I am so excited about this recipe, mostly because it’s so yummy and takes little time and not much effort to put together. And while I think it’s perfect for Christmas with its festive green outer shell, how nice would this be for New Year’s Eve?
The inside is a mixture of cream cheese and goat cheese, with a bunch of yummy Asian flavors added to the mix. The outer shell is made up of crushed wasabi peas and sesame seeds. The textures and tastes are so pleasing together. You’ll want to make sure your chair is positioned close to this appetizer. It’s really hard to stop eating it.
Cheese balls are often considered very retro in the culinary world, but I think they deserve a place in modern day cooking. Heck, there have even been whole plays written about cheese balls. It’s time for them to get some respect, especially when they taste so good.
Here are two of my favorite ingredients in this recipe.
I think I’m kind of in love with these herbs and my fridge is now bursting with these cute little bowls of deliciousness. Look at the ginger, it’s so fresh and comes backs to life when mixed into food. If you’re anything like me, you hate grating ginger and this has now taken away that chore. The chili pepper is no different…so fresh. They have more flavors too. I reach for them everyday when cooking as they are such a time saver and add that fresh herb taste to my meals.
Making a cheese ball is just about the easiest appetizer you could put together. And we need easy recipes this time of year when the kitchen is busy and there are so many gatherings we need to bring a dish to share.
Key to this recipe is making sure your cheeses are room temp before attempting to make this. Otherwise you will not good an good incorporation of flavors.
Once mixed, form into a ball and refrigerate for one hour.
Wasabi peas are crushed and become part of the outside crust along with two colors of sesame seeds.
Roll the cheese ball in the outside coating and serve. So simple!!!
Serve with rice crackers.
Asian Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 8 oz goat cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Ginger
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Chili Pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup crushed wasabi peas
- 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
- In a large bowl blend together cream cheese, goat cheese, green onions, chili garlic sauce, ginger, soy sauce, chili pepper and sesame oil. Form into the shape of a ball. Place on a piece of wax paper and refrigerate for one hour, uncovered.
- Meanwhile, combine wasabi peas and sesame seeds together in a large flat bowl. Roll cheese ball in the mixture and serve with rice crackers.
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