"cheeseball" news and stories

Happy National Cheeseball Day!

For having the potential of being a highbrow gourmet treat, cheeseballs have long been the subject of some seriously irrelevant humor, perhaps best exemplified by Alec Baldwin peddling his holiday balls as Pete Schweddy on Saturday Night Live. But for those that can overlook its comedic potential for some culinary clout, the crusted cheese orb is a holiday favorite.

Count on Giada De Laurentiis for a dainty Herb-Coasted Goat Cheese, or if you're feeling more adventurous, opt for Amy Sedaris' Lil' Smoky Cheeseball. This Sausage-Cheeseball recipe from Epicurious combines lean sausage, Bisquick and cheddar into baked mounds for an easy nibble, or this Teriyaki Cheeseball recipe spices cream cheese with soy sauce and ginger, rolling it in a sesame-seed crust. And of course if you're feeling particularly nutty, there's always the Cheese Ball Goblin recipe courtesy of (who else?) Paula Deen available for the amusement of your guests.

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But it's just a humble cheeseball, you say, why call it "the ball of shame?" Well, because shame is what you feel when, in mid-manufacture, you say you'll just take one swipe with a cracker to see how it tastes and wind up scarfing down a half-dozen. Shame is what you feel when you find yourself standing in front of the refrigerator at night, licking off the Saran wrap. However, pride is what you'll feel when you bring it to a party and watch people fall on it like starved hyenas.

While I'm sure some foods of the past will stay firmly in the galleries of regrettable foods, or so I hope, some wrench themselves out of the tacky and make a new gourmet place for themselves. Cheese has already gone back to the fondue, but what about the cheese ball?

They're still available in stores, they have their own special day, Amy Sedaris digs them, and they pop up here and there at parties, but as the AP/Dallas Morning News says: "this classic party food earned an ugly reputation it's been mostly unable to shake – an orange softball filled with garish industrial cheeses, smacking of an untraceable sweetness, and coated with stale, often soggy, nuts." The piece goes on to discuss the intricacies of a cheese ball and how to make your own globe of cheesy goodness. But their best bit of advice: use a tablespoon and make bite-sized balls.

Think of the party possibilities! You can make a variety of outer layers and they're much easier to grab by guests -- no trying to hold a drink while cutting cheese and trying to slop it onto a cracker. You can have nutty outsides for the nut-friends and other outsides for the allergy-laden. There are tons of options.

Are you ready to open your arms to the cheese ball?

Ah, the cheeseball. I always associate them with Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm the guy in charge of cheese and dips and crackers on those holidays, and that seems to be the only time I eat cheeseballs. I never liked them as a kid, but I love them now.

Today is National Cheeseball Day. (Do you spell cheeseball as one word or two? I'm going with one.) Here's a recipe for Party Cheeseballs from CD Kitchen, and here's one for a Cheeseball from AllRecipes.com.

And let's not forget the recipe for a 'Lil Smoky Cheeseball from Amy Sedaris! That's a pic of it above.