The holiday entertaining season presents an opportunity for us to try new and different recipes. Your guests will long remember these ones: ENJOY!

Asbach Cheese Ball

254 g cream cheese

120 g Canadian medium cheddar cheese, grated

70 g blue cheese

1 clove garlic, minced and crushed

1 g chopped fresh chives (soak dry chives in the Asbach)

15 ml Asbach Uralt brandy (note that in Ontario, Asbach Uralt has been delisted so just use your favourite brandy)

45 ml sour cream

Cream the cream cheese at room temperature for about five minutes, using the dough hook of your kitchen machine. Still using the dough hook, add the other ingredients and combine well. Heap the mixture onto a piece of cello wrap and wrap well. Store for an hour or so in the refrigerator or until the consistency is such that you can work with it. Form a large ball and roll in crushed walnuts. Chill or freeze until party day. Serve at room temperature.

Variations: Make 1 ½-inch balls from the cheese mixture and roll them in walnuts.

Asbach Cheese Dip: Add a little more sour cream to the above recipe (about half a small dish) and stir well. It’s a super dip to serve with chips or crackers, but especially good with homemade croissants.

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Balls

1 c Canadian cheddar cheese, grated

1 T parmesan cheese, grated

1 T Romano cheese, grated

1 egg, separated

¼ c seasoned coarse fresh breadcrumbs

¼ t French’s prepared mustard (or Dijon for a completely different taste)

salt to taste

pinch cayenne pepper

For rolling – very fine seasoned breadcrumbs

Mix all of the ingredients together except the egg white. Whip the egg white until very stiff but not dry and fold into cheese mixture. Form into bite-size balls and roll in very fine seasoned breadcrumbs. Deep fry a small quantity at a time for just a few seconds.

Regular seasoned breadcrumbs are made by adding your favourite herbs and spices. I use 1 t. thyme, ½ t. poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to 2 c of breadcrumbs.

Variation: Roll cheese balls in ground walnuts instead of fine crumbs. Perhaps try Panko crumbs. Delicious!

Bitterballen (veal croquettes)

Traditionally served at New Year’s or Christmas, these delightful “meatballs” will have all your guests coming back for seconds and thirds. They are good year-round, not just for special occasions.

The bitterballen are deep-fried and served piping hot with hot mustard; keep them warm in the oven until serving time or make them ahead and reheat in 300 F oven for about half an hour prior to serving. The name is misleading, because there is nothing bitter about them. The name comes from the occasions on which they are served, when “bitters” are frequently offered along with drinks, particularly gin. This is traditionally a Dutch treat, but the following is my own creation and we serve it all year round to family and friends who drop in.

Bitterballen freeze well, so you can always have some on hand. They will keep for several days in the coldest part of the fridge, although they will not keep indefinitely because of the cream content. So you really don’t think much of veal? Kind of blah and tasteless, you say? Your husband wouldn’t eat veal, so no sense even trying this recipe? Well, if you insist. Funny, I’m sure he’d be back for seconds at my house.

1 lb. ground veal

¼ lb. ground pork

salt, pepper, Italian seasoning

garlic salt

thyme

sage

1 egg, beaten

¾ c course breadcrumbs, brown or cracked wheat

chopped parsley

2 tbsp. cream

seasoned breadcrumbs

beaten eggs

oil or lard for deep-frying

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl and form 1-inch balls (rather large). Cover with oiled waxed paper if you aren’t going to deep-fry them straight away. Roll balls in beaten egg and then in seasoned breadcrumbs. Deep-fry. Test oil with cube of dry bread. Bread should deep-fry to a beautiful golden colour on both sides in about 60 seconds; or with thermometer, oil should reach 375 F, not hotter or it will smoke. I always deep-fry using corn oil.

You should always use a deep cast-iron pot or a heavy baked-enamel pot for deep-frying, if you don’t have a deep-fryer. Never try to deep-fry in an aluminum pot and do not have liquid fat deeper than half way up the side of the pot. Bitterballen will cook in about 3-4 minutes on each side. Makes about 30. (Plan on 4-6 per person because they’ll be back for seconds.)