adventures of an american housewife in the south of france

A Cheese Ball With a Secret

As a dinner guest on Thanksgiving, you never want to arrive empty-handed.  And for those who are "culinarily challenged,"  a bouquet of flowers or bottle of wine is an excellent choice to bring your host.  But if you want to do something a little extra, that is still super easy, then this is the recipe for you. I came across this Cheese Ball recipe in the November issue of Cooking Light and immediately thought - how darling!  A Cheese Ball!  When is the last time anyone ever made a good, old-fashioned Cheese Ball?  It looked so pretty in the picture that I decided to make a few small adjustments to the recipe and bring it to Kate & Shawn's 6th annual Tapas and Trivia party last weekend.  The Cheese Ball was a success!  And what made it such a success was the addition of my super secret ingredient. Do you want to know what my super secret ingredient is?  Well, I'll give you a hint.  It's bacon.  Bacon makes everything better. The original recipe can be found here, or you can read my altered version (using Gorgonzola instead of Blue Cheese, plus the bacon) below: You'll need:
  • 1  cup  (4 ounces) crumbled gorgonzola (or blue) cheese
  • 1  tablespoon  nonfat buttermilk
  • 8  ounces of cream cheese, softened
  • 3  tablespoons  minced pitted Medjool dates (2 to 3 dates)
  • 2 strips of bacon
  • 1  tablespoon  minced shallots
  • 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
  • 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 1/4  cup  minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 1/2  tablespoons  finely chopped walnuts, toasted
Directions:
  1. Cook bacon until crispy, set aside and crumble when cooled.
  2. Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add crumbled bacon, dates, shallots, lemon rind, salt, and pepper; beat at medium speed until well blended, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.
  3. Spoon cheese mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a ball, using a rubber spatula. Wrap cheese ball in plastic wrap; chill overnight.
  4. Combine parsley and walnuts in a shallow dish. Unwrap cheese ball; gently roll in nut mixture, coating well. Place on a serving plate. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

a chilled cheese ball

the finished product

Don't forget the crackers!

2 Responses to “A Cheese Ball With a Secret”

  1. Jen Glawe says:

    Will be making this for Christmas day. It looks, sounds delicious, especially with your “adjustments.” What type of crackers did you buy to eat with this?

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