A fun and tasty idea to share at the center of the table. Classic, with spring onion or gorgonzola: here's how to prepare and serve them
A appetizer-aperitif very quick and scenic to prepare for Christmas and the cheeseball.
It is called that because it is really one ball of spreadable cheese to decorate with chopped nuts and serve with croutons and crackers.
Cheeseball: easy and scenic
Preparing the cheeseball is very simple because you just need to mix a spreadable cheese Philadelphia, or goat or ricotta cheese, with more aged and grated cheeses such as emmental, ceddar or fontina. In this way the compound becomes more compact and can be transformed into a sphere.
The great thing about this super easy recipe is that you can play with creativity.
In fact, you can also add other ingredients such as chopped dried fruit or dehydrated fruit like dried figs, cranberries and raisins.
In addition to this you can play with spices choosing between chilli and paprika for a spicy taste, curry and turmeric for an ethnic scent, cinnamon and ginger for those who cannot give up making everything Christmas.
Even the herbs they can add color and aroma and so you can opt for mint, oregano, basil and chives.
Classic cheeseball
To make a very simple cheeseball, mix 300 g of spreadable cheese with 100 g of grated Parmesan, a pinch of pepper and some chopped walnuts.
Put the mixture in the cling film and give it a spherical shape.
Leave cool in the refrigerator for a few hours and then remove the film and roll the cheese ball in the chopped pistachios and hazelnuts, or pecans and pistachios, or whatever you prefer.
Obviously, if the mixture is too soft, just add grains or grated cheese to "dry" it a little.
Onion cheeseball
For the onion version just add a onion chopped and stewed in a pan with oil and salt.
Having a sweeter taste, you can play with an interesting contrast, perhaps spicy, with an intensely flavored aged cheese or a pinch of chilli.
Gorgonzola cheeseball
If you love blue and very tasty cheeses, use a mix of gorgonzola, mascarpone and spreadable cheese and add some grated Parmesan. You can add dried figs or chopped dates or raisins because a sweet contrast is perfect.
And then don't forget also in this case a crunchy part based on almond flakes for a scenographic effect in the "breading".
How to serve the cheeseball for a Christmas aperitif
Arrange it in the center of a nice serving dish with some craker around that your guests will then use to take their portion of cheese.
You can also prepare gods toasted croutons with oil and herbs in a pan, or you can heat one flat bread and cut it into strips, or even one piadina.
You can also place the cheese ball on a bed of rocket or songino simply seasoned with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil.
Browse the tutorial for more tips on making cheeseballs
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