Cheese and Pomegranate Balls are delicious finger foods, a tasty and simple idea perfect when you have little time to prepare an appetizer or an accompaniment for an aperitif but still want to impress guests.
Based on a typical combination, cheese with fruit, but a bit unusual as it involves the use of Pomegranate seeds, these cheese balls will amaze you with the contrast between the creaminess of the cheese and the juicy crunchiness of the Pomegranate seeds.
In this recipe, two types of ricotta (cow’s milk and sheep’s milk) are combined, mixed with grated pecorino and flavored with aromatic herbs: the result? Absolutely worth trying!
A recipe so simple and quick that even children can make it: just mix different types of cheese in a bowl, add a pinch of aromatic herbs for a special touch to the dough, then form balls and roll them in Pomegranate seeds. After a few minutes of rest in the fridge, your Cheese and Pomegranate Balls are ready to be served.
A cheese mixture that can alternatively be coated with other ingredients such as oilseeds (pistachio granules, chopped walnuts, chopped toasted hazelnuts, sesame seeds), with spices (sweet paprika, peppercorns) or aromatic herbs (chives, parsley) will still be a success.
I invite you to try this version because the seeds of the Pomegranate fruit perfectly complete the cheese mixture with their sweet and juicy taste, and their bright red color makes this finger food extremely beautiful to look at.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 135.96 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 10.72 (g) of which sugars 8.13 (g)
- Proteins 6.58 (g)
- Fat 7.92 (g) of which saturated 4.89 (g)of which unsaturated 1.80 (g)
- Fibers 1.96 (g)
- Sodium 557.35 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 cup cow's milk ricotta
- 3/4 cup sheep's milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup pecorino (grated)
- 2 pomegranates
- 1 tsp aromatic herbs (chives or parsley or marjoram)
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground)
Tools
- Bowl
Steps
Finely chop the aromatic herbs with a knife and set aside. In a bowl, combine both ricottas and work them with a fork or a hand whisk until they become a smooth cream. Add the grated pecorino, taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Also add the aromatic herbs and mix until they are perfectly incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, extract the Pomegranate seeds (how to open and extract Pomegranate seeds), collect them in a plate and let the liquid drain, dry them well with paper towels to make them adhere better to the cheese balls.
Now you’re ready to compose the Cheese and Pomegranate Balls. Lightly moisten your hands and take about 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture from the bowl, form a ball about 1.6-2 inches in diameter. Continue until the mixture is used up. Once the cheese truffles are ready, roll them in the plate with the Pomegranate seeds, applying light pressure to make them adhere. Place them on a serving platter as you prepare them. Keep them in the fridge until ready to serve.
NOTES
You can prepare the cheese mixture the night before: after a night in the fridge it will be much easier to handle to form the balls.
A more original and elegant way to present the cheese balls is to place them inside chocolate paper cases, they will be fantastic for the aperitif time or a standing buffet.
VARIATIONS
As an alternative to the Pomegranate seed coating, you can cover the cheese balls with spices or oilseeds. Some examples are: poppy seeds, chopped hazelnuts, chopped pistachios, chopped chives, sesame seeds, or sweet paprika. Just put the ingredients in different plates and roll the cheese balls in the different coatings.
STORAGE
Cheese and Pomegranate seed balls can be stored, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How do you tell if a pomegranate is ripe?
To tell if a Pomegranate is ripe, pay attention to the color, weight, and size. It should have a bright red color, be of reasonable weight which means it is well filled with firm seeds.
Why is the pomegranate fruit given as a gift?
The pomegranate fruit has been considered auspicious since ancient times as a symbol of abundance, fertility, and luck because it contains many seeds (about 600).
How to store the pomegranate until Christmas?
To store Pomegranate fruits until Christmas, simply keep them in fruit crates wrapped in straw. Another method is to store pomegranates in the freezer at a temperature of -0.4°F.
