Pistachio Cream Cheese Balls

Happy New Year!

Our feast for New Year dinner was simple yet elegant, so easy and fast to prepare that I was able to do it all in a span of an hour. This was because I prepared our menu in batches. You see, for our very first dinner for 2014, we had Paella (I used frozen sofrito which I prepared a month ago), fruit cake (which was also baked a month ago), and a cheese platter. 

The cheese platter consisted of supplies that was available in the pantry and the fridge, Vintage Cheddar (default fridge stock), fresh cherries, kalamata olives in a bottle and bottled sun dried tomato. The only thing I bought were the Manchego cheese and the Pistachio for the Pistachio Cream Cheese balls that I made 2 days prior to New Year.

In total, the only thing I cooked that night was the Paella that I had pipping hot off the stove after an hour. So easy and festive! 

Surprisingly, Toddler was so into the cheese platter as well! Before we even started dinner, he was was already munching the cheese. He loved all of it, well except for the kalamata olives hehehe.

Anyway, here is the recipe for the pistachio cream cheese balls. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. 

Pistachio Cream Cheese Balls
recipe from MarthaStewart

• 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup coarsely grated sharp white cheddar (4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
• Crackers, for serving

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, cheddar, Dijon, and Worcestershire until well combined; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until slightly firm, 1 to 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, toast pistachios over medium, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool.
3. Transfer cheese mixture to a piece of waxed paper; using paper, shape into a 6-inch-long log. Cover with pistachios, pressing to adhere. Wrap log in a fresh piece of waxed paper; chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours (or up to 1 day.