Cheese balls for beer are another option for replacing harmful chips, nuts and crackers. Thanks to its neutral flavor, homemade cheese balls pair well with both light and dark beers. They can also be served as a separate treat with sour cream or ketchup. The total cooking time (together with roasting) is 40-50 minutes.
Any hard cheese will do, as long as it melts well. For frying, it is better to use odorless refined sunflower oil. The amount of salt depends on individual preferences, if cheese balls are made for the company, then only egg whites should be salted for better whipping, and salt should be served separately for the finished dish.
Ingredients for 6-7 servings:
- hard cheese (Dutch, Russian, etc.) – 300 grams;
- wheat flour – 5 tablespoons and for breading;
- chicken eggs (only protein) – 5 pieces;
- vegetable oil – 350-400 ml (for frying);
- salt – to taste.
cheese ball recipe
1. Grind the cheese on a fine grater, but not into dust. It is desirable that thin chips are obtained.
2. Beat the eggs, separate the whites from the yolks.
3. Pour the proteins into a deep container. Add 1-2 pinches of salt, beat with a mixer or a whisk until a stable homogeneous foam appears, which holds its shape and does not move in a bowl. Approximately, like a biscuit or meringue.
4. Add cheese and flour to whipped proteins. Knead with your hands until a homogeneous viscous and slightly sticky mass is obtained. If the dough does not hold its shape well, you can add a little more flour or grated cheese.
5. Sift flour for breading onto a cutting board. Wet your hands with water and divide the dough into small pieces of the same size. Roll into balls the size of a walnut.
6. Roll the resulting blanks in flour for breading, then shake the excess flour that does not adhere well to the balls so that the flour does not interfere with frying.
7. Pour vegetable oil into a saucepan or stewpan. Heat on the stove until almost boiling (a light smoke will appear). To check the condition of the oil, you can miss a small piece of cheese dough – bubbles and hiss should appear.
The amount of oil depends on the volume of the pan (stewpan) and the size of the workpieces. To maintain a round shape, the cheese balls should not touch the bottom of the container when frying. Therefore, the oil layer should be high enough, and it is better to fry the balls in small batches.
8. Lower the cheese balls on a slotted spoon into the boiling oil (if you just throw it in, the crust may burst and the cheese will flow out). Fry until a ruddy color appears, stirring occasionally and making sure that the workpieces do not touch each other.
Attention! Before adding each new batch of balls to the pan, you should check the oil level, if it is not enough, first you need to add oil, wait for it to boil, and only then continue frying.
9. Remove the finished cheese balls for beer with a slotted spoon, put on paper napkins to remove excess fat. After a couple of minutes, transfer to a plate and serve hot. The dish goes well with ketchup, fresh sour cream and garlic sauce.
