Party Ham Balls with Sweet Cranberry Sauce
These Party Ham Balls bring on big flavor! They are stuffed with a creamy Boursin chive and scallion cheese ball and topped with a sweet cranberry-pomegranate sauce. These one-bite wonders will make your taste buds do a happy dance.
There is something fun about a stuffed ball. Especially when it’s a creamy cheese ball that perfectly compliments the firm meatball around it. It tastes smoky and salty from the ham, and the sweet sauce cuts right through that. It’s rolled in stuffing crumbs because who doesn’t love stuffing? It’s a balance of flavors that keeps on giving with this ham ball.
I used a neutral palette of black, white, and gray for plating. Because of this, the cranberry sauce becomes the star of the show.
Party Ham Balls with Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
Ham Ball Mixture
- 4 slices prosciutto
- ¾ pound pit ham
- 2 stalks celery minced
- 1 shallot medium, minced
- 1 cup sage and onion stuffing crumbs
- 1 cup Saltine cracker crumbs
- 2 eggs beaten
- ½ l bulk breakfast sausage
- 1 box Boursin shallot and chive cheese
Coating
- 2 cups sage and onion stuffing crumbs
- 2 eggs whisked
Sauce
- 2 cups cranberries
- 3 tbsp pomegranate syrup
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
Instructions
Stuffed Ham Balls
- Preheat oven to 350 °F
- Cook prosciutto in a medium non-stick pan for 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan. Tear into 1 to 2-inch size pieces. Toss into your food processor.4 slices prosciutto
- Slice the pit ham into chunks. Toss into your food processor. Process the ham and prosciutto together until finely ground.¾ pound pit ham
- Heat the medium non-stick pan to medium. Add the olive oil. Then add the celery and shallot. Cook for 4 minutes or until translucent. You don't want them to brown.2 stalks celery, 1 shallot
- In a large bowl, add the ham mixture, pork sausage, stuffing crumbs, cracker crumbs, celery, shallot, and two eggs. Mix until well incorporated.1 cup sage and onion stuffing, 1 cup Saltine cracker, 2 eggs, ½ l bulk breakfast sausage
- Form Boursin cheese into 20 ½ inch round balls and set aside.1 box Boursin shallot and chive cheese
- Split the meat mixture into 20 pieces. Take one piece and flatten it into the palm of your hand. Place a Boursin ball in the middle. Form the meat up and around the Boursin ball with your hands. Roll into a round ball and set aside. Repeat until all balls have been formed.
Coating
- Place the two whisked eggs into a small bowl.2 eggs
- Place 2 cups of the stuffing crumbs into a small bowl.2 cups sage and onion stuffing
- Roll each ball in the egg, then roll it in the stuffing crumbs. Roll the coated ball in the egg and then back into the stuffing crumbs for a double coat. Place the balls 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the balls generously with canola cooking spray.
Bake
- Bake at 375 °F for 20 minutes or until the inside reaches 165 °F, rotating halfway through. The balls should be golden brown.
Sauce
- In a medium pan, add the sauce ingredients. Stir. Heat to boiling. Turn heat to low and continue warming for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.2 cups cranberries, 3 tbsp pomegranate syrup, ½ cup water, ¼ cup brown sugar
Presentation
- Remove balls from oven. Place the balls onto individual serving plates. Top each ball with a heating tbsp of cranberry-pomegranate sauce. Serve.
Kitchen Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
De Froid Tip: Double Plating for Color
Marketing folks have used the psychology of color for decades in advertising to create feelings. We can use the same concepts for creating moods at our tables and parties!
Chefs use white plates because almost every food looks good on them. Placing the white plate on the gray counter would emit a different feeling. Adding the black plate brings sophistication to the setting and plays off the dark tones in the sauce.
Charger plates are another way to add color and excitement to a table. I have red chargers that look beautiful under black dinner plates for a sit-down holiday meal.
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