How to make crispy cheesy melts

The bites will literally melt in your mouth, says Beverley Hicks 
Beverley Hicks29 September 2017

Little nuggets of cheese, covered in crunchy panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried until perfectly golden.

These are so simple tomake and can be made with any leftover bits of cheese you have in your fridge.

Ingredients (makes 15 walnut-sized balls

300g of your favourite cheese, grated or crumbled

½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika (optional)

For the crispy coating

2 medium free-range eggs

50g panko breadcrumbs

20g ground almonds

20g finely grated pecorino cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

To garnish

Sliced red chilli

Black and white sesame seeds

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Method

For my cheese melts I used a mixture of pecorino, mozzarella, cheddar and blue cheese, simply because that was what I had in my fridge at the time, but you can use any cheese or combination that you like so long as the mixture can be pressed together to form balls.

Grate or crumble the cheese into a large mixing bowl and mix in the white pepper and paprika, if using. Divide the mixture into 15 and press together in your hands to form walnut-size balls. Put onto a plate, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm up.

Break the eggs into a wide bowl and whisk lightly. Put the breadcrumbs, ground almonds, pecorino and black pepper into another wide bowl and mix well together.

Remove the cheese balls from the fridge. One at a time, dip them into the beaten egg then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. When you have finished coating all the balls, dip each in the egg and breadcrumbs one more time. Don’t skip the second coating. Cover and return to the fridge.

In a small saucepan heat about 5cm of sunflower oil until a small piece of bread dropped in turns golden brown within about 20 seconds. Working in batches of no more than three, carefully lower the cheese balls into the hot oil and keep moving until the panko coating is crispy and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.

If you did skip the second coating, which I did on my first batch, you may find that the cheese will start to escape into the hot oil and you will then be left with a mess in the pan. However, if that does happen, use a fine tea strainer to scoop all the cheesy panko morsels out of the pan as soon as possible before they burn, and lay out on a double layer of kitchen paper.

When cool, transfer to an air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. They are delicious as cheesy croutons and will take a simply dressed leaf salad to the next level.

Serve the cheese melts warm over salad leaves, top with some sliced red chilli for a little heat and sprinkle over some black and white sesame seeds.

Find more of Beverley's recipes here. Follow her on Instagram @thelittlechelseakitchen for more inspiration.

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