Orange, Sage, and Macadamia Cheese Ball
Ingredients for servings
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450 g cream cheese, at room temperature
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1 cup(s) finely grated pecorino cheese
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0.25 cup(s) finely chopped macadamia nuts
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2 tbsp freshly chopped chives
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2 tbsp chopped crispy sage recipe below
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3 tsp freshly grated orange zest
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0.5 tsp ground allspice
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0.5 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
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0.6666 cup(s) finely chopped macadamia nuts
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0.5 cup(s) finely chopped pecans
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3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, sage and chives
for the cheese balls
for the coating
Directions
To make the crispy sage, heat 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a skillet. Once melted and bubbling, add 8 to 10 sage leaves into the butter, cooking for 2 to 2 minutes. Remove the sage with kitchen tongs and place it on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.
In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, pecorino, nuts, chives, sage, orange zest, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir until combined and everything is evenly distributed. Taste with a cracker and determine if you would like more spice or orange. I love it just like this!
Place a large piece of plastic wrap on your counter. Form the cheese mixture into somewhat of a ball and place it in the center of the plastic wrap. Wrap it up, forming it more into a ball as your go. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or even overnight. After refrigerating, you can form it into more of a ball with your hands while it’s still wrapped in plastic.
To roll the cheeseball, combine the macadamia nuts, pecans and herbs on a plate, stirring them together. Place the cheeseball on the plate and roll it through, coating the outside.
You can serve the cheeseball immediately or wrap it up and serve a few hours later. You can make this a day or two ahead of time, but I would wait to roll the ball in the nuts, as they will soften over time because of the cream cheese.