We call this Cheddar tofu because of the texture. Imagine soft tofu, silky against your tongue, infused with a rich Cheddar flavor. It’s pretty awesome stuff. You can use it in exactly the same way that you would real tofu. It happily sits center stage as the main component in a salad or soup, or it can be diced and incorporated into a dish much like gnocchi or small dumplings. We use both the high- and low-acyl gellans at a ratio of 0.2 percent of the weight of the other ingredients. The gellan makes it relatively heat stable, and it holds its shape beautifully when cut or molded.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 1/3 pounds

　　500 grams whole milk

　　250 grams aged Cheddar cheese

　　260 grams firm tofu

　　1.5 grams fine sea salt

　　1.3 grams high-acyl gellan (0.2%) (see Sources, page 309)

　　1.3 grams low-acyl gellan (0.2%) (see Sources, page 309)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C). Set a 9-inch square Pyrex baking dish in the oven to warm. (Warming the dish will prevent the hot Cheddar mixture from seizing when it is poured into the dish.)

　　

Step 2

Put the milk and the cheese in a heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, pressing gently on the solids to extract the milk from the solids. Discard the solids. Weigh out 385 grams of Cheddar milk. Discard any extra.

　　

Step 3

Put the Cheddar milk, tofu, and salt in a blender. Puree the mixture until it is silky-smooth. While the blender is running, sprinkle both gellans into the vortex to evenly disperse the hydrocolloids. This will take about 30 seconds.

　　

Step 4

Pour the gellan mixture into a heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat, stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue to cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it reaches 194°F (90°C). At this temperature the gellan will be fully hydrated.

　　

Step 5

Quickly pour the mixture into the warmed baking dish. Pour the liquid as quickly as you can without splashing, keeping the flow as smooth and even as possible because the gellan sets rapidly once removed from the heat. Set the baking dish on the counter and let the Cheddar tofu cool in the dish.

　　

Step 6

When the tofu is cold, remove it from the dish and trim off any rounded edges. Cut it into 1/2-inch (1.25-centimeter) cubes and reserve on a baking sheet in the refrigerator until ready to use. It can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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