Description
Swedish reindeer cheese delight combines Arctic flavors with creamy textures from northern Scandinavia. Hearty ingredients and simple preparation make this dish a memorable Nordic culinary experience you can easily enjoy at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz block of medium cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2–3 tbsps ranch seasoning mix
- 2 regular sized pretzels (e.g., Snyder’s Olde Tyme Pretzels)
- 2 medium pitted black olives
- 1 cherry tomato
Instructions
- Blend Creation: In a spacious mixing bowl, whip cream cheese and sour cream using an electric mixer until achieving a smooth, creamy texture that promises rich, luxurious consistency.
- Flavor Infusion: Fold in shredded cheddar cheese and ranch seasoning, thoroughly mixing to ensure uniform flavor distribution and balanced taste profile.
- Shaping Process: Lay out plastic wrap, transfer cheese mixture onto it, and gently mold into a compact spherical shape, twisting wrap edges to seal completely. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight to allow flavors to intensify and texture to set.
- Coating Technique: Remove cheese ball from refrigerator and roll generously in chopped pecans, ensuring a complete, even coverage that adds delightful nutty crunch and textural dimension.
- Decorative Assembly: Transform the cheese ball into a playful reindeer by strategically positioning pretzel sticks as antlers, placing black olives for eyes, and crowning with a vibrant cherry tomato nose. Arrange on a festive serving platter surrounded by an array of crisp crackers and optional fresh herb garnishes to complete the whimsical presentation.
Notes
- Chill for Flavor Fusion: Refrigerate for minimum 4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow ingredients to blend and develop a richer, more complex taste profile.
- Texture Tip: Soften cream cheese at room temperature for smoother mixing and easier blending with other ingredients.
- Coating Technique: Roll cheese ball in pecans evenly, pressing gently to ensure a complete and consistent nutty exterior.
- Decorative Design: Use fresh, firm ingredients like pretzels, olives, and cherry tomatoes for the most attractive and stable reindeer presentation.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Appetizer
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Scandinavian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg