Nutcream

Nutcream was one of the first things in Redwall that made me wonder if it would actually work. After a bit of research and some experimenting, I came up with two ideas that I would consider labeling as "Nutcream" in the context of Redwall. This first version is more accurately a nut butter, but it's so smooth and creamy that I'm counting it as nutcream anyway. It takes some patience and a good food processor, but the results are worth it.

Edit: This definitely comes together faster and yields a creamier product if you warm the cashews before adding them to the food processor. Because I prefer them raw and untoasted, I microwave them for about 30 seconds. If you decide you want to roast your cashews first, just move them directly from the oven to the food processor.

Nutcream

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 2 cups cashews

Directions

1. Place the cashews in the bowl of your food processor. (I have a 4-cup food processor. If you have a bigger one, you will likely need to add more nuts to get the desired effect)
2. Turn on the food processor. Your nuts will quickly reach this stage. If you ever want nut flour for gluten-free cooking, this is where you stop. 
   
3. Continue to run the food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Slowly, the flour-like bits will begin to stick together.
   
4. After about 20 minutes, you'll get to this stage. You might notice that at the very bottom, the small, sticky grains have been compressed to look vaguely smooth. Don't give up at this point and don't curse me, you're about two thirds of the way there.
   
5. The next stage is when the entire content of the food processor starts to come together into a single thick, smooth ball. Don't stop; you're on the home stretch and don't add anything. 
   
6. Finally, all of the scraping and waiting has paid off and your cashews have smoothed and thinned into a smooth, thick cream. This is fantastic spread on toast or apples (especially if you add a touch of cinnamon).