Remember that blog post about my New Year’s resolution to eat healthier? And how Day 8 is my downfall?
Well, you can change that to Day 6 now because I couldn’t even make it a whole week without being lured into the arms of a Shake Shack concrete, which is two full cups of frozen custard whipped with your choice of mix-ins. I chose chocolate chunks and salted peanuts. Peanuts are protein. Failure tastes good, and apparently so does denial.
I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised by the Day 6 breakdown. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks with the holidays, plus I had a recent bout with what could only have been some form of the Bubonic plague, and then there’s also the book editing. I tend to intersperse my late nights of editing with desserts and dance parties. I allot myself one 5-minute dance break for every two hours of editing. I live alone. You can laugh. Do you know that saying, “Dance like no one is watching?” I’ve never understood that saying. I dance like I’m appearing in a sold-out performance at Lincoln Center. It may be to the tune of Avicii, and I may be the only person in my apartment, but you better believe I dance like everyone is watching. (And they probably are, given the fact I never close my blinds and live all of 14.78 feet away from the building next door.)
I think this is a post about meatballs, so I should probably get to that. I’ve made this new, original recipe twice in the last five days. It is that good. Hoisin and blackberry jam is my latest and greatest combo for glazing. I was also ecstatic to discover a new trick: Mini-muffin pans make for the ultimate meatball-baking dishes. The individual compartments do wonders for a golden brown crust. Now crank up the tunes and start preheating your oven!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- 3/4 pound ground veal
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions (white and green parts)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup blackberry preserves
- 1 cup sliced snowpeas, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Spray a mini-muffin pan or baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the milk and Panko breadcrumbs and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the ground pork, ground veal, minced garlic, Chinese five-spice powder, chopped scallions, beaten egg, soy sauce and sesame sauce to the bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the meat mixture, and then shape it into balls using about 3 tablespoons of meat per meatball.
- Place the shaped meatballs into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked.
- While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the Hoisin sauce and blackberry jam in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and either transfer them in batches into the glaze, tossing to coat, or brush the meatballs with the glaze. Serve the meatballs atop a bed of sliced snowpeas.
Kelly's Notes:
- The sliced snowpeas aren't essential, however they stick to the glaze of the meatball and add a perfect crunchy contrast to each bite.
- The meatball mixture can be made a day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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There’s no chicken in these “chicken meatballs.” Can I use ground chicken instead of pork and veal?
Sure! Any type of ground meat works.
These are so delicious! The glaze is addicting – we served these over rice and used extra glaze on our rice, too. So yummy!
Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tammy!
Love the mini muffin idea! Can you freeze the meatballs in the sauce?
Thanks, Cat! I’d recommend freezing the meatballs and sauce separately then rewarming each and combining.
I haven’t not seen any meatball recipe that includes milk. Is milk simply acting as a binder for the bread crumbs or does the milk also provides flavor?
Thanks
Yep! It helps bind the meat and dry ingredients. Enjoy!
Using mini-muffin pans for the meatballs…what a stroke of genius!! Thanks for sharing your tip! These look delicious!
Hello, These look fantastic! Thinking of taking them along to work, will they be ok prepared in advance and served cold or need reheated?
Thanks!
Thank you, Amber! I would definitely recommend that they be re-heated, so what might be best is to bake the meatballs and prepare the glaze, but do not glaze the meatballs until you’re ready to serve them. That way you can warm up the meatballs and the glaze separately and serve them piping hot!
These meatballs are amazing and I’ve been inspired to feature them in my Friday Food Fetish roundup. And I’ll be sharing on Pinterest. Please let me know if you have any objections and KEEP IT COMING!
Thank you so much! No objections whatsoever :)
I must make these. I am drooling just looking at them.
Haha, thanks, Andrea! I ate them for three meals in a row last week. So addicting!
Chin up! Eating healthy does not mean you can’t be naughty once in a while. ;)
Years ago I bought one of these mini muffin pans and have used it ONCE ever since. Your idea is AMAZING and may finally give my purchase a justification! They just look SO delicious and the brown-green colour combo just beautiful! I’m quite a sucker for hoisin sauce so this recipe is defo on my to-do list!
Cheers and thank you,
Tobias
Thanks so much, Tobias! I think Hoisin sauce makes everything better :) Enjoy the recipe!
I’ve officially gotten my first laugh of the day (I adore your humor). Anyway- the meatballs- I love the mini muffin pan idea. And as per your request, I’ll be crankin’-up the music while I make these! I suspect, however, that I’ll need to make a double batch. I’m not sharing one of them. ;)
These are so pretty, Kelly – the snow peas underneath are such a great color contrast too. What a brilliant idea to use the mini muffin pans, I’m definitely going to try that!
Thanks, Kathy! I was surprised how perfect the size of the mini-muffin pan suited the meatballs. Hope you’re doing well!
Llllooooovvveeee this combination, Kelly. The blackberries combined with hoisin is genius!!
Oh…..My….Gawd……YES.
love these Kelly! Just tweeted and put on Pinterest
Thanks so much, Alison! I’m counting down to our reunion in Orlando :)
YUM!!! What a great combination of flavors. I just recently bought a bottle of hoisin sauce and was wondering what to make with it and this is perfect!! Looks great, Kelly :)