I made these little cheese balls for a gaming night last week, and thought they were a terrific hors d’oeuvre. They have a nice tang without tasting too yogurty, and the texture is soft and creamy like chevre. The marinade is fragrant with garlic and dill, and there’s a rustic elegance to the look of white cheese swimming in herb-infused oil. Because of the delicate texture, I couldn’t quite get them to be perfectly spherical, but I think they are supposed to be a little rough - perfection is overrated, anyway, right? The recipe takes hardly any effort at all and is very inexpensive to make…although it does require at least 24 hours of planning ahead so the yogurt has time to drain.

The little guys are pretty versatile, too…I look forward to flavoring them with olives, za’atar, roasted cumin, red peppers…use your imagination! On Leite’s Culinaria, where I originally found the recipe, someone suggested just making a dip with the drained yogurt instead of forming balls, which is a good idea if you’re in a rush and is somewhat of a more traditional preparation of yogurt cheese. The balls do look quite nice for parties, though, and the flavorful leftover oil is a tasty bread dip in its own right.

Yogurt Cheese Balls Marinated in Garlic Dill Oil
Adapted from The Armenian Table by Victorian Jenanyan Wise

Yogurt Cheese:

1 1/2 quarts (about 3 cups) plain yogurt
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Marinade:

1 recipe Yogurt Cheese
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or Aleppo pepper

Crackers or flatbread for serving

To make the yogurt cheese:
Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth (making sure the fabric drapes over the sides) and place over a bowl. Spoon the yogurt inside the cheesecloth and let drain at room temperature for 4-6 hours. Stir in salt and cover with plastic wrap. Place yogurt in refigerator to continue draining for 12 to 24 hours more, being sure to pour off the whey in the bowl.

To Marinade:
With your hands or a small ice-cream scoop, gently roll the balls into tablespoon-sized portions (you should get about 15). Set the balls on a plate lined with paper towels, cover with more paper towels, and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Transfer balls to a dish with a lip or a shallow bowl. Combine olive oil, garlic, dill, and red pepper in a cup and pour over cheese balls. Refrigerate up to 1 week. Serves about 8-10.

Posted by the cookworm on Sunday, December 30th, 2007 at 12:31 pm.