Burnt My Fingers

If you’re new to pimento cheese, Trader Joe’s Pimento Cheese Dip is a pretty good place to start though it’s a bit runny for our taste.

This weekend is the Kentucky Derby. Which means, if you’re a serious fan, you’ll be eating Pimento Cheese as you watch the races. Last year, when the Derby was held in September without fans, local restaurateur Patricia Pendergast Novo served up a serious version of Pimento Cheese at her excellent Taverna Novo. It’s as good a jumping off point as any for our own explorations.

Patty may have started with the official Pimento Cheese recipe of the Kentucky Derby, but the ratio of mix-ins to cheese is way off. She would have modified it with less Worcestershire, less vinegar and definitely way less pimento. Because making this southern staple is very much a matter of personal preference.

If you’ve been lucky enough to attend the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, you may have had the legendary $1.50 pimento cheese sandwich discussed in this blog post. The article contains both the original (according to the author) Masters pimento cheese sandwich recipe from 1977 and a slightly modified modern version. It appears to contain way too much mayo, but maybe that’s necessary to make it soak into the Wonder Bread used as the conveyance for the spread. Also it contains a small amount of blue cheese which would add to the tartness of the requisite extra-sharp cheddar.

Then there’s this, from Charleston-based Robert Moss who is the Contributing Barbecue Editor of Southern Living Magazine. (Yes, Texas readers, I know southern barbecue is an oxymoron.) Moss talks about various pimento cheese variations and then presents his own version. I would be very comfortable with his recipe had he not written elsewhere (interesting he did not do this on his own blog) quite persuasively that pimento cheese was actually invented up north and originally used cream cheese, not cheddar.

Sean Brock makes pimento cheese with pickled ramps. Ed Lee, the Korean-American chef who has found a home in Kentucky, offers up a pretty basic version with some creative ways to use it. You can also find recipes that use jalapeños instead of (or in addition to) pimentos or add chopped pecans. And here’s a variation that tips its hat (probably by accident) to those northern roots by including whipped cream cheese.

This pimento cheese recipe won first prize in a Southern Folkways competition. Click on the picture to see it in a larger size.

And here’s the recipe for the homemade mayo she uses.

After considering all the variations and doing a little experimentation, we came up with our own pimento cheese recipe. Clink the link to get started. Meanwhile, here are a few of our discoveries along the way:

•Texture is important. Pimento cheese should be crumbly, not smooth. You can achieve this effect by grating the cheese rather than using a blender or food processor for at least the majority of the cheese.
•Pimentos aren’t just for color; they add a secondary note of tartness from the vinegar in the jar. You could use jarred or fresh roasted red peppers, but you’ll then need some acidity from another source such as the cider vinegar used in some of the recipes above.
•Forget about the cream cheese. We tried it and it doesn’t add anything but bulk.
•Don’t overdo it with the mayonnaise. Start with a small amount, then add more and mix so the cheese is well lubricated throughout with no dry patches. Using too much mayo is probably the only way you could ruin this very flexible dish.
•It’s a good idea to add a spicy note with hot sauce, paprika, even cayenne which the tongue will conflate with the taste of the cheese to make it seem extra-sharp.

The good news is, it’s probably impossible to produce a bad batch of pimento cheese. If you go crazy and end up with too much, that’s a fine problem to have. You can spread it on crackers or celery sticks or make a traditional grilled cheese sandwich like Ed Lee does. Whatever you come up with is likely to be delicious.