Monday, January 20, 2020

Juniper Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip

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If you are anything like me, i.e. someone who enjoys reading new recipes, then you are probably as eager as I am every Wednesday for the food section in the local paper, whether you read it digitally or a hard-copy. And, if, also like me, you are a fan of pimento cheese, have I got a recipe for you!

Juniper, a Southern Table and Bar, in downtown St. Louis offered up their recipe for this zippy, flavorful pimiento cheese that is baked. Like all pimiento cheese, it is easy to put together, and, as I always do, make it easy on myself by using
Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Bell Peppers rather than roasting my own (as they suggested in their recipe). One taste, and this quickly rose to my top five favorite pimiento cheeses, in a list that boasts more than two dozen varieties.

Here is my adaptation of their recipe. While this one is baked, it is just as good cold, and has as many uses as you can imagine, including being stuffed into celery, dolloped on top of a burger or hotdog, added to a steaming bowl of chili or tomato soup, or simply as the hot dip that it was intended. Juniper includes pickles among their dippers, as well as a type of bread that is similar to pita or to the Indian bread naan. Choose your favorites here. There is no end to the way that you can enjoy this.
Juniper Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip
Slightly adapted from the original in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Yield: 8 servings (as if!)

1
Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Bell Pepper, minced
¼ pound yellow cheddar cheese
¼ pound white cheddar cheese
¼ cup
Duke’s mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon
smoked paprika (no substitutions!)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon
Crystal hot sauce
1 tablespoon garlic-dill pickle juice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons cornbread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

The dip is baked and served in cast iron at Juniper, which helps it retain heat. You may use individual 6- or
8-ounce ramekins for this appetizer. Adjust the timing of the baking accordingly.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF, or 325ºF for glass pans.

Grate the cold cheddar cheeses using the large holes on a box grater or a food processor fitted with a grating disc. Toss the cheeses together in a mixing bowl. Add the diced red peppers and fold into the cheese.

In a separate mixing bowl, blend the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Stir the mix into the cheeses. Add hot sauce and pickle juice and stir to blend evenly. Taste. Add salt if needed.
 
Transfer the mixed dip into a 1-½ quart baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and top with cornbread crumbs. Return to the oven and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly. Top with chopped parsley. Serve with assorted pickles, breads or crackers.




6 comments:

Patti @ Pandoras Box said...

Now that looks delish!!!

Linda said...

This just looks insanely good. I bet pickle juice is a genius ingredient. And I agree there should be no subs for smoked paprika in any recipe that specifies smoked paprika! What do you think about a substitute for the white cheese? And did you have cornbread crumbs sitting around?

Gina said...

I have one of those small cast iron skillets and YES they are great for melted cheese dip. I love the idea of the cornbread topping. Sounds so good - will have to print this one up.

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

Linda, this had such a wonderful flavor that I wouldn’t substitute anything for any of the ingredients, least of all the white cheese. As far as the corn bread crumbs, I always seem to have pieces of corn bread in the freezer, so I thawed one and then crumbled it up.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Yummy, Pattie! I still get the Wednesday edition of the Dallas Morning News to check out the Food section. I've been collecting recipes from the newspaper since I was a teen, living in Columbus, Ohio. I have tried and made Tupelo Honey Cafe's Pimento cheese dip, but this one sounds really good.

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

I always look for the food section in Newspapers. I don't think that I have ever had a pimento dip, but it looks really good. Thanks.