April 24, 2014

Pimento Cheese

I did not grow up eating things like Pimento Cheese. I think that my British father’s influence didn’t allow for things like this, but went more towards cucumber sandwiches, raspberry tarts and rhubarb crisps. So pimento cheese is something that’s new to me. When I was in NYC earlier this month for the launch of One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood, he and John Rosselli had whipped up several large batches of Pimento Cheese for the guests. It was delicious, and I heard it was simple to make.

On Saturday, I am joining some of the same friends from the book launch to go to the Maryland Hunt Cup, about which I wrote, here. I threw out my intention to make Pimento Cheese on FB, and got all sorts of answers and suggestions. My friend Will strongly suggested I use the recipe found in Garden & Gun Magazine. So, that’s the one I used.

I stopped by the grocery store to pick up the fixins for the Pimento Cheese, and then swung by to have dinner with “the boys”. Since the have more of a familiarity with PC than I do, I asked them to mix it up for me.

Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Garden & Gun Magazine.

Pimento Cheese
Yield: About 1 pint (serves 4 as an appetizer)
Ingredients
2 cups sharp orange cheddar, grated (8 oz.)
½ cup Duke’s mayonnaise
½ cup pimiento peppers, drained and chopped (7-oz. jar)
¼ cup green onion, chopped (use both the green and the white parts)
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne
Dash of Tabasco
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and stir with a rubber spatula. Serve immediately with crackers, or cover, refrigerate, and let flavors marinate.

Chad chopped the spring onions into a small dice, which means no big chunks in the PC.

Then he drained and re-chopped the pimentos into a small dice.

Add the rest of the ingredients, being sure to use Duke’s Mayonnaise, which doesn’t have any sugar in it, and combine. I cheated and used shredded cheese, with the fine shred, instead of grating my own. I have a fear of grating off bits of skin, so I tend not to use a grater.

We weren’t exact on any of the measurements, and actually ended up adding a little more hot sauce and some more pepper.

You can either eat it right away or refrigerate it for a day or two to let the flavours deepen. I am going to put it into a sweet little Copeland tureenand serve it on petit pain grille, or mini toasted breads.

While I was with the boys, we continued with our Limoncello project. The vodka and lemons have been sitting for about a month now, so it was time to add the simple syrup and let it sit for another week or two.

Someone’s in the kitchen!

26 comments:

  1. Gonna try this G & G recipe myself! I'm sure it is going to be DELISH!! Not sure where to find that brand of mayo around here but am going to look in the specialty stores....I don't use a lot of mayo generally so Hellmann's was my last purchase.

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    1. It's much easier to find Duke's now than it used to be. Check your local grocery store.

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  2. Sounds delish! I remember my mother making it when I was a child. Thanks for the heads up about the sugar in other mayos - I switched to Dukes a while ago because I dicovered that I preferred the taste as opposed to Hellmann's but didn't know why.
    That tureen is delightful! Have fun xo

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    1. It's the lack of sugar that makes the difference between good and bad.

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  3. Well of course I say yes and I intend to make some for this weekend. I, too, am lazy. I do all of the work in the food processor. I just chop the cheese (not shred) because it makes for a simpler clean up. My Yankee husband loves it. Pimento cheese is great to stuff in celery. When I make sandwiches, I like to sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Still Lament that Duke's doesn't live where I do.

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    1. I am even lazier! I got someone to make it for me! And I am going to cut up celery to take, too!

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  4. I only recently had it myself and it was...interesting. Not sure I'd rush home to make it myself but i can appreciate it!

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  5. I find the cheat of using pre-shredded cheese can be unsuccessful- there is an anti caking substance in it which I find alters the texture- I grate in the food processer - It's worth the trouble- Also a trick- add a few drops of Worchestershire sauce-

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    1. Thomas... i have a fear of graters! And I did add some Worchestershire sauce. I am hoping that by letting the PC sit for a day or two, it will lose the pre-shredded cheese taste.

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  6. that recipe sounds good + my mom + grandmother use to make it + I hated it then + will try again. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  7. We make pimiento cheese for parties. Leftover PC makes a very nice cheese burger. :)
    J.W.

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  8. PC was a good summertime sandwich spread that my Mom would make for lunch. I now add cucumber slices and arugula,
    use whole grain bread, and it makes for one yummy sandwich!

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  9. The pimiento cheese looks good, but I'm in love with that tureen. Do you know what the name of the Copeland pattern is? Thanks!

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  10. You had better stay away from Asia--the mayonnaise here is so sweet that it could be used for icing!

    Also, I agree with Thomas about the anti-caking additives (usually sawdust). You can get enclosed safe graters, or some good stores will grate blocks of cheese if you ask.
    --Jim

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  11. OK - this sounds like you had a lot of fun! I grew up on "cheese salad" - for some reason this is what we called it and this is the same recipe we use. But, you HAVE to get a block of cheese and grate it -it is much more creamy and spreadable than the already shredded in a bag - they coat the pre-shredded kind with something and it just won't become creamy. My grandma taught me that trick!

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    1. I worry too much about grating my fingers, so i have to use pre-shredded cheese!

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  12. Oh, we use a little Worchestershire sauce too, and we use Hellman's,can't get Dukes here but I have had it and it is good, somewhat looser than Hellman's - I can see why it would be good in the cheese spread. I need to make some...like tomorrow!

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    1. We did put a dash of Worcestershire sauce in it.

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  13. Oh a classic for sure Meg! I will be making this for summer entertaining! I know the boys will love it!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  14. Duke's has been made in Richmond by the Sauer company forever. I grew up eating it which is why I know beyond any doubt that the recipe has been altered tremendously sometime in the past few years. My mother in Richmond confirmed that it is different now, far more bland, far less weird and far, far less delicious. I think it tastes more like Hellman's now than it ever has. I still buy it BUT I have to emphasize that the mayo tastes totally different now and it's my opinion that Hellman's would do just fine as there is no dramatic difference in taste between the two. Alas, alack!

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