Holly Ball 2019: Erica Kane’s Cheese Teasers (1983)

Another Holly Ball bite!

Today’s ball recipe is ultra-fitting since a prime-time reboot of the ABC daytime soap All My Children was just announced. As someone who used to watch AMC, consider my interest piqued. But let’s face it, the show will be incomplete if Susan Lucci (a.k.a. Erica Kane) doesn’t show.

Speaking of Erica Kane, here is the Love in the Afternoon Cookbook (1983). It’s a collection of recipes inspired by characters from the ‘ol ABC daytime soaps.

I picked up this gem at Kitchen Arts & Letters in Manhattan–right after I taped my epic appearance on Chopped.

As soon as I got it, I flipped to the Erica Kane chapter: MIDNIGHT SNACKS & ALLURING APPETIZERS.

It is written in first person and it is just what you’d expect from Erica.

A few excerpts:

I am giving you a peek at my Midnight Snacks and Alluring Appetizers. They’re a provocative prelude to a beautiful evening or a delicious way to end the perfect night…

You, too, can inspire ecstacy with my Oysters Sensuelle…No one can resist the allure of my Midnight Meatballs***  or Passion Pate…

But it’s my Cheese Teasers that capture everyone’s fancy. Just blend cream cheese and Roquefort cheese in your food processor. Then chill this tangy cheese concoction and wrap it around a luscious grape. Roll the cheese-covered grape in crushed peanuts or cashews–the nuts will adhere to the grapes since you’ve chilled the cheese. What a surprise when guests bite into the cheese and discover a soft fruit center!

OK, so the introductory text basically gave away the entire recipe. But here it is anyway:

And here are the finished balls:

I may have used pecans instead of cashews or peanuts. I honestly cannot remember.

But I do remember that these weren’t the easiest to make. The chilled cheese was difficult to get around individual grapes. As soon as the mixture got warm enough to be pliable, it was then too warm to stick on the grape.  So these took a while to make. A lot of in-and-out of the fridge so the mix would stay the right temp.

These were a semi-success. Grapes + cheese + nuts = a cheese plate in one bite! But, because of that temperature thing, the nuts started to fall off as they sat on the buffet. And the leftovers didn’t really keep, so I had to throw a lot away. Which makes me sad.

But the news of the AMC reboot makes me happy!

***Erica Kane’s Midnight Meatballs will 100% be on next year’s Holly Ball table.