If you want to impress family and friends at the next get-together, serve them this amazing cheese ball. It takes just minutes to prepare, then put it in the freezer or refrigerator to chill and firm up. It's packed with fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, basi
Cheese Ball:
5.2 oz. Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese
8 oz. brick cream cheese at room temperature (DO NOT MICROWAVE)
1/4 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped with seeds and flesh removed (only the firm outer part of the tomato- when cutting tomato, scoop out the inside flesh and seeds so all that remains is the firm part – don’t want the extra moisture in the cheese ball. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove extra moisture)
1/2 c. oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, rinsed, dried
1/2 c. basil leaves, chopped
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Panko Sun-Dried Tomato Coating:
3/4 c. panko breadcrumbs
1 T. butter
3 T. sun-dried tomatoes, diced, rinsed, dried (measure tomatoes, then rinse and squeeze dry before chopping)
3 T. basil leaves, chopped
Garnish:
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 T. fresh basil, chiffonade (more or less)
Dippers:
1-2 baguettes sliced into 1/2 “ slices***
olive oil
crackers
Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Crisps, optional
Cheese Ball:
Add all Cheese Ball ingredients to a large bowl; mix with a spatula until well combined. Drop mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap; cover tightly; shape into a ball. Freeze for 1-2 hours or chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours up to 24 hours.
Panko Sun-Dried Tomato Coating:
While the cheese ball is chilling, prepare Panko Sun-dried Tomato Coating by melting butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; stir in panko; stir constantly until panko is golden. Cool completely. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
Assembly:
When ready to serve, remove cheese ball from freezer/refrigerator; roll in toasted panko mixture, pressing to adhere, until evenly coated. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.
Serve with baguette slices and crackers, if desired.
Baguette slices:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line 1-2 large baking sheets with baguette slices. Brush top sides of slices with olive oil; flip all slices over so the olive oil is SIDE DOWN on the baking sheet. Bake 6 - 8 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges.
12-16 servings.
*You can either prepare 1 baguette and supplement with crackers or prepare 2 baguettes and not use crackers/pretzels.