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Bacon-Pimento Cheese Truffles

Source of Recipe


From "Pimento Cheese" by Perre Coleman Magness



List of Ingredients



• 10 bacon slices
  
• 1 cup pecan halves
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
  
• 8 ounces extra-sharp orange Cheddar cheese
  
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes, at room temperature
  
• 1 tablespoon bacon fat
  
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
  
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• One 4-ounce jar diced pimentos, rinsed and drained
  






Instructions



1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the bacon slices on the rack. Cook the bacon in the oven until very crispy, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, and pat the bacon strips on both sides with paper towels to blot excess fat. Set aside to cool.
   
   
2. Break five of the bacon slices into pieces and put into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add ½ cup of the pecan halves and the parsley. Process until the bacon and pecans are the texture of coarse bread crumbs. Scoop the crumbs out onto a flat plate.
   
   
3. Switch to the grating disk and grate the Cheddar cheese. Switch back to the metal blade, add the cream cheese, the remaining 5 bacon slices, broken into pieces, the remaining ½ cup pecans, the bacon fat, chives, salt, paprika, and cayenne and process until the cheese begins to come together. Add the pimentos and process until smooth and all the ingredients are incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
   
   
4. To make the truffles, using your clean hands, shape the cheese mixture into small balls about the size of a quarter, then roll the cheese balls in the bacon crumbs, pressing them into the sides of the balls. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm. The cheese truffles can be made up to three days ahead.
   
   
5. Serve with cocktail picks, or in the center of round crackers on an elegant serving platter.
   
   Makes about 25 truffles