This gorgeous cheese ball is the perfect appetizer to take to a holiday party or to serve on Christmas!
Thanksgiving has officially come and gone which means two things in my household 1) I am finally "allowed" to decorate for Christmas and 2) our lives are about to get hectic. On Saturday our family celebrated Christmas with my grandmother while she was in town. Now that we're older and slightly more skilled in the kitchen, my mom has started assigning us dishes to bring over for family functions.
Mom asked that we each bring an appetizer and requested that nobody bring any dips. Challenge accepted. Now I've gotta tell you, appetizers are my jam! There's nothing better than grazing over bite-size bits of happiness!
I knew that I wanted something Christmasy, a little red, white and green if you will. When I spotted pomegranate arils I knew exactly what I wanted to make: my Pomegranate White Cheddar Cheese Ball.
Cheese Balls aren't really a go-to dish in my family. We're all about the brie (about the brie, no treble) (You know you sang that!) and the godlike ooey, gooey cheesy dips but to mold all that deliciousness into a ball is unheard of!
Well, family.... you just got served... a cheese ball.
And BOOM! My cheese ball game is on point.
A drop dead gorgeous, who's your daddy, good to the last aril cheese ball. And dang it's pretty! This yum ball is jam-packed with sharp white cheddar, toasted almonds, and crispy sage. The pomegranate added a bit of sweetness which paired well with the sharp cheddar and presented a salty-sweet experience when eaten with a cracker.
I'm drooling.
Seriously. There are droplets on my shirt.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter 10 fresh sage leaves 8 oz of cream cheese (softened) 4 oz of mascarpone cheese (softened) 6 oz of freshly grated sharp white cheddar cheese 1/2 cup of sliced, toasted almonds (untoasted words too ;) ) 1 cup of pomegranate arils
Crackers for serving.
Instructions:
1. Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet. Once the skillet is sizzling, add fresh sage leaves and cook until crispy (about 1 minute per side). Remove the sage leaves from the pan and place them on a paper towel. Save the melted butter for later!
2. Use a mixer to combine the cream cheese, mascarpone, and freshly grated white cheddar cheese. Beat until combined.
3. Add in almonds, sage leaves, and butter. Mix on a low speed until well combined (approximately 1 minute).
4. Remove the cheese mixture from the bowl and mold it into a ball shape. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. While your cheese ball is cooling, place the arils on a paper towel and pat them completely dry. Allow them to rest on the paper towel while the cheese is cooling to remove as much liquid as you can. This will help keep the ball lookin' gorgeous!
6. Once the half hour of cooling has passed, grab a pinch of pomegranate seeds (arils) and add them to the ball. Be sure to apply some pressure so that the seeds will stay. If you're a culinary superstar you can also try pouring the arils onto a plate or baking sheet and roll the ball over them. Fill all of the cracks so the cheese is completely covered.
Note that as the cheese starts to come to room temperature it is more difficult to get the seeds to stay.
7. Serve immediately or refrigerate it until you're ready to wow your guests.
