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This Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball is light, fresh and delicious. It's gorgeous too and tends to make jaws drop!
For some reason, my brain has been in overdrive lately in the kitchen and instead of a having a zillion ideas and things I want to try I've had about 5 zillion... This Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball is one of them. Ever since my jaw dropped last month over a "Pomegranate Jeweled" cheeseball on Pinterest, I've been thinking about making my own version. I wanted something light, fresh and fun - so I decided to go with a smidgen of garlic, a bit of fine lemon zest and lots of fresh herbs for my flavors.
Being one of those alliteration lovers, I'm calling this my Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball, but it also includes fresh rosemary and thyme, toasted pecans, lower fat neufchâtel cream cheese and a generous dose of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
Putting together the cheese ball will take you less than 10 minutes, but there's an hour chill in the fridge. Another 10 minutes to add the pomegranate arils (seeds) and you're good to go!
This Pomegranate, Parsley and Pecan Cheeseball will feed a crowd, so if you're not serving a lot of people, just make it into two smaller balls and keep one refrigerated (minus the pomegranates) till your next party. Then all you'll have to do is add the pretty arils and guess what?
You'll be the one making the jaws drop!
P.S. Not real familiar with pomegranates? Not sure what to do with them? Here's a super easy tutorial for a really easy way to remove the beautiful jewel-like seeds. Pomegranates used to scare me, but now I use them all the time!
A delicious new cheeseball variation - it's light, fresh and fun - with a smidgen of garlic, a bit of fine lemon zest and lots of fresh herbs. It's gorgeous too and tends to make jaws drop!
- 1 cup pomegranate arils or seeds drained
- 8 ounces Neufachel cream cheese softened (You can use regular cream cheese, but I like the lower fat Neufachel variety.)
- 1 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley finely chopped or snipped
- 1 teaspoon finely zested lemon peel
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish
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Place several thicknesses of paper toweling on a dinner plate. Place pomegranate arils on toweling in a single layer. Cover with another paper towel and pat gently. Refrigerate on plate, allowing arils to drain while preparing cheeseball.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, Monterey Jack cheese, pecans, garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, lemon zest and black pepper. Beat for 1 minute or until well combined.
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Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Scoop cream cheese mixture onto one side of the plastic wrap. Fold other half over the mixture and working with your hands form into a ball. Don't worry if it's not super round at this point. Place in refrigerator and chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
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Remove from refrigerator and discard plastic wrap. With a clean sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a round ball. Remove pomegranate plate from refrigerator and discard paper towels. Place cheese ball in the center of the plate. With your hands, scoop up pomegranate arils and gently, but firmly press them into the cheeseball till most of the white is covered. Once the entire ball is covered with pomegranates, you can gently reshape it one more time, if needed.
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Place on a serving plate, sprinkle with more chopped parsley and serve with crackers or crostini. Can be made 4-5 hours in advance and refrigerated, covered lightly with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Serves 20-24.
diana says
stunning, thank you for the recipe, is neufachel a blue cheese and did you use flat leaf or curly parsley? Diana from Toronto
Chris Scheuer says
I Diana, Neufachel is a lower fat cream cheese. You could also you regular cream cheese. I like the curly parsley for this recipe but you could use either.
Julie says
Hi ! I wonder, Need your advice which better Pomegranate arils (seeds) can chew it or seeds throw away ?
Thank you,
Julie
Chris Scheuer says
Julie, pom seeds are just like raspberry or blackberry seeds. You can eat them, and it's part of the wonderful crunch experience of a pom.
Judy says
Hi Chris,
What kind of crackers do you have pictured next to the cheese ball?
Just to let you know, I have folder on my computer strictly for your fantastic recipes.
Thank you.
Clara says
Wowza this is great - from the UK!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Clara!
SUe says
Looks gorgeous!!! Have you ever tried using a different more flavorful cheese like a blue instead of Monterey Jack? Also, when do you add the garlic? In with the rest I presume but just want to make sure. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sue, I think a portion of Blue Cheese would be wonderful!
Monique says
How did I miss this?
So beautiful!
Valya @ Valya' s Taste of Home says
This looks gorgeous Chris! What a delicious holiday treat! Healthy too. Love your pictures! 🙂
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C says
So, I was quickly scrolling through my blog feed when I got a glimpse of this showstopping appetizer. WHOA! Jaw-dropping is right. Outstanding! Pinning for sure.
spoon stories says
So great idea Chris!!!I love it and I am going to try it at Christmas^^
Juliana says
Wow, this is such a pretty cheese ball...it will sure bring lots and lots of smiles...I love the layer of fresh pomegranate seeds and the cheese spread just sound delicious!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe Chris...hope you are having a fabulous week 🙂