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“Buffalo” Mozzarella

Yields1 Serving

Buffalo mozzarella is referred to as an old world Italian delicacy, made from the milk of the Italian water buffalo that have been roaming the hills around Naples for a thousand years.

For Day 1
 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for several hours in water
 ½ cup water
 2 probiotic capsules
 ¼ teaspoon plus a nice pinch of fine salt
 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (often found in the baking isle of healthy grocery stores)
For Day 2
 2 teaspoons agar powder (order online)
 ⅔ cup water
1

Begin this 1 to 2 days prior to the day you want to eat the cheese. Drain cashews and rinse. Place nuts in a blender with 1/2 cup water and salt. Empty the probiotic capsules into the blender. Blend, stopping to push down and scrape as necessary, until absolutely creamy and smooth. Add water by the teaspoon, if necessary. Add xanthan gum and blend again until it thickens. Empty contents of blender into a bowl and cover. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Letting it sit out allows it to ferment and develop a mild tanginess.

After fermenting, empty the contents of the bowl back into the blender. Dissolve the agar powder in the 2/3 cup water in a small pot. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer, stirring with a whisk, for several minutes until completely dissolved. Pour the agar into the blender and blend until completely incorporated. To achieve a “stretchier” consistency, add an additional ¼ to ½ tsp. xanthan gum.

To form the balls, have a large bowl filled ice water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Immediately after blending, use the desired sized ice cream scoop to scoop out portions of the mixture and drop into the water. They will firm up almost immediately. Serve or store in a container filled with water and a teaspoon of salt. If I keep these for more than a couple of days, I change out the water to keep them fresh.