There's no reason you can't fix a cheeseball in July or April or September, but in my mind such a treat is always associated with the Christmas holidays. Last night I made my cheeseball for the holidays and froze it.
When I was a kid, my family always shared Christmas Eve with two other families, and one of the women always brought this cheeseball. Mom brought marinated shrimp unlike any I've ever hard, and I long for them to this day--but I developed an allergy to shrimp and am afraid to try it. As the years went by, somehow those families drifted apart, and we began to make the cheeseball ourselves. Now, my kids clamor for it--daughter-in-law Lisa always makes it, and we've shared hints about technic. This is absolutely the best cheeseball I've ever had. But you have to like blue cheese.
Cheeseball
½ lb. blue cheese (I really prefer Maytag)
1 pkg. Old English cheese (no longer available—I use an 8 oz. pkg of Velveeta)
l 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
½ lb. pecans, chopped fine
1 bunch parsley, chopped fine
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, chopped fine
½ tsp. horseradish (I usually use a generous tsp.--gives it a certain dash that I like)
Let the cheese soften to room temperature and mix thoroughly. Add Worcestershire, onion, horseradish and half of the parsley and pecans. Mix thoroughly and shape into a ball. Do NOT do this in the food processor, as it will become too runny. Even a mixer makes it too smooth and creamy—wash your hands thoroughly and dig in, so the finished cheese ball has some texture and credibility. Roll the ball in the remaining parsley and pecans. Chill. Serve with crackers. Freezes well.
Start your holidays off with this in the freezer, and you can begin to plan your entertaining. A cheeseball always makes me get serious about holiday cooking.
When I was a kid, my family always shared Christmas Eve with two other families, and one of the women always brought this cheeseball. Mom brought marinated shrimp unlike any I've ever hard, and I long for them to this day--but I developed an allergy to shrimp and am afraid to try it. As the years went by, somehow those families drifted apart, and we began to make the cheeseball ourselves. Now, my kids clamor for it--daughter-in-law Lisa always makes it, and we've shared hints about technic. This is absolutely the best cheeseball I've ever had. But you have to like blue cheese.
Cheeseball
½ lb. blue cheese (I really prefer Maytag)
1 pkg. Old English cheese (no longer available—I use an 8 oz. pkg of Velveeta)
l 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
½ lb. pecans, chopped fine
1 bunch parsley, chopped fine
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, chopped fine
½ tsp. horseradish (I usually use a generous tsp.--gives it a certain dash that I like)
Let the cheese soften to room temperature and mix thoroughly. Add Worcestershire, onion, horseradish and half of the parsley and pecans. Mix thoroughly and shape into a ball. Do NOT do this in the food processor, as it will become too runny. Even a mixer makes it too smooth and creamy—wash your hands thoroughly and dig in, so the finished cheese ball has some texture and credibility. Roll the ball in the remaining parsley and pecans. Chill. Serve with crackers. Freezes well.
Start your holidays off with this in the freezer, and you can begin to plan your entertaining. A cheeseball always makes me get serious about holiday cooking.
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