Frozen Sour Cream and Onion Cheddar Cheese Balls
Freezing this cheese spread in a miniature spherical ice cube tray, made from malleable silicone, makes for a pretty and unusual presentation. It also allows the cheese to stand up to the summer heat. The mixture itself is easy to make and easily adapted to taste (try substituting mascarpone or herbed goat cheese for the cheddar cheese); most of the labor—which doesn’t take that long at all—is in stuffing the openings of the ice cube tray. You may have extra cheese depending on how generously you pack. If so, either refrigerate to eat the leftovers as a spread or keep to make more cheese balls. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled to make larger batches.
Ingredients
- ½ cup cheddar cheese spread room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons finely minced scallions
- 2 teaspoons finely minced chives
- 1 teaspoon finely minced dill
- ½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- ½ teaspoon finely ground white pepper
Instructions
- ►Lay out a 40-well miniature spherical ice cube tray. Mix cheese, sour cream, scallions, chives, dill, and white pepper together in a bowl.
- ►Add a few spoonfuls of the mixture to the middle of the tray. With the back of the spoon, smooth mixture into the wells so they completely fill. Repeat until all the wells are filled.
- ►Run spoon or a cake scraper over the top to rid the wells of air holes. Cover with parchment paper, then freeze until solid, about 4 hours, and up to 24 hours.
- ►Unmold spheres closely over the parchment paper so they don’t bounce or roll away. Serve with toothpicks and/or crackers.
Jen Karetnick
Based in Miami, Jen Karetnick is the author, co-author, or editor of 15 books, including the award-winning cookbook Mango (University Press of Florida, 2014). Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Atlantic, Guernica, Southern Living, and more.
