchment to form a ball and refrigerate 10-14 hours. (No less than 10 hours or it will not be fully hardened and shreddable! If you just want to slice it then 6-8 hours will be enough.)
For BACON CHEESE :
Use 2T bacon fat + 2T oil in place of the 1/4 c marrow. (You can use all 4T bacon fat if you want extra extra bacon flavor.) Buy AIP compliant bacon HERE!
OTHER ADD-INS:
(Mix in after blending!)
Chives-2-4 T per recipe
100% freeze-dried wasabi powder- 2 T per recipe
Fresh herbs
Crumbled bacon bits (might affect shredability)
Sliced olives
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Use it anywhere you would use CHEESE!
I love it mixed with hot cooked seasoned ground beef and cold shredded romaine- taco bowl!
I toss it into soups and stews, it gets a melty feel just like real cheese!
Melted onto a burger, of course!
Mixed with shredded hot cooked plantain = cheesy rice!!! (Pictured below)
This cheese will keep in the fridge for about 5 days.
You should probably double this recipe, it's delicious and you can freeze any extra- it freezes and thaws perfectly!
Making a double batch will also make it easier to blend- it'll be easier to hit with the tamper!
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As seen on Phoenix Helix's Recipe Roundtable #261