BRUSCHETTA CHEESE BALL

INGREDIENTS Cheese Ball 1 Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese 5.2 oz. 1 brick cream cheese 8 oz. brick, room temperature 1/4 cup sour cream 1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly finely grated 2 Roma tomatoes chopped with seeds and flesh removed* 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped, rinsed, dried** 1/2 cup basil leaves chopped 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Panko Sun-Dried Tomato Coating 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon butter 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes diced, rinsed, dried** 3 tablespoons basil leaves chopped Garnish 1 Roma tomato chopped (more or less) 1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade (more or less) Dippers 1-2 baguettes sliced into 1/2 “ slices*** olive oil crackers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cheese Ball: Add all of the Cheese Ball ingredients to a large bowl and mix with a spatula until well combined. Drop mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap, cover tightly, and shape into a ball. Freeze for 1-2 hours or chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours up to 24 hours.
2. Panko- Sun-Dried Tomato Coating: While the cheese ball is chilling, prepare Coating by melting butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in panko and continue to stir constantly until panko is golden. Cool completely then stir in sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
3. Assemble: When ready to serve, remove cheese ball from freezer/fridge, roll in toasted panko mixture, pressing to adhere, until evenly coated. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. Serve with baguette slices and crackers (optional).
4. Baguette slices: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 1-2 large baking sheet with baguette slices. Brush top sides of slices with olive oil and flip all the slices over so the olive oil is SIDE DOWN on the baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges.

RECIPE NOTES

Total Time does not include chilling as this will vary upon individual.
*You just want the firm outer part of the tomato so when you cut your tomatoes, scoop out the inside flesh and seeds so all that remains is the firm part – we don’t want the extra moisture in our cheeseball. After you chop your tomatoes, pat them dry once more with a paper towel.
**Measure the sun-dried tomatoes, then rinse them and squeeze them dry before chopping.
***You can either prepare 1 baguette and supplement with crackers or prepare 2 baguettes and not use crackers.