How to throw a dairy-free vegan cheese party (with cheese you'll actually like)

I’ve had dalliances with veganism in my late teens, but it never lasted. Giving up meat is not a big deal to me – tofu, beans and peanut butter are three of my favorite protein-rich foods. But I can never seem to part with cheese.

Whether a super-rich triple crème spread on a slice of warm baguette or a wedge of English cheddar eaten with crisp green apple slices, I will take cheese in just about any form. Until recently, I hadn’t considered that it could also be dairy-free.

I had been hearing about California-made nut cheese from producer Miyoko’s Kitchen for the past year, but had been a little shy about trying it. I’d tasted vegan cheeses in the past (mostly rice and soy based), and to call them “cheese” was, in my opinion, a huge insult to the real cheeses of the world.

But the word on the street was that Miyoko’s was different. Crafted using the same old-world, ageing and fermenting processes as dairy-based artisanal cheeses, they were said to be legitimately creamy, rich and complex.

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I headed to my local organic store, and made a beeline for the refrigerated soy milk and fake meat section.

“Can I help you?” asked the store employee restocking a refrigerator case next to me.

“Yes, I’m looking for Miyoko’s vegan cheese? I can’t seem to find it.”

“That’s because it’s over in the cheese section. It’s nondairy, but it’s really, really good. And honestly, it’s real cheese.”

I marched to the other side of the store. “I’m looking for Miyoko’s Kitchen cheese. I heard it’s over here?”

“Oh, it’s really good,” said the cheese monger. “I eat dairy cheese all the time, but I crave this stuff.” Had the entire store drunk the vegan cheese Kool-Aid?

She gave me flavor recommendations (classic double cream chive, double cream sundried tomato garlic and aged English smoked farmhouse), which I plopped into my shopping basket, along with a bottle of wine, some crackers and fresh fruit.

I paid $9.99 for each 6.5-ounce cheese, and was on my way.

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I invited three of the biggest cheese lovers in my life to taste my new purchases: Jill, whose refrigerator is never without at least three types of cheese; Johnny, who is fond of saying he likes his cheese with a side of cheese; and my fiancé, Evan, who is from Wisconsin (enough said).

I poured the wine, set out some fresh raspberries and Black Mission figs, and waited for my guests to arrive.

When everyone had settled in, we tasted the cheeses one by one, starting with the classic double cream chive, which seemed like the most innocuous.

“You know,” said Johnny, chewing on his first bite. “It’s much better than I expected. It’s got an impressive tang, like real cheese.”

Jill was into it, too. “I’d eat this again, for sure. It’s hard to tell it’s not made from dairy.”

Evan liked this one too, as did I. The cheese is made from cashews, which are naturally very creamy, and, while it tastes nothing like cashews, the texture of the nut comes through. It’s a little bit fluffy, like fresh ricotta, but rich enough to stand up to a crusty baguette and the chive flavor is subtle but nice. I tried it in an omelet later that week and found it to melt slightly and pleasantly.

Next up was the sundried tomato. Johnny wasn’t such a fan, but Jill and Evan were.

“This would be great with pasta,” Evan said. “Or maybe spread on the base of a pizza.”

These would both be great applications for the red-flecked soft cashew cheese. I plan to fold what we have left over into cooked ziti before baking, for a vegan version of the classic dish.

We all agreed that the smoked English farmhouse, despite having a weird, dense texture similar to baked tofu, was very good.

Certainly, it could be crumbled or shredded and used to top tacos or salads, but I think its smoky flavor is perhaps best enjoyed straight, perhaps with a sweet fruit or a spoonful of preserves to balance it.

Will I forsake all regular dairy cheese in favor of this animal-free version? Certainly not. But I will definitely start including Miyoko’s along with my other favorite cheeses when I entertain, for two reasons: one, because it will be fun to get even my most carnivorous friends excited about a vegan product, and two, because it truly does qualify as very good cheese.