Herbed Goat Cheese Ball Recipes

Steps:

• Find a small, wide-mouth canning jar or small glass vase (3 1/2 inches in diameter by 4 inches high), just large enough to hold the two goat cheeses on top of each other with a little room to spare. Cut each cheese in half horizontally, making 2 rounds from each. (A piece of dental floss makes this easier.)
• Place half of the first disk flat in the jar, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with 1/2 teaspoon dill, 1 teaspoon basil, and a few red pepper flakes, and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Place another disk of cheese on top and repeat the seasonings, herbs, and oil. Continue with the remaining cheese disks, piling one on top of the other with oil and seasonings in between. When all the disks are stacked and seasoned, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top. Cover and set aside at room temperature for one hour or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature with bread or crackers for people to help themselves.

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix cream cheese, goat cheese, pepper, lemon juice, onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the parsley and 1 teaspoon each of the rosemary and oregano. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Working quickly, shape mixture into a ball.
• In glass pie plate or shallow dish, mix walnuts and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley and 1 teaspoon each rosemary and oregano. Roll cheese ball in mixture to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve with crackers.

Steps:

• In a large bowl using a hand held mixer or stand mixer, add the cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add the goat cheese and mix together with cream cheese until well blended.
• Add the herbs, dill, basil, rosemary, and chives and mix together. Lay plastic wrap on top of the inside of a smaller bowl completely covering the inside of the bowl leaving the excess plastic wrap hanging off the bowl. Use a rubber spatula and scoop the cheese mixture into the bowl.
• Once all the cheese has been added, take the ends of plastic wrap and cover the exposed cheese wrapping the entire mixture. Turn the wrapped cheese to the countertop and use your hands to form into a perfectly sized ball. Place inside the refrigerator for, at least, 2 hours.
• Turn the ball onto a serving platter and remove the plastic wrap. Garnish the ball by sprinkling with dill and parsley leaves, if desired. Serve with crackers.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Arrange bread slices on 2 heavy baking sheets. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the bread. Bake until crostini are pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir herbs, lemon zest, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using about 2 teaspoons of cheese for each, form the goat cheese into 1" balls. Roll cheese balls in the herb mixture to coat completely. Arrange balls on a platter.
• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over and around the cheese balls. Serve with crostini. Garnish with herb sprigs.
• Can prepare crostini and cheese balls 1 day ahead. Store crostini in air tight container at room temperature. COver and refrigerate cheese balls.

Steps:

• Mash together with a fork the goat cheese, cream cheese, herbs, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Chill this mixture in the refrigerator for a while to make it easier to work with.
• Roll small scoops of the goat cheese mix in your hands to make smooth balls.
• Put the balls in a clean jar, and completely cover with the evoo. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 day, to give the flavors time to develop.
• Serve on a cheese platter, or with baguette, crackers, crudites.
• The oil makes a wonderful addition to a salad dressing!