Pimento Cheese
Pimento cheese is a common food in the Southern United States. The basic recipe has few ingredients: sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos (also spelled "pimientos"), salt and pepper, blended to either a smooth or chunky paste. There are a multitude of regional ingredients, which include but are not limited to: cream cheese, Velveeta cheese, Louisiana-style hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, paprika, jalapeños, onions, garlic, and dill pickles.
Pimento cheese can be served as a spread on crackers or celery, mixed in with mashed yolks for deviled eggs, added to grits, slathered over hamburgers or hotdogs, or spread it on your next ham and egg breakfast biscuit. The primary way pimento cheese is eaten, however, is as a sandwich on soft white bread, and is considered a Southern comfort food. A pimento cheese sandwich may be a quick and inexpensive lunch for children, or it may be served as a cocktail finger food (with crusts trimmed, garnished with watercress, and cut into triangles). Pimento cheese sandwiches are a signature item at The Masters Tournament.
Also see Emeril's Pressed Ham Sandwich with Pimiento Cheese Spread from his show, "Picnic Planner." Pimento Cheese sandwiches are a Southern favorite for picnics.
The Pimento Cheese Susan, Cori and I were served at Page's Okra Grill in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina was made with shredded cheese and served with flat sesame seed crackers.
Classic Pimento Cheese
from Augusta Chronicle, April 23, 2008
There are few things in life that are perfect, but pimento cheese might well be one of them. When well made, all it needs to make a great sandwich is two slices of most any bread -- white, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, or even a biscuit or dinner roll.
Sensible cooks know the best pimento cheese is also the simplest: the whole point is the balance between good, sharp cheese and pimentos. Some add a dash of garlic juice (or puree) or Worcestershire, some add green onion or use hot sauce instead of cayenne, but that's as far as any sensible person will go.
Many would not even allow onion. "Gourmet" additions such as olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and herbs aren't encouraged: they draw attention to themselves and upset the balance.
Spread it thickly; thin spreading doesn't denote elegance -- just stinginess. If you need elegance, trim off the crusts and cut the sandwiches into triangles. To warm up a cool day, brush the bread with butter and grill it.
Though primarily a sandwich spread, pimento cheese doesn't need bread to be fully enjoyed. It also makes a great dip. Serve it at room temperature with sturdy crackers, tortilla chips or celery sticks.
Speaking of celery, why not rediscover that retro 1960s hors d'oeuvre? Put it in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe it into 3-inch lengths of washed, dried and strung celery. It can also be piped onto crackers or crisp-toasted French baguette rounds.
2 cups finely shredded extra-sharp cheddar
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese [only recipe I saw that used Parmesan cheese]
1/3 cup mayonnaise, divided
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon grated shallot or yellow onion
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos, drained but liquid reserved, roughly chopped
Dash ground cayenne pepper
Pinch English-style dry mustard
Combine half the cheddar and half the Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Mix together lightly. Knead in 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise until mixture is creamy and very smooth. Work in remaining cheese, garlic, shallot, pimentos, 1 tablespoon of reserved pimento liquid, a dash of cayenne and a small pinch of dry mustard. Knead just enough to mix well: it should still have plenty of texture. Add remaining mayonnaise, if necessary-just enough to make it spreadable. Let stand 30 minutes. Serve cool or at room temperature.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Pimento Cheese
While most recipes do not pulse all the ingredients together, this one does, making it a smoother spread. Most others leave the grated cheese pieces whole.
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 4-ounce jar sliced pimientos, undrained
3-4 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Shred the cheddar cheese and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the mayonnaise and pulse several times. Add the pimientos, Tabasco and garlic salt and pulse until combined. Scrape into a storage container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes 14 1/4-cup servings.
Pimento Cheese
Recipe courtesy Greg Auten, co-owner The Penguin, Show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
1 pound grated Cheddar
1/2 pound grated Pepper Jack
1 (4-ounce) can diced pimentos
1/3 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/3 teaspoons granulated onion
About 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
About 1/2 tablespoon green pepper sauce
2/3 cup mayonnaise
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8 (6-ounce) servings
