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Cheese Ball
A lovely Aussie friend was recently telling me about her menu plans for Thanksgiving, and my interest was piqued when she mentioned that she would be making a cheese ball for the appetiser. Her cheese ball, if she was still in Australia, would have been comprised of cream cheese with cheddar and good ol’ Coon, sprinkled with curry powder and decorated with fried onions. I was instantly transported back to the 1980s in Australia and my heart warmed with such nostalgic memories.
Here in Switzerland, her cheese ball has been given a fancy makeover with the use of local Swiss cheese, but I’m sure it remains delicious nonetheless.
Cheese with Fruit
So with the help of a few cookbooks, I was inspired to create a cheese ball similar to one I once ate back in Australia. Back then, Castello Blue Cheese was the height of sophistication amongst my friends and it often took centre place on the cheeseboard alongside the Camembert, Brie and fruit cheese.
Which brings me to another topic. My husband is French and neither he, nor his family, regard fruit cheese as real cheese. Never have I seen fruit cheese on any of their cheese platters, and nor do they eat fruit (dried or fresh) with their cheese. And like in most French families, the cheese is usually only served after the main dish and before dessert. The cheese is never served as an appetiser, unless they are little cubes of Laughing Cow Cheese (also not considered to be real cheese by my husband).
So you could imagine my husband’s confusion when, early on in our relationship, I served a cheese platter with grapes and sliced crunchy pears as an appetiser to a group of our friends; the British and Australian crowd tucked into the cheese platter with much gusto, while the French folks looked on in puzzlement.
Roquefort Cheese Ball
So when I presented my Roquefort Cheese Ball to my husband one evening as our entrée, I could see him try very hard not to laugh and shake his head in disbelief. For just a few seconds. He couldn’t understand why anyone would want to chop up various cheeses (which taste perfectly fine as they are) and mix them together into a ball. Point taken. I’m sure my mother-in-law would be just as amused!
But here it is, my Roquefort Cheese Ball. It’s perfect for large gatherings as a snack or appetiser. I think it even works well alongside a cheese platter with a selection of your favourite cheeses. Happy Holidays everyone!!
Roquefort Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) Roquefort cheese
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) Emmental cheese, grated
- 50 g (2 oz) parmesan, grated
- 200 g (7 oz) whole hazelnuts
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until it has softened.
- Crumble the Roquefort into the bowl, and add the Emmental and Parmesan cheese.
- Slowly mix everything together on low speed until everything is well incorporated.
- Place a large sheet of plastic wrap on the work surface. If your plastic wrap is too small, you may need to use two sheets and overlap them.
- Place the cheese mixture into the centre of the plastic wrap.
- Bring up the sides of the plastic wrap and fully encase the cheese mixture inside.
- Twist the top of the plastic wrap together to make sure the cheese is tightly encased.
- Place the cheese ball into the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm.
- You could decorate the cheese ball with just whole hazelnuts, but I like to use mix of whole and crushed hazelnuts as the latter adds a nice contrast in colour. To do so, I simply put a few handful of whole hazelnuts into a large ziplock bag, and bash the nuts a few times with a rolling pin until they are coarsely crushed.
- Mix the crushed hazelnuts with the whole hazelnuts.
- Remove the cheese ball from the plastic wrap and place it on a baking sheet or chopping board.
- Cover the cheese ball with the hazelnut mixture.
- Carefully remove the cheese ball to a plate or cheese platter.
- Serve with crackers.
Kitchen Notes
- MAKE AHEAD TIPS
You can make the cheese ball ahead of time, but it is best to cover it with the hazelnuts shortly prior to serving. This way, the hazelnuts will keep their crunch. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
I love your cheese ball! It’s the fancy version of an American cheese ball lol! 😉
Ha ha, thank you! Given that I live in the land of cheese, it was only a matter of time before I would share a cheese ball recipe 😉
This cheese ball would make a gorgeous centerpiece for any dinner party! I love the hazelnut shell the best!
Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.
Thanks, Luci! The hazelnuts definitely add a lovely texture and taste to the cheese ball 🙂
I love cheeseballs! Your version with hazelnuts sounds wonderful. And, being Italian, I am used to seeing cheese served after the main meal, especially in my husband’s family.
Thanks, Andrea! We eat mostly French cheese at home (since my husband is French), but once in a while we love to change things a bit and go Italian, which means I get to indulge in my favourite gorgonzola with mascarpone 🙂
Yum, I’m not a roquefort fan, but that does look tempting! I love learning about other cultures’ food traditions.
Yes, you have to be a fan of blue cheese to like this recipe. It’s an acquired taste but one I acquired when I was quite young 😉
Husband’s can be like that sometimes — we’ll give them a pass because we love them. This is great for entertaining!
Ha ha, indeed! But I think my husband enjoys being introduced to different foods – he also enjoys making me fun of me 😉
I think this looks fabulous! I love the addition of the Roquefort, which I don’t usually think of in relation to cheese balls. As for the French scoffing at your serving cheeseballs and fruit and cheese platters….they don’t know what they’re missing! ?
That’s what I think too 😉 As I grew up eating fruit and cheese together, I often feel something is missing when my in-laws pass around the cheese platter!
This cheese ball is really impressive and generous with those whole hazelnuts! 🙂
Thank you! The hazelnuts are really lovely against the soft cheese here 🙂
Great recipe! We had some leftover Roquefort so I thought I would give this recipe a try. It was very delicious!
What an AMAZING idea!!! Beautiful presentation. So cute!! Thanks for the great recipe!