Happy Monday Cheese Balls!
I bring to you another Hollymead Monday treat. I wanted to make something that is perfect for feeding your football watching friends or even gracing the table at a dinner party. Everyone loves cheese and I am pretty certain people are mostly fond of balls so…cheese + ball = cheese ball. I made this cheese ball recipe for the Superbowl and the first time I made it I wasn’t sure it would work. I had no experience making cheese products on my own. I am a huge fan of cheese, a HUGE Fan. I probably say yes to anything that is made with cheese. It is because of this love of cheese that I had to make this ball and I had to share it with you!
I was making this recipe for the family and they reminded me that we have been to a restaurant that serves a cheese spread with their bread and for some reason it never dawned on me that cheese spreads can be spotted in restaurants all over the place. In fact, I am always much more impressed when you get a bread basket that comes with a flavored butter or cheese spread instead of just your normal butter. An image of the sad wrapped butter that comes with the basket at Cheesecake Factory just came to mind. How can they make such great food and be known for massive portions but they give you wrapped butter packets?!?!
When I took a cracker and smeared on this spread my dad immediately recognized this from the Hollymead days. He told me that this spread would be made available to the patrons waiting for a table or just enjoying a night-cap in the bar located within the inn. I think it only makes sense that you make beer cheese for the bar, it is such an appropriate pairing! I am not sure my grandma would have served a cheese ball in the bar, her recipe didn’t exactly call for it to be a ball but I figured it would be a great ball! I think she could have served it in little ramekins or even as individual discs for each patron. I wonder if they had football playing on the tv in the bar. I would guess that the answer is yes since they were from Chicago and football is a pretty big deal in Chicago. Football, beer and cheese, this sounds like a perfect Sunday!
For all you old school cheese lovers, this one is 100% for you!
Notes
You can also roll up the cheese in a log form and slice individual discs or you can spoon in to small ramekins for serving.
Ingredients
- 1 Small Smoked Gouda or Edam Cubed (room temperature)
- 1/4 Cup Salted Butter Cubed
- 1/2 Tsp. Prepared Mustard
- 1 Tsp. Worcestershire
- 1 Tbsp. Grated Onion
- 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Salt
- 1/2 - 3/4 Cup Beer (any beer will do!)
- 1/4 Cup crushed pretzels or peanuts
Instructions
- Combine butter and cheese in a food processor. Pulse until the cheese and butter are broken down and form small crumbles. Add in mustard, Worcestershire, onion, garlic salt. Pulse until ingredients are combined with the cheese and butter. Add half of the beer, pulse and check consistency. If the mixture is spreadable then you can remove it from the food processor. If it needs more beer add a little at a time until the mixture is spreadable.
- Once mixture is combined place two pieces of plastic wrap on the counter, place one sheet down going horizontally and the second vertically. Spoon the cheese mixture in the middle of the plastic wrap. Gather the ends of the plastic wrap in the middle and form a ball with the cheese mixture. Twist the plastic and tuck under the cheese mixture. Place the ball in the fridge for 2 hours to allow it to firm up. Once firm, remove cheese mixture from the fridge and roll in the crushed pretzels or peanuts.
