- 1 8-ounce brick cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 3 tablespoons crystallized ginger
- A pinch allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon (2 pinches) ground nutmeg
- 1 10-ounce package shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 jar (4 ounces) mango chutney, available in condiment aisle or 1/3 cup mincemeat pie filling (available in baking aisle)
- 1 cup macadamia or cashew nuts
- A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Soften cream cheese and butter in microwave for 45 seconds on the "defrost" setting.
Add it to the bowl of a food processor along with the ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cheddar, and chutney or mincemeat. Pulse until combined. Scrape mixture into a glass bowl, cover and chill until firm or overnight.
Before serving, chop nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Dump onto a plate and mix with the parsley.
Remove cheese mixture from fridge. One heaping teaspoon of cheese mixture at a time, shape the cheese into balls then roll them in the nut and parsley mixture. Or, as an alternative, form all of the cheese mixture into a large ball or two medium-size balls and coat with nuts.
Serve larger cheese balls as a spread, with assorted crackers and flat breads alongside.
