Author Notes
I originally found something like it on the web...then transformed it into something toteable and loveable. - loubaby —loubaby
Test Kitchen Notes
My favorite part of this dish was the toasty rosemary-flecked pecan crust. It was so yummy that I found myself eating it straight out of the bowl. Loubaby’s simple recipe pays big dividends – these miniature cheese balls are easy to make and fun to eat. A couple of suggestions though: I upped the rosemary amount to 1½ teaspoons. I used a locally produced goat cheese flavored with herbs, and I found that the flavors fought a bit with the rosemary/pecan crust, so next time I might try a non-flavored artisanal cheese. I also recommend freezing the poppers for at least an hour so that they properly firm up. —cookinginvictoria
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups
pecan halves
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2 1/2 tablespoons
unsalted butter, melted
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2 1/2 tablespoons
brown sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
sea salt
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1 teaspoon
minced, fresh rosemary
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1 pound
Goat cheese
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1/2 teaspoon
finely ground fresh black pepper
Directions
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Preheat to 400. Toss pecans with butter, sugar, salt and rosemary; toast until browned 8-10 minutes in 400 oven. Cool.
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Finely chop pecans in food processor til finely chopped. Make sure pecans are really cool or cold before rolling cheese.
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Form herbed cheese into 1/2 inch sized balls and roll in seasoned pecans; drop into small paper doily cups and chill in refrigerator or freeze for 1/2 hour before setting out on your party table. Freeze or chill your serving plate as well. I like to chill the plain cheese balls on waxed paper in the refrigerator and roll in the nut mixture as close to serving as possible to retain the crisp crunch of the butterey pecans.
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Note: My original recipe called for Boursin herbed cheese and that is good, but lately I have been using plain Goat cheese mixed with a little pepper; I like the cleaner flavor.
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