The Best Pimento Cheese Ever!
3 Pickled Cherry Peppers aka Pimento (jar) 10-15 slices of pickled jalapeño peppers (can or jar) 4oz cream cheese (room temperature) 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup medium cheddar cheese 1/2 cup mayo - I used Kraft Mayo made with Olive Oil 1/2 tsp cracked pepper blend 1/4 tsp onion powder 1 tsp worstershire sauce 5-10 dashes of Franks Red Hot Sauce 3 slices of thick cut bacon (if you can find jalapeño cured or peppered bacon then use that, if not just use your favorite) First things first. Get 4 slices of that delicious thick cut bacon cooked nice and crispy then crumble up 3 of those slices into tiny pieces and set aside. I say do this first, so it can cool off enough that it doesn't melt the cheese when added. Then promptly eat the fourth slice because bacon is delicious. So, I recently found out that pimento is just a fancy way of saying red ripe cherry peppers. To add a little more distinct pimento zing I decided to buy these whole in a jar and diced them up myself. You can find them at any grocery store that has pickles. I take about 3 whole peppers, rip the stem off and clean out the little seeds (under a running faucet works well). Then they need to be diced into small pieces. Tip: Lay the pepper skin side down for an easier cut. Set aside and grab your jar of pickled jalapeño peppers. You don't need many to add big flavor. Dice up about 10 or 15 of the slices. Make sure any seeds are out before you dice. Now that you have all your knife work finished, you can start to combine. Add all of the cheeses to a bowl, I like to have 2 types of cheddar for flavor complexity as well as two different grate settings for texture. Don't forget the cream cheese (make sure it is soft and at room temperature). Then add mayo and dry and wet seasonings. The Worcestershire sauce really pulls all the ingredients together so do not skip this ingredient. As for the Franks, season to taste. Once the ingredients are all in the bowl, just mix it up with a wooden spoon until you see a well distributed mixture and enjoy! We served ours up today with a simple thin sliced baguette drizzled with olive oil and baked until golden brown. Other favorites include serving with warm pita cut into triangles, as a simple pimento cheese sandwich, or even baked on pizza dough to make one of the best pizzas on earth.
-David
bon appetit
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