Pomegranate Jeweled White Cheddar, Toasted Almond and Sage Cheeseball

Welcome to Vegetarian & Cooking! Thanksgiving 2016. I've been incredibly busy lately, but Dave and I managed to make time to put together this easy and delicious vegetarian Thanksgiving feast. The appetizer would make a great addition to any Thanksgiving meal.

Recipe slightly adapted from How Sweet Eats.

Ingredients:

-10 fresh sage leaves, minced

-1 (8-ounce) block neufchatel, softened

-4 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened

-6 ounces freshly grated sharp white cheddar cheese

-1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-1 cup pomegranate arils

-crackers or baguette for serving

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, mascarpone and cheddar cheese. Using your electric mixer beat until combined, then add in the almonds, sage leaves, salt and pepper. Mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Take the cheese out of the bowl and form it into a big ball (as best you can). Wrap the entire ball in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

While the cheese mixture is firming up in the fridge, place the pomegranate arils on a paper towel and pat them completely dry. You want to remove as much moisture as possible, if the arils are wet, they will not stick to the cheese ball.

After 30 minutes remove the cheese ball from the fridge and use your hands to mold the cheese into a smoother ball. Roll the ball through the arils and use your hands to press arils into all the cracks and crevices.

Serve it immediately or keep it in the fridge until ready to use. According to How Sweet Eats, "if you want to make it ahead of time, you can rolls the ball 1 to 2 days beforehand. I'd wait until the night before or morning of to add the pomegranate arils, and you may need to let the cheese come to room temp a bit so it's sticky enough."