My parents entertained a lot, it’s probably where I get my love for entertaining (read, feeding) friends and family. Mom would make canapés (tiny little sandwiches) and often have a cheese plate for nibblies. Mom’s canapé repertoire was whatever we had on hand, sometimes leftover roast beef, hard boiled egg or even some pickled herring with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of fresh dill.
Although this post is about a cheese ball, my dear Mom did not make cheese balls for entertaining purposes, they were for late night snacks*! Mom’s cheese mixtures usually consisted of whatever cheese was left over, grated and mixed together with butter (or margarine, in those days). Each cheese mixture was different because she never had the same proportions of cheese leftover.
I believe, I was the first to make an actual cheese ball in my family, the recipe was likely from a one of my beloved Recipes Only Magazines, a quarterly food magazine that premiered in April 1983. It was delivered free to 2,000,o00 Canadian homes in predetermined areas. The inaugural magazine touted “To celebrate the joys of Food and Cooking…Our goal at Recipes Only will be simply to bring you excellence; excellence of recipes based on the plentiful ingredients from Canadian stores and gardens; excellence of presentation based on the best photographs and illustrations our award-winning team…can design…” Well, they did their best considering the timeframe. Dark, moody photos with some but not many relevant props, not like the odd 70’s food photos with weird fabrics (or were they all shower curtains?) thrown in! I’m certain my first cheese ball came from one of the Recipe Only Magazines but I no longer have them all so I cannot be sure (makes for a good story, though).
We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the more contemporary Potted Cheese at the beautiful Harbour House Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake (we often go down during the Christmas Holidays) during a sampling of Local Vintages from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm each day in the Library Lobby. My cheese ball is not nearly as highbrow as the Potted Cheese but it is very tasty. I would encourage you to create your own with your own blend of cheese, it’s a perfect accompaniment to cocktails on the dock on a lazy summer’s day.
A Tasty Cheese Ball
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes 2 8-10 cm (3-4 inch) Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
- 250 g Cream Cheese
- 55 g Danish Blue Cheese
- 50 g Gruyère Cheese
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 100 g of chopped, toasted nuts, cooled (I used 50 g each of pecans and cashews because it’s what I had on hand).
Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients with the exception of the nuts, in the bowl of a food processor, process until smooth.
- Scrape out all of the cheese mixture and divide into two balls. Roll in the nuts to cover completely. Refrigerate or freeze until required.
- It’s best to allow the cheese ball to come to room temperature before serving.
What a beautiful and delicious looking plate! Thank you so much for sharing and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. 🙂
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Eva, your plate looks fantastic! So elegant and so inviting, I’m ready to take a plane to Canada 🙂 Seriously the balls sound delicious and I find the cheese leftovers+butter mixture an extraordinary idea. We always have cheese bits and leftovers (my husband eats lots of cheese….), so I’ll try it one day. Thank you for this wonderful idea.
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Gee, Eva, you weren’t kidding about this being a flashback, although, to be honest, I remember Mom serving cheeseballs in the 70’s. (I left home in ’80.) As I recall, cheese balls were served all year except around the holidays. That’s when her cheese log made its appearance, almost like a buche de Noel — almost. I’ve not seen either in ages. Your recipe does sound good, Eva, and would be worth preparing for a dinner party. I could easily adjust the recipe to suit my guests’ preferences, as you suggested. Best of all, I’d be able to see the look of surprise when I placed a cheese ball before them.
How nice that you’ve been able to spend so much time at your cottage this summer. It has been a hot one but I keep reminding myself of what it will be like in January when I’m clearing the snow from the walks so that our mail carrier can get to our doors. Funny how, after a few minutes thinking about that, it doesn’t seem so hot after all. 🙂
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I love a good cheese ball! This one has a really nice mix of cheeses in it too! 😀 Isn’t htat funny? My parents were never entertainers but I love it!
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Thank you Lorraine, it was very tasty. It seems you’re an excellent entertainer even without your parents influence!
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Loving the mix of cheeses to make this. I wonder why we do this with meat to make pates, but not cheese balls. Maybe its the future!
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Hi David
That particular combo was delicious, I’m glad I blogged about it so it’s written down.
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I haven’t made a cheeseball in forever! Thanks for reminding me how cook they can be. This sounds wonderful. Perfect for entertaining — or that late night snack! 🙂
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Hi John, I love recipes that can use up bits of leftovers. I hope you enjoy your version of the cheese ball.
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This is 5th time I am trying to leave a comment on this post….:-((
Haven’t made or had a cheese ball in ages…this is yummilicious and a perfect party food.
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Hi Angie, thank you for leaving a comment after all the trouble you had, the other comments are being held in moderation, not sure why because you are pre-approved.
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This is 5th time I am trying to leave a comment on this post….:-((
Haven’t made or had a cheese ball in ages…this is yummilicious and a perfect party food.
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I haven’t made my own cheese ball in ages…this looks like a perfect party food.
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Thank you Angie, they really do scream party food, don’t they!
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Your mom sounds like my kind of lady!
If I ate cheese I’d be so all over thisssssss
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Thank you kindly my friend, my Mom was an amazing person.
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I love the stories that accompany food. For me, it’s what brings the experience to life and I’m always appreciative of them. I don’t recall coming across Recipes Only magazine (they must have skipped our corner of rural Quebec ;d) but I would have been equally enticed – the moody pictures are a classic; food photography has come into its own art form over the years but it’s fun to have the retrospective. Good that you held on to some of the issues. Your cheese ball looks delicious – I tend to put out plain cheese for appies but the ball presentation is so lovely and a little dressier – perfect for entertaining and simple enough to pull together without fuss.
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Kelly, your kind words always make me smile, thank you. As I think back on my childhood, I realize how much food was so much a part of our lives, it’s really no wonder I turned out the way I did. This blog allows me to document for my niece and nephew so that one day, if they read it, they will have some perspective about my dear parents, and it’s a wonderful trip down memory lane for me too.
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I remember collecting those magazines too but they’re long gone. The Milk Calendar is about the last thing I collected recipe wise … and the occasional LCBO magazine. 🙂
Neither my mom nor I ever made a cheeseball but I’ve sampled more than a few in my day at parties.
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Hi Maria, I loved the milk calendar too, a great place to learn about Canadiana cooking since we were both products of our European parents.
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I have never made cheese balls but after reading your post will definitely give a go one of these days. With the extended heat wave bet you would love to stay at your cottage by the lake all the time.
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Hi Norma, we’ve been very fortunate and have been at the lake for many days this summer. Although our place tends to be a bit of a heat sink, we can get it to cool down enough to have a great sleep.
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My sister often makes cheeseballs like yours when she entertains—so lovely, but often a forgotten option. The blue and swiss cheese combination sounds perfect!!!
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Thank you kindly Liz, I love that you can use up leftover bits of cheese too!
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