Cheese olives

Cheese olives are apparently a thing in the South, something that shows up in their church-compendium cookbooks instead of our hot dishes. At least that was what the source of this recipe said, but the lone Southern transplant at the party where I tried these out said he’d never heard of them.

I was drawn to them because they’re bite-size, which makes good party food, and they can bake straight from the freezer, which makes them even better hostess food. I made a double batch and baked about half of them for the party. We had an embarrassment of riches, since these are foodies who contribute -- Parmesan biscotti, curried chicken balls, the oddball but delightful Grinch kebabs, and the ultimate capper: Bernie’s crème brulee, which is what all other crème brulee wants to be when it grows up.

But despite the excess, these cheesy olives still disappeared, I suspect partly because they’re so darn easy to pop in your mouth.

Cheddar olives

Adapted from the Kitchn.com. The dough-to-olive ratio was off; this is a lot closer.

Ingredients

4 to 5 ounces pitted green olives, either stuffed with pimentos or plain

1½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup flour

4 tablespoons softened butter

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or smoked paprika

Water, maybe

Method

Drain olives very well and pat dry. Do not be tempted to skip this step.

Combine cheese, flour, butter and spices in a bowl and knead in the bowl until it forms a dough. Add a tiny amount of water if needed to bring it together. (I needed a few teaspoons.)

Pinch off an olive-size bit of dough. Form into a ball and then flatten between your hands until it’s as thin as you can get and can surround an olive. Wrap the dough around the olive, pressing it together to cover entirely. Roll in your hands until smooth. Repeat, a zillion times.

If baking immediately, bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Or flash freeze the olives separately on a baking sheet and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap inside a freezer container. Bake straight from the freezer for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Rating: I thought they were fine at the party, but they sort of disappeared into the background (and into people's mouths) amid all the array of choices. But we baked off a few more tonight by themselves just to see what we thought of them as a standalone and I'm much more impressed now. They’re crunchy on the outside like baked grated cheese crisps and salty-tangy on the inside. That hint of heat comes through. Only downside: You're going to be at this for a fair amount of time at the assembly stage if you want enough for a large group. I'd say a batch easily serves a party of eight. It's not difficult, but make sure you allow yourself plenty of assembly time.

Make ahead: The convenience is hard to beat.These are going to have to live in my freezer next holiday season. You're invincible against drop-ins with these things on hand.