Date and Blue Cheese Ball |Cooking With Amanda

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Date and Blue Cheese Ball

Epicurious | August 2010

By Diane Morgan

Skinny Dips

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photo by Sheri Giblin

yield
Makes about 1 1/2 cups (360 ml)

Cheese balls were all the rage in the 1970s, an easy, tasty, fab party food for any occasion. What's old is now retro-chic—this lightened-up cheese ball seduces with the sweetness of dates, the savory bite of blue cheese, a hint of shallot, and a teasing whiff of lemon zest.

Ingredients

Skinny Dippers:

Crostini, Baked Pita Chips, Baked Bagel Chips, Marbled Rye Toasts, celery and carrot sticks

Preparation

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, blue cheese, and buttermilk on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the dates, shallots, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and beat until well combined.

2. Transfer the cheese mixture to a large sheet of plastic wrap/cling film and form it into a ball. Wrap the ball in the wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. In a shallow bowl or plate, mix together the parsley and walnuts. Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator. With the wrap/film still on, shape into a well-formed ball. Unwrap the cheese mixture and roll it gently in the nut mixture until all sides are well covered. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Dip Do-Ahead: The cheese ball can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate.

Serving size: 2 tbsp
Calories 59; Fat 3.9 g (sat 2.1 g, mono 1.0 g, poly 0.4 g); Protein 2 g; Carb 4 g; Fiber 0 g; Chol 10 mg; Iron 0.1 mg; Sodium 109 mg; Calc 41 mg

Nutritional analysis provided by Skinny Dips