‘Food can be expressive and therefore food can be art’ – Grant Achatz
I love new combinations and new techniques, it’s like getting new colored crayons as a child, it gives you the sense of endless possibilities. Matthew Kenney’s cook books are art and food; everything is extraordinary in its presentation and I am constantly finding new inventive techniques to try.
This recipe is great without smoking it, as the paprika does a grand job. I just wanted to play with my new toy, which I got as a gift, with the suggestion of smoking my vegan cheese.
In reality everyone knows how much I love smoked items as I have used smoked maple syrup, smoked honey, smoked salt in many dishes. I also have smoked gin, almonds and a variety of other foods and love using liquid smoke to make vegan ‘bacon’. Mr. B marvels at how I am a vegetarian at all with my love of this wonderful aroma, to which I note that it is only the association in his mind that links it to meat, in mine it is linked to anywhere my imagination and the ingredients can take me!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- ½ cup water
Method
- Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. It will taste smoky due to the smoked paprika. If you don’t have a smoking gun, the dish is ready to serve!
- If you have a smoking gun, smoke the mixture using apple wood. Place in a bowl with the smoking tube inside (be careful not to touch the mixture) and let the smoke sit in the bowl, covered in cling film for 10 minutes.
- I spread this, like hummus, onto a cracker and added some micro greens and watermelon radish for some extra nutrients and a pop of colour
