fried gorgonzola with salad

got this off the food network and tried it last night. its great

7 ozs. gorgonzola cheese
1 arge egg, beaten to blend
3/4 cup dried italian bead crumbs
3 tbls fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for deep frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper

blend the gorgonzola in a food processor until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the work bowl occasionally. using 1 rounded tsp of cheese for each, form the cheese into 18 (1 inch) balls. working in batches, coat the balls with the egg then with the bread crumbs. repeat coating the balls in the egg and bread crumbs. arrange the balls on a small bakin sheet. cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or overnight.

whisk the lemon juice, garlic and lemon peel in a medium bowl to blend. gradually whisk in 1/3 cup oil. season the dressing, to taste with salt and pepper. set the dressing aside

add enough oil to a heavy small saucepan to come 2 inches up the sides of the pan. heat the oil over medium heat. at this point, remove the refrigerated geogonzola balls from the refrigerator. working in batches, add the cold balls to the hot oil and fry just until golden brown, about 20 seconds.(it is essential that the gorgonzola balls to cold when they go in the oil, otherwise they will fall apart in the oil. if they start to warm up at any point, return them to the refrigerator to firm back up). using a slotted spoom, transfer the fried balls to paper towels to drain.

toss with your favorite salad and enjoy, that is, if you can stop popping them into your mouth after you cook them. LOL