Cheese Ball Platter

(AP)

A cheese ball platter is just the thing for the season premiere of "Mad Men." It's the nutty classic that everyone cracks jokes about, right up until the plate's scraped clean of its creamy, cheesy goodness.

Cook Time:

Prep Time:

Total Time:15 min

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon grated shallot

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped green olives

1/4 cup chopped black olives

1/4 cup chopped pimento

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced

Butter crackers, to serve

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, shallot, green pepper, green olives, black olives, pimento, black pepper, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, onion powder and paprika. Roughly form the mixture into a lump in the bowl and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour.

Using your hands, for the mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the sliced almonds. Serve on a platter with vegetables and crackers.