Photo by Jason Wyche (c)
*AS FAR AS PETS GO, I’m more of a dog person, but I’ll take a cat in cheese ball form any time. The nacho-cheesy flavor of this cat works really well with tortilla chips, but if you try to dip a chip into this feline it’ll break. Instead spread the cheese onto tortilla chips, or serve it with crackers instead.
ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, preferably orange
- 1 tablespoon grated onion (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon diced jalapeno (optional)
- 1 tablespoon tomato salsa
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Pinch coarse salt
- 1 carrot, 2 nacho cheese tortilla chips, 1 pitted black olive and fresh chives, for decorating
instructions
Using a stand mixer or a bowl and a spatula, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, onion and jalapeno (if using), salsa, cumin and salt until combined. Form the mixture into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
While the mixture is chilling, peel strips from the carrot to use as “stripes” on the cat and set aside. Peel the carrot until you reach the middle. Remove any bits of carrot sticking to the core of the carrot and reserve for the cat’s tail.
Before serving, unwrap the cheese ball and break off a 3-ounce portion (about the size of a golf ball), roll into a ball, and set aside; this will be the cat’s head. Form the remaining cheese mixture into an egg shape, and place on a plate. Arrange the reserved carrot strips on the egg shape to make the stripes. Attach the reserved carrot to the back of the cat for the tail. Place the reserved golf ball-sized cheese ball on the top of the cat to make the head. Stick the chips in for the cat’s ears. Cut the olive into eyes and a mouth and arrange on the cat[s face. Finish with pieces of chives for the cat’s whiskers.
*Excerpted from GREAT BALLS OF CHEESE, (c) 2013 by Michelle Buffardi. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
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