Hot & Heavy Pimiento Cheese Spread

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As my hips will no doubt attest, food is a very important part of my life. And, ever since the onset of “shelter in place,” it has leapt from being merely important, to that of mammoth importance (again, hips). If I am going to be stuck in, I want rewards, and that reward had better come in edible form.

As a consequence, I try to keep my fridge stocked with all of my favorites, and one of my favorites, as you well know if you are a regular reader, is pimiento cheese. I always try to keep it on hand, and every time I make it I try to change the recipe up in one way or other in order to improve upon its general magnificence. I was feeling spicy today, so I added extra peppers, and a healthy portion of juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños. So, this delicious, creamy, pimiento cheese spread, is heavy on the peppers, and hot in taste, ergo the “Hot and Heavy” name. Don’t poke fun I’m getting punchy. No doubt you are too.

Hot & Heavy Pimiento Cheese Spread

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. mayonnaise
¼ c. sour cream
¼ t. cayenne pepper
¼ t. garlic powder
2 T. juice from Melissa’s pickled jalapeños
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ c. chopped Melissa’s sweet red bell peppers

Beat together cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and pickled jalapeño juice until smooth and creamy. Fold in cheese and red peppers. Refrigerate for four hours (preferably overnight) to allow flavors to meld. Enjoy!

Tupelo Honey Café’s Pimento Cheese

One of the nice things about living in Missouri is that I can claim both the North and the South, at whim.  When I’m making crab cakes, or cooking up a pot of clam chowder, I claim the North; when I’m making gumbo or pimiento cheese, I claim the South.  No one does pimiento cheese better than the South, and I have yet to find a recipe that beats the one from the Tupelo Honey Café in Asheville, North Carolina.  The secret, I have found, to a really good pimiento cheese spread is substituting a flavorful roasted red pepper for those little jars of rather insipid pimientos.  Sure they’re both red peppers, but roasting brings out so much of the delicious red pepper flavor.

Tupelo Honey Café’s Pimento Cheese
(Makes 2 cups)

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. stone-ground mustard
1 tsp. mustard powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
½ cup finely diced Melissa’s fire roasted red bell peppers
Tortilla chips for serving
 
Combine the cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, stone-ground mustard, mustard powder, salt, pepper, parsley, and roasted bell peppers in a large bowl. Transfer to a microwavable dish and microwave for about 20 seconds or until warm, or put in a baking dish in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Foodie Friday

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