Cranberry Cheese "Present" Appetizer Recipe

 

Well I cook and bake a great deal

 but don't really blog about food I fix much,

 unless it's about tea party fare.

 

 

Today I am sharing one of my favorite Christmas recipes

 that I borrowed years ago from my friend Dawn.

 She brought this to our church choir Christmas Party

and I have been making it ever since!

 

It's a real show-stopper with lots of flavor!

 

 

 

 

 

This pic is kinda bleh taken years ago - way before my good camera and blogging

since then I never bothered to take pics of it again -

B ut it's too good not to share this holiday recipe with you all!

 

 

 

CRANBERRY CHEESE CHRISTMAS “PRESENT” APPETIZER

16 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup REAL mayonnaise

½ cup finely chopped sweet onion

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp.  ground red pepper

1 cup chopped lightly toasted pecans plus 1/2 cup for topping

¼ cup chopped toasted pecan “dust”

1 8 ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce

Green onions (only need two of the green strips but have a couple in case they tear)

1 orange

party crackers or sliced baguette
 

Beat first 6 ingredients at med speed with mixer, then gently stir in  1 cup of your chopped  pecans.

Shape mixture into a 5 x 5 x 2 inch box.  (I made  mine by cutting up an old milk carton to make the sides and just placed on a waxed paper cardboard base –creating a makeshift “spring form” in a square shape.)

Spoon mixture into box to form a square shape.  Cover and chill at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

When getting ready to serve:  Gently pull off the box form and discard. Sprinkle the pecan dust all over the sides and top of your cheese and press it into the cheese a bit.

Lift the cheese block onto your serving tray. Spoon cranberry sauce over cheese square and make it tidy on top- but don’t let it spill over the edges if you can help it. Then sprinkle the sauce with your reserved 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans. You will see I used walnuts on my topper because I ran out of pecans that time. Either works but pecans taste better.

Cut the white part from 4 green onions. Blanch the strips in boiling water 1 minute until tender, and save the white part for other use. Run under cold water to stop the blanching and to cool the strip. Drain well and gently pat dry. Press two strips in the form of a cross on the top of the cheese – that will be your ribbon bow.  Cut a skinny long strip from your orange – longer the better, and it’s more difficult than it sounds – and gently tie into a “bow” and place in center of the cross portion of your two green strips.

Serve with crackers and/or bread.

 

Enjoy!

  

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