Cooking with queso de bola: Easy twists on an old Christmas favorite

Use queso de bola to these familiar recipes to add a festive twist to your meals! Photo: Bong Sta. Maria

Queso de bola's classic pairing with pan de sal and jamon is always great (and safe), but this cheese is simply too versatile to be limited to just one dish. This holiday staple will once again be part of our Christmas baskets, and here are some ideas on how to up your holiday cheese game this year.

What is queso de bola?

Originating in the town of Edam in the Netherlands, queso de bola or Edam cheese is a type of semi-hard cheese usually served covered in red wax.

What’s great about this cheese is it keeps and ages very well. It was a popular travel staple sometime between the 14th and the 18th centuries, and it was even said that ships during this period used the edam balls as bullets for cannons because they were round, tough, and heavy—this remains unconfirmed, and it was never made clear whether those on the receiving end were able to turn them into anything delicious.

Take note that all of these recipe ideas make use of queso de bola labeled Edam, so if you want to achieve the best results, make sure that you check the label. Edam is way more expensive than their “cheese ball” or “cheese food” counterparts, but it’s definitely worth it. Also, the following ideas focus mostly on substitution and make use of classic, tried-and-tested recipes, which means that they’re not unique recipes per se.

Here are some more ways to enjoy queso de bola over the holidays and beyond. Photo: Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

For the lazy: queso de bola chips

Chop up some queso de bola and divide them by tablespoons.

On medium heat, drop each tablespoonful into a pan and wait for them to melt, about 20 seconds.

Flip them over, and wait another 20 seconds until they become more solid. Keep flipping this until they firm up.

A teaspoon will take about six flips.

This is simple but a bit tricky, as you need to make sure that the cheese firms up but does not become brown. These chips are excellent on salads, pasta, or simply eaten on their own.

For the sweet tooth: queso de bola cheesecake

If you have plenty of time on your hands (and an oven), you can add a twist to the classic cheesecake by adding bits of queso de bola to any recipe you choose (yes, even those on the cream cheese packaging will do).

Simply add queso de bola bits to the final mixture and bake as instructed. Top with more queso de bola, grated and/or chopped.

For the grazer: queso de bola beer cheese dip

Have a mise en place before you do this one. This dip is excellent for those who like having a light noche buena or pre-noche buena snacks. There are not too many beer Edam sauce recipes available online, but what you can do is look for a gouda beer cheese sauce recipe—both Edam and Gouda are Dutch cheeses and have a salty/nutty flavor.

Some recipes ask for grated cheese, but if you want some texture, here’s an alternative: just chop them up, so your dip will be rich and chunky. Also, don’t be afraid to add more milk and/or to the sauce if it’s too dense.

For the pasta lover: queso de bola mac and cheese

You can easily make any pasta dish delicious by shaving or grating some queso de bola on top, but if you want to go full-on cheese, this is for you.

Like the previous ideas, you can choose from a lot of different mac and cheese recipes online and replace a cup of the usual cheddar/gruyere with a cup of finely chopped queso de bola. This is great to serve to a party with vegetarians, but if you want to have a little meat in there, you can never go wrong with some bacon bits. Happy cooking! — BM, GMA News