Cheese Balls
1 1/2 cups grated mild cheese 1 tablespoon flour 1/4 teaspoon salt Few grains cayenne Whites 3 eggs Cracker dust Mix cheese with flour and seasonings. Beat whites of eggs until stiff, and add to first mixture. Shape in small balls, roll in cracker dust, fry in deep fat, and drain on brown paper. Serve with salad course.
A simple fried cheese fritter from the era when a savoury course accompanied salad. The batter is little more than cheese held together with stiff egg white, so the handling of that white is what decides success.
- Fold, don't stirBeat the whites to firm peaks and fold them into the cheese in two additions. If you beat them into the mixture the balls collapse in the fat and leak cheese.
- Mild cheeseIn period usage this generally meant a young, firm, unaged pressed cheese of the Cheddar type rather than anything sharp. A mild yellow Cheddar or Monterey Jack grated fine works; sharp aged cheese is likelier to break its fat and oil out into the frying fat.
- Cracker dustFinely crushed plain soda or water crackers, sifted to a powder. Unseasoned dry breadcrumbs or panko ground fine are workable substitutes.
- Fat temperatureThe recipe gives no test or temperature. About 375F works in a modern kitchen: cooler and the balls soak and fall apart; hotter and the coating darkens before the inside melts. They need only about 1 to 2 minutes, until an even golden brown.
- Size and shapingThe recipe says only "small balls"; keep them to roughly a walnut, and roll them lightly in the crumbs immediately before frying. The mixture slackens as the egg white deflates, so fry in batches rather than shaping everything first.
- DrainingBrown paper was the standard grease blotter; use a rack set over a tray, or paper towels. Serve at once, since the interior sets firm as it cools.
- YieldAbout 18 to 24 small balls, enough for six as an accompaniment to a salad.