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Greek-Style Cheese Ball

"I just wasn't satisfied with the ingredients in other cheese ball recipes. So, I made my own and took it to a Christmas party, where it was enjoyed by all. You can also experiment with other Greek-themed ingredient options such as sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata or green olives, pepperoncini, etc. Surround cheese balls with your favorite crackers. For a true 'Greek' theme, try toasted pita chips."

By allrecipes · From Open Recipes · 11 ingredients
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Greek-Style Cheese Ball

Why it works: Cream cheese and feta cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 64 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Greek-Style Cheese Ball

10 servings
Prep25 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

780Calories
38 gProtein
63 gFat
20 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pine Nut1 oz (28g)191
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Feta Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Pecan1 half (4g)20
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By allrecipes. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cream cheese + feta cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together64 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Cream cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together467 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Cream cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together311 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Feta cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together94 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Cheddar cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together592 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the oregano

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream cheese, vinegar, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, onion, garlic):

  1. Oreganothe original
  2. Dillfits about as well
  3. Basilfits about as well
  4. Capersfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against cream cheese, vinegar, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, onion, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.