CREAM CHEESE BALLS APPETIZER
Creamy Cheese Balls with Pomegranate are delicious finger foods, a fancier and simple idea perfect when you have little time available to prepare an appetizer or an accompaniment for the aperitif but you still want to amaze your guests.
Based on a typical combination of cheese and fruit, but different from the usual because it involves the use of pomegranate seeds. These Cream Cheese balls will amaze you with the contrast between the creaminess of the cheese and the juicy crunch of the pomegranate seeds.
In particular, in this recipe two types of ricotta are combined (vaccine and sheep’s), mixed with grated pecorino and flavored with aromatic herbs: the result? Absolutely must try!
A recipe so simple and quick that even children can make it: just mix the different types of cheese in a bowl, a pinch of aromatic herbs to give a special touch to the dough, then form little balls and finally roll them in the seeds of Pomegranate. After a few minutes of rest in the refrigerator your Cheese and Pomegranate Balls are ready to be served.
A cheese mixture that you can alternatively cover with other ingredients such as oil seeds (pistachio grains, chopped walnuts, chopped toasted hazelnuts, sesame seeds), with spices (sweet paprika, peppercorns) or aromatic herbs (chives, parsley ) will still be a success.
However, I invite you to try this version because the seeds of the pomegranate fruit complete the cheese mixture perfectly with their sweet and juicy taste and with their bright red color they also make this finger food extremely beautiful to look at.
Ingredients
- Power 112,31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 4,85 (g) of which sugars 1,97 (g)
- Proteins 7,16 (g)
- Fat 7,18 (g) of which saturated 4,31 (g)of which unsaturated 1,67 (g)
- Fibers 0,69 (g)
- Sodium 432,65 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Tools
Steps
STEP 1
Chop aromatic herbs finely with a knife and set aside. Combine both ricottas in a bowl and work with a fork or whisk by hand until reduced to a smooth cream. Add grated pecorino (or parmesan) and season with salt and pepper. Also add herbs and mix to incorporate. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
STEP 2
In the meantime, obtain seeds from the pomegranate, collect them on a plate and let the liquid drain. Dry well with absorbent paper. To form Cream Cheese Balls, lightly moisten your hands and take 1 large spoonful of cheese mixture from the bowl. Form into a ball (approximately 0.2 inch diameter). Continue until you run out of ingredients. Then roll the balls on the plate with pomegranate seeds, applying light pressure to make them stick. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
NOTES
You can make cheese mixture the night before. After a night in the fridge it will be much easier to handle into balls.
RICOTTA If you don’t like sheep’s ricotta or can’t find it you can only use cow’s milk ricotta.
PECORINO If you prefer a more delicate taste, use parmesan instead of percorino
POMEGRANATE If you don’t like pomegranate flavor you can cover balls with spices or seeds: poppy seeds, chopped hazelnuts, chopped pistachios, chives, sesame seeds or sweet paprika. Simply put the ingredients on different plates and roll cheese balls into the different covers.
STORAGE
The cheese and pomegranate seed balls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 days.
Varied doses for servings