If you know, you know. I actually don’t know because I’ve never been to SUR and had them, but I do watch Vanderpump Rules and it’s where I first heard of goat cheese balls. Did they invent them? Probably not. But it IS where my interest in them was piqued.
I’m not a big reality tv person. Not because I think I’m above it or anything, I just prefer other forms of tv. My sister got me into watching VPR and it is a train wreck I could not look away from. It brings me back to the old days of watching The Real World before it got overly just binge drinky? I don’t know. But if you aren’t familiar it’s a Bravo tv show that (when it started at least) that centered on the lives of young adults working in a restaurant. One of the famous dishes from the show is fried goat cheese balls. I knew I had to try them.
When I lived in California, logistically I could have driven to LA to try the real deal but let’s be honest. I’m not that person. I can make them myself. How hard can it be? Turns out, not that hard. Plus, have you ever had goat cheese baked into something? It’s so good. I’d also recommend my Goat Cheese & Cranberry Star Bread or my Blackberry & Goat Cheese Braided Bread.
Goat cheese balls are pretty simple to make and don’t require that much time. Plus the ingredient list is small. It does require some deep frying, but they are small so it’s not that much oil. We can do this!
Goat Cheese Balls Key Ingredients
- Goat cheese – Obviously the star ingredient here. I went with plain, however I often use the goat cheese with honey which I’m sure would be excellent or even an herbed variety.
- Breadcrumbs – Lots of recipes for these use panko, but trust me you can get crispy crunchy exterior using breadcrumbs. I used the Italian seasoned type because it’s what was in my pantry and what I regularly use. If you use regular, probably add a little more spice.
- Vegetable Oil – We need a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Canola oil would be perfectly acceptable as well, or even peanut oil but it tends to be more expensive.
Ingredients
- 227 g Goat cheese 8 oz, room temperature
- 56 g Seasoned bread crumbs ½ cup
- 1 tsp Garlic salt
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 large Egg room temperature
- 30 g AP Flour ¼ cup
- 24 oz Neutral oil
- Honey for drizzling
- Balsamic reduction for drizzling
Instructions
- Add your flour to a shallow bowl or plate. Add breadcrumbs and spices to shallow bowl, mix together. Whisk egg into a bowl.
- Line a small cookie sheet with parchment. Set aside
- Take your goat cheese and slice into 8 equal slices. Cut each slice in half.
- Take each piece of cheese and form into a ball, rolling between your palms. Place on the sheet of parchment. Repeat with the rest of the cheese until you have 16 balls that are about 1 inch.
- Roll cheese in flour, then coat in egg, finishing in the breadcrumbs. Do not press breadcrumbs into the cheese but make sure it's sufficiently coated. Place back on baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the cheese.
- Freeze your goat cheese balls for 30-60 minutes. DO NOT SKIP this step. Freezing your cheese insures that the balls will not melt or fall apart in the hot oil. The cheese will thaw and heat up while frying and become soft. You do not want to start with soft cheese or they will most likely leak.
- Place your oil into a small heavy bottomed sauce pan. You want just enough oil to cover the goat cheese balls. 1.5-2". You can use a smaller pot as you don't want to fry them all at the same time.
- Heat your oil up to about 340-350°F. I recommend using a thermometer so your oil doesn't get too hot or too cold.
- When your goat cheese balls are frozen and oil is ready, fry in batches of about 4 for about 4 minutes. They are ready when they are a deep golden brown color. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Repeat with remaining cheese.
- When ready to serve (should be served fairly quickly) drizzle with honey and balsamic reduction/glaze. Enjoy!
