Pimento Cheese A Southern Institution

Pimento Cheese is a Southern institution! This creamy cheese spread is perfect on crackers too inward classic pimento cheese sandwiches.

Ahhh, pimento cheese ... ane of those quintessential Southern treats. Seriously, if you're non from or familiar amongst The South, allow me precisely state ya pimento cheese (usually pronounced pi-men-uh) is a Southern institution. Like barbecue. Sweet tea. Cheerwine (which is a soda, yesteryear the agency ... non a wine!). Hushpuppies. Peach cobbler. Biscuits. And too hence many other wonderful Southern specialties.

It's tough to become to pretty much whatsoever type of Southern gathering ... move they pot-lucks, church building gatherings, bridal showers, or picnics ... without finding pimento cheese inward some way, shape, or form.

Most typically, we discovery the classic pimento cheese sandwich. Which is only pimento cheese betwixt ii slices of bread. Nothing fancy ... but sooooooo good. But take the crusts off the breadstuff too cutting the sandwich into shapes, too now you've got fancy! ... perfect and classic for tea sandwiches. Or serve it amongst crackers. Or inward grilled cheese ... yum! ... amongst bacon ... fifty-fifty better. Or on transcend of a burger. Yup, these are precisely some of the ways nosotros taste our pimento cheese.

It's also ane of those things I had never fifty-fifty heard of until I moved South.

When my brother's mother in law ... a truthful Southern lady ... asked me if I similar pimento cheese, I had to acknowledge that I had no earthly watch what she was talking about. So ... I asked her to explain.

She proceeded to explicate that it was grated cheese mixed amongst mayonnaise, diced pimento, too seasonings. Translation ... lead maintain some fat, mix it amongst to a greater extent than fat, add together some pimento too seasonings. Yup, you lot gotta dear the South. But hi - that fatty amongst to a greater extent than fatty is certainly delicious!

One telephone commutation quest to making this classic process ... please, oh please, us Southerners (even the transplanted ones) beg you lot ... grate your ain cheese! Please don't dishonor a Southern establishment amongst store-bought pre-shredded cheese ... it's got a coating on it that volition all-kinds-of-mess-up the proper pimento cheese texture.

'Proper' home-grated cheese

It's traditional to purpose orangish cheddar inward pimento cheese ... but I attain intermission amongst tradition hither (I am transplanted to the South, remember?? ... too hence I attain lead maintain certainly liberties) too purpose a combination of some orangish too some white cheddar. Go all-orange for genuinely classic pimento cheese.

So, if pimento cheese is novel to you, are you lot curious??

If it's an ol'-standby for you, what's your favorite agency to taste it? I'd dear to hear! Mine's direct upwards on a cracker!

Pimento Cheese

Source: My Mom, every bit adapted from Southern Living magazine

(Printable recipe)

Ingredients

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 c. grated abrupt cheddar cheese*

1 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese*

iii T. finely chopped pimento

1/2 c. mayonnaise

Dash of salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Dash of hot sauce (I purpose Frank's Red Hot)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together. Add a affect to a greater extent than mayonnaise if it seems every bit good stiff.

2. Refrigerate over nighttime to allow the flavors blend together.

*NOTE: It's of import to grate your ain cheese from blocks for this. I don't recommend using store-bought pre-shredded cheese every bit it won't attain the 'proper' pimento cheese texture.

Enjoy!

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