1950's Style Pimento Cheese Recipe
Throwing a party? No party is complete without a 1950's style dip.
Pimento Cheese is my absolute favorite. Skip the deli section at the supermarket. Make it from scratch. It will be a crowd favorite. Folks will ask for the recipe.
I'm a new convert to the joy of Duke's Mayo. The extra lemon zing adds a lovely brightness to both dips and coleslaw dressing. Hellman's makes a good showing and is my second choice.
Please don't try this recipe with fat-free cheese. Enough said.
Ingredients
- 16 oz Block Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (4 cups) Grate with the largest holes on food processor disk or hand grate. Pre-shredded works but delivers a different experience that coarsely grated cheese.
- 4 oz Pimentos, diced Drain the pimentos.
- 1 cup Duke's Mayo The base for all good dips.
- 1 dash Salt
- 1 dash Pepper
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Directions
- Grate extra sharp cheese with the food processor grating disk with the largest holes. (Or use a hand grater)
- Switch out grating disc and install the food processing blade.
- Add all the ingredients to the food processor bowl along with the shredded cheese.
- Alternatively pulse and scrape the dip off of the sides of the bowl. Pullse unti the dip is blended to your desired consistency. We love to leave the cheese bigger while others prefer a smoother dip. If you have no idea what your dip smoothness preference is, test the dip with a cracker between pulses. Taste for salt and cayanne level at the same time. We like the heat to sneak up rather than show up right away.
- Chill if you have the time, serve immediately if someone’s knocking at the door.
- Serve with favorite dippers. See notes below.
NOTES
Serve with crackers, pretzels, or pretzel crisps. Town House, water crackers, and Ritz are all great choices. We also love the basic stone ground. Alternatives to crackers include peppers, cucumber slices, and celery sticks.
Optional add-ins:
Jalapenos – candied are fantastic, either in the mix or diced on topThinly slice green onions on topCrumbled bacon on top1-2 teaspoons of grated onion
We keep a salt and pepper blend next to the stove. Grabbing a big pinch of it adds two ingredients with one wrist flick.
Salt and Pepper Blend
I keep a mixture of 1 part black pepper and 2 parts salt next to my stove. I’ve seen this combo made with extras like garlic powder and different flavored salts, but I like this simple mix best for quick seasoning. Whether I’m cooking eggs or burgers, this quick salt/pepper combination is usually perfect and saves the step of tracking down my inevitably lost pepper.
Another way to use Pimento Cheese!!!
Pimento cheese also plays a part in our favorite sandwich.
Pimento Cheese Bacon Sandwich
Bread - preferably sourdough, thick cut preferred
Pimento Cheese
Crispy Bacon Slices
Candied jalapenos
Softened butter or more Duke's Mayo.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put a cookie sheet into the oven to preheat while assembling the sandwiches. For each sandwich, spread butter or Duke's on 2 slices of bread. Generously layer on pimento cheese, bacon, and candied jalapenos. Use oven mitts to pull out the baking sheet then line up the sandwiches in a couple of rows. Bake at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet until brown on both sides, turning halfway through the process. It takes about 5-6 minutes per side. Keep a close eye so they don't burn.
Cut into triangles and serve with tomato soup.
Alternatively, cook them on a flat griddle like standard grilled cheese sandwiches on the stovetop. The only downside to this method is that you can't make all of them at once and might end up making seconds before you have a chance to dive into your own.
