Pecan Crusted Cheese Balls
Makes 5
I’ve tried a couple of different recipes, but this is the one I come back to. When I make it in bulk, I use a Kitchen Aid mixer to soften the cream cheese and to mix the ingredients. Neuchatel cheese substitutes for the cream cheese with 1/3 the fat.
1¼ cups pecans or walnuts
1 pound extra sharp Cheddar cheese, preferably orange-colored
½ pound blue cheese
1 pound cream cheese
1 tablespoon grated onion
Optional: a splash of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon powdered mustard
Toast the nuts in a toaster oven for 10 minutes or so, until they are fragrant. Let cool slightly and chop until they are in small pieces. If you use a food processor, don’t overprocess or they will turn into nut flour. Empty onto a large plate.
Grate the Cheddar cheese in a food processor and set aside in a large steel bowl. Crumble the blue cheese and set aside.
Put the cream cheese in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse it until the cheese is smooth and easy to work with. Add the grated onion, the blue cheese and any of the optional ingredients. Mix and turn the mixture out into the bowl with the Cheddar cheese. Mix well.
Place in the refrigerator for about an hour to let the cheese firm up. Form into five balls. Roll the completed balls in the chopped nuts, wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. You can also pack the cheese into crocks.