Dukkah Covered Cream Cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. While the cream cheese is still cold, lightly oil your hands and mould it into a ball in a mixing bowl. Cover and return to fridge.
3. Place hazelnuts on an oven tray and roast them for around 20 minutes or until the skin turns dark. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
4. Remove them from the oven and place them on a clean cotton tea towel. Bundle up and rub together to remove as much of the skin as possible. It’s okay if some skin remains.
5. Repeat this process slightly by putting the seeds and peppercorns on the tray and roasting for around 3-5 minutes until they become fragrant. Remove from oven and let them cool completely.
6. Place the cooled seeds, peppercorns and nuts in a mortar and pestle along with the salt. Pound until the mixture is crushed. You want to achieve a dukkah that is a pebble-y sand consistency.
7. Transfer the dukkah into a large bowl, remove the cream cheese from the fridge and place it on top of the dukkah.
8. Using your fingers, gently press dukkah onto the sides of the cheese. Carefully flip over to cover the other side.
9. Remove fully coated cream cheese, place it on a small serving dish and return to the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up and set the crust before serving.