Midnight Jack (Smoky Cheddar Cheese Ball)

My 12 year old son, who doesn't like cheese on anything but pizza, opened the fridge the other day and said, "Mom, why is there nothing but cheese in here?" I started to laugh because he was right, there was a hell of a lot of cheese in there. I'd been working on a few recipe ideas and had to make them a few times to get it right. Also, I'd been online shopping and had a bunch of artisanal cheeses that didn't look like the usual suspects of mozzarella and cheddar. He was not happy. Needless to say, my laughter made him turn and walk out of the kitchen. 😉 

'Green' Reaper Platter 

Despite already blogging this gorgeous fruit and cheese plate and a whole refrigerator full of cheese, I was compelled to squeeze in one more cheese dish with these festive and fun Midnight Jacks. I made two variations, a traditional orange and black jack-o-lantern made with sharp cheddar and smoky paprika, and a green and black lack-o-lantern made with Gouda, and Spinach Pesto to match my green and black Halloween theme this year. 

Honestly, I wish I had thought of this Midnight Jack last year when my color theme was orange and black...but oh well, better late than never. The best thing about this easy recipe is that it's so versatile. Create any flavor combination or color combination desired to match your Halloween theme. Here are a few ideas to play around with.

Orange: sharp cheddar with smoked paprika.(recipe below)
Green: green Gouda with spinach and herbs (recipe below)
Purple/Pink:red wine cheese with beet powder or blackberry jam.
Blue: a white cheese with blueberry powder or jam.
Yellow: a white cheese with yellow curry, turmeric and spices
Black with Orange coating: add charcoal powder and garlic to the cheese mixture and roll in finely crushed cheese crackers or Cheetos®

Here's the Spinach and Pesto Cheese version. Didn't he turn out cute? Enjoy!

Midnight Jack (Smokey Cheddar Cheese Ball)

Makes ~2 cups

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 clove garlic, grated
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. reg. paprika (to intensify color)
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. white pepper
1-2 t. olive oil
1/4 cup poppy seeds
Vanilla bean pod for stem
Charcoal Crackers (link) 

In a food processor, blend cream cheese and grated garlic together until smooth. Add cheddar cheese and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process adding olive oil if cheese mixture is too dry. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  Line a small 4 inch diameter bowl with plastic wrap and spoon in about half of the cheese mixture. Press cheese mixture into bottom of the small bowl making sure to remove gaps and air pockets. Add remaining cheese. Lift plastic wrap over cheese and twist molding a tight ball. Refrigerate overnight.

Cut jack-o-lantern faces out of parchment paper and position parchment paper cut outs onto one side of cheeseball, pressing gently to ensure parchment sticks to cheese. 

Pour poppy seeds into a shallow bowl or plate and roll cheese ball in poppy seeds.


  

To insure a sharp line of poppy seeds that outline the face of the jack-o-lantern, gently push poppy seeds around the edge of the parchment paper. and into the cheese. After cheese ball is completely covered, use tweezers to slowly remove the parchment to reveal the jack-o-lantern face. 

Add broken vanilla bean to the top of the cheeseball to create a stem for the Jack-o-lantern and serve with crackers.  

Midnight Jack (Spinach Pesto Cheese Ball): 

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 clove garlic, grated
2 cups Green Pesto Gouda (link)/Sage Derby Cheese (link)
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh spinach (add more to enhance color)
1/4 t. white pepper
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup poppy seeds
bell pepper stem 
Charcoal Crackers (link) 

In a food processor, blend cream cheese and grated garlic together until smooth. Add gouda and derby cheeses and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process adding olive oil if cheese mixture is too dry. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  Line a small 4 inch diameter bowl with plastic wrap and spoon in about half of the cheese mixture. Press cheese mixture into bottom of the small bowl making sure to remove gaps and air pockets. Add remaining cheese. Lift plastic wrap over cheese and twist molding a tight ball. Refrigerate overnight. 
Cut jack-o-lantern faces out of parchment paper and position onto side of cheese ball, pressing gently to ensure parchment sticks to cheese. Pour poppy seeds into a shallow bowl or plate and roll cheese ball in poppy seeds. To insure a sharp line of poppy seeds that outline the face of the jack-o-lantern, gently push poppy seeds around the edge of the parchment paper. After cheese ball is completely covered, use tweezers to slowly remove the parchment to reveal the jack-o-lantern face. Add bell pepper stem to the top of the cheeseball to create a stem for the Jack-o-lantern and serve with crackers.

More Halloween Recipes to try:

Bloody Eyeball Bruschetta

Jack-o-lantern Cupcakes

Spiderweb Eggs