Pimiento Cheese is a chunky-creamy, sharp-Cheddary spread for crackers or tea sandwiches, traditionally served on Kentucky Derby day but good any day of the year.
I didn’t grow up eating Pimiento Cheese, in fact the first time I ever had it was when I made it myself, so I’m not an authority. But there are as many variations on the recipe for Pimiento Cheese as there are outrageous hats at Churchill Downs, so I don’t worry too much about the way it’s “supposed” to be made, I just make it the way I like it.
Every recipe for Pimiento Cheese contains the same three basic ingredients: Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and diced roasted red peppers. Beyond that, things diverge in all kinds of directions, with many adding cream cheese, some adding other varieties of cheeses, or spices and flavorings of all kinds such as Dijon mustard, or jalapenos. Here’s what I do:
- I use a Cheddar that’s extra sharp, excellent quality, and freshly grated – none of the pre-shredded stuff in the resealable bag.
- More cream cheese and less mayonnaise. It may be counter-intuitive, but adding more cream cheese brings out the flavor of the Cheddar. Without it, all you taste is mayonnaise, which is not what you want.
- I like a little garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne for flavor. I wouldn’t object to jalapeno (but cayenne is easier). Anything else is superfluous.
- And here is my final tip, this one a complete departure from every other recipe I’ve ever seen, and maybe pimiento purists will yell at me, but here goes: Instead of mixing the cheese by hand or with a paddle in a stand mixer, I use the food processor. The traditional way yields a spread that’s too chunky for my taste. I like the texture when half of the Cheddar and pimientos are almost completely blended into the cream cheese to make a smooth, salmon-pink base, and the remaining half are pulsed in, so they’re tiny but distinct throughout the mixture. But if you want to go the more classic route, by all means mix the ingredients together by hand.
So now you have Pimiento Cheese – what are you going to do with it? If it’s Derby day, spread it between slices of white bread, cut the crusts off, cut the sandwiches into triangles, and nibble them while you sip a Mint Julep.
Actually, I most often serve it with crackers and crudites. But you can use it wherever you’d use cheese spread. Spread it onto tortillas for quesadillas, stir it into mac and cheese, melt it over burgers or grilled chicken breasts, make it into a grilled cheese sandwich, layer it into sandwiches with ham or turkey instead of using sliced cheese…I’m sure there are a lot more things we could think of if we put our minds to it.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Pimiento Cheese will keep for about a week, so make it ahead or have leftovers within that time frame.
To see this dish combined with others in a summery picnic menu, check out my post for Saturday June 13, 2020.
Pimiento Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
- One 4-ounce jar of diced pimientos, drained, or ½ a 7-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and finely diced
Directions
- Step 1 Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth.
- Step 2 Add half the Cheddar and half the pimientos, and process again until the Cheddar and pimientos are blended into the mixture. Add the remaining Cheddar and pimientos and pulse the processor a few times just to mix the Cheddar and pimientos in, but not enough to puree them. You should still be able to see distinct pieces of pimiento.
- Step 3 Use a rubber spatula to transfer the cheese to a serving bowl.
