Amuse-Gueules au Roquefort (Roquefort Cheese Balls)

• 1/2 pound Roquefort or other good blue cheese
• 6 tablespoons softened butter (not quite room temperature; it should be waxy so you can mold the cheese balls)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives
• 2 tablespoons finely minced celery
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 18 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Cognac
• 1/2 cup fine stale white-bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons very finely minced parsley

1. Crush the cheese in a bowl with 4 tablespoons of the butter and work it into a smooth paste.
2. Beat in the chives, celery, seasonings and Cognac.
3. If mixture is very stiff, beat in more butter by fractions.
4. Check seasoning carefully, adding salt if necessary (probably not).
5. Using two teaspoons, shape into quenelles or roll into balls around 1/2 inch in diameter.
6. Toss breadcrumbs and parsley in a wide shallow bowl.
7. Roll the cheese balls in the mixture so they are well covered.
8. Chill.
9. Serve as is or pierced with a toothpick.

cheese, butter, chives, celery, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cognac, fine stale whitebread crumbs, parsley

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9619 (may not work)