The Starving Musician Recipes
Rock and Roll Holiday Cheese Spread or Cheese Ball
Serves 6-8 generously
This cheese spread began life as a 1970's
cheese ball recipe. As kids my sister and I spent many Christmas or New
Year's Eves eating this in front of MTV or Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin'
Eve, and like us, the recipe evolved over time. It came full circle when I
brought this cheese spread to an industry Christmas party and it was such a
hit, an exec brought out a fabulous bottle of red wine from his private
stash. Served alongside a bowl of walnuts and nutcrackers, it also keeps
Thanksgiving guests content and conversational when the turkey's not
cooperating. (P.S.--Bleu cheese haters, don't worry...You can't taste it;
it's really there to add depth of flavor to the other cheeses--which is also
the secret to a certain frozen food company's macaroni and cheese.)
3 3-oz. packages Philadelphia cream cheese (the kind that comes in a
block;--the tub is too soft for this recipe), or 1 8-oz. package plus 1 oz.
of another, room temperature
1/2 to 2/3 of a 4 oz. package Treasure Cave Blue cheese (Peel off the wax
and crumble it while cold, then leave it to soften at room temp. You can use
any brand, but I prefer Treasure Cave for this because it isn't too pungent
for those who don't like bleu cheese. If you and your guests like bleu
cheese, go for it and use up to 4 oz.)
1/4 cup chopped, toasted English walnuts or California walnuts--not black
walnuts, plus more for garnish (To toast nuts: Before chopping, throw 'em
into a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring and watching carefully until
you begin to smell the aroma. Remove from pan, cool, and chop.)
2 glasses Kraft Old English Cheese (the stuff that comes packed in a juice
glass--It's usually not sold refrigerated, and is often on a shelf near the
cheese in a can.)
1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed, then finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated onion, including the juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I like Lea & Perrin's, but any will do.
Shake it; it settles.)
Triscuits, whole wheat crackers, or water crackers for serving
Soften cheeses at room temperature. Toast, cool, and chop nuts as directed
above. Combine cheeses, garlic, onion, and Worcestershire sauce. (By hand is
OK, but a hand mixer or food processor is great for this.) When thoroughly
mixed, stir in 1/4 cup chopped nuts. That's it! Pile into a small bowl for
serving; cover with plastic wrap and chill until 1/2 hour before serving.
Half an hour before serving time, remove from fridge and garnish with
remaining chopped walnuts. Place on serving platter or tray with cheese
spreaders or small knives, and surround with crackers.
This keeps well in the freezer for a month if it's well-wrapped with plastic
wrap, then foil; in our family, we made two small cheese balls on Christmas
Eve (see #3 below) and put the second one in the freezer for New Year's Eve.
Add more freshly-toasted and cooled nuts when you take it out of the
freezer.
Creative variations: 1.For a lower fat version, instead of regular
cream cheese use reduced fat or Neufchatel (the kind that comes in a block,
not a tub). 2.Toasted pecans also work well for this recipe. 3.To make a
cheese ball: Make cheese mixture as directed, but don't add the nuts. Cover
with plastic wrap, chill 'til firm, then shape into one large or two small
cheese balls. Roll it in the nuts. Wrap in plastic wrap, then foil, and
chill until 1/2 hour before serving time. 4.Following directions for cheese
ball in #3, form it into a log, a triangle, or lots of mini cheese balls. 5.
Following directions for cheese ball in #3, mix nuts into the cheese ball
mixture and roll the cheese ball in paprika or finely chopped parsley or a
combo of parsley and pecans. Very 1970's!
Recipes ©2004 Randi Reed
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