Friday, August 31, 2012

Gourmet Cheese Truffles with Goat Cheese, Triple Cream Cheese, Honeycomb, & Ground Pisatchio

Gourmet Cheese Truffles
Okay, so these would be the best little party appetizer. I mean, whenever I go to a party, there is always a big ole' plate of cheese and other what-not's that disappear within minutes. But, that can get a little messy when everyone is wanting to cut different cheese and spread on different condiments. Well, this solves the problem, friends. Meet Gourmet Cheese Truffles. The cheesy cousin to chocolate truffles. They are essentially your favorite soft cheese, stuffed with honeycomb, and rolled in ground nuts. I chose two cheeses because I couldn't decide what I wanted. I am a major sucker for goat cheese, so I knew that I wanted to try that, but I was intrigued by using Triple Cream Cheese. I also think that brie would work perfectly, as well as a soft blue cheese. You have to chill the honey into balls (which did by twisting it in plastic wrap) because it will be too runny to cover with cheese. You have to work kind of fast because the cheese and honey start to soften quite a bit, and then it gets a little messy from there. I decided to roll my truffles into ground pistachio because I love them and I thought they provided a great contrast of color. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds can be substituted as well if you like one of those better. Or you can just do a mix of a bunch of different cheeses &  nuts for a variety. That would be super fun. So, next time you are having a dinner party, cocktail party, or well, just happy hour, whip these out and your friends will be quite impressed with your mini cheese course!! Enjoy :)
I love the color of those bright green pistachios...
The truffles in the left & right rows are made with Triple Cream Cheese,
while the truffles in the middle are made with Goat Cheese
For the Cheese Truffles:
Goat Cheese or Triple Cream Cheese (as much as you want)
Honey Comb
Ground Pistachios (ground walnuts, almonds, or pecans can be substituted as well)

Directions:
1. To begin the truffles, place about ½-1t of honeycomb onto a piece of plastic wrap and tightly squeeze, while twisting the top, to form honeycomb balls. Place the wrapped balls into the freezer to chill & harden. This will make it easier to form the cheese around it.   
2. Slice off a tab of either goat cheese or triple cream cheese, about 1T of it, and begin to flatten it into a disc. Unwrap a honey ball from the freezer and place it into the center of the cheese. Gently wrap and shape the cheese around the honey. Roll in between your hands to make a round ball, making sure that the honey is completely concealed. Immediately roll in ground pistachios (or any other nut you prefer) and place into the refrigerator to chill completely before serving. Repeat with the cheese and honey until you have as many truffles as you want.
3. Keep them chilled until you are ready to serve. To serve, remove them from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before and place them onto a plate. Enjoy with a glass of wine!

2 comments:

  1. I've never eaten honeycomb, does it have a texture like honey, or is it chewy? This recipe sounds devine and I will be trying it soon for a co-worker who has to be gluten free. I always feel guilty when I bring in something yummy that he can't eat, but this would definitely redeem myself! Thanks for more inspiring food.Miss B

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    1. Honeycomb is definitely very different from honey. The honeycomb portion of it is very waxy and slightly chewy, but it still has the gooey-silkiness of honey as well. I do know that it's kind of something you love or hate. But, when placed into the cheese truffle, it loses that texture that some people dislike. The honeycomb is just easier to work with when trying to roll it up in the balls and stuffing into the cheese. We honestly couldn't really tell the texture between the cheese and the nuts. I hope this helps! Just make sure to keep the honey cold/chilled the whole time because it can get quite messy if not! It might take a little practice, but you'll get the hang of it after a few. Let me know how it goes :)

      XOXO,
      Juliana

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