Tillamook Premium Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Spread (aka Pimento Cheese)

Just confirmed a new giveaway for 2022. One lucky winner will win a romantic dinner for two for Valentine’s Day. The giveaway will include a selection of artisan cheese, American Wagyu beef and a bottle of champagne. Details will be posted after 1/1 and will giveaway begin on January 15th… Stay tuned…

I have eaten “pimento cheese” for as long as I can remember… I suspect my mom fed it to me along with pureed peas as a toddler. My grandmother, Lillie Mae, had a secret recipe which she handed down to my mom and finally, just before her passing, mom passed that recipe along to me. Because I have (I hope) many years to live, I will keep Miss Anne’s pimento cheese recipe to myself for now. Eventually, I will share it with my daughter-in-law who swooned the first time she tasted this specialty food known as “The Pate of The South”.

When I moved to Southern California in the 1970s, you could not find pimento cheese anywhere. No one had heard of it and gave me bizarre looks. Now, it’s everywhere and even Yankees are claiming to have created the “Best Pimento Cheese” recipe… yeah… right…

“Pimento Cheese” is a simple (and when done right, it’s clean) cheese spread that includes three basic ingredients: cheese, mayo and red peppers, often pimento peppers, plus seasonings. Some people like to get fancy and add “stuff” such as bacon, dill pickles, chopped ham, chopped onion or jalapeno. My grandmother and mom would NEVER add any of those extras. (I have relented only as far as adding jalapeno or habanero peppers.)

I made a small batch of pimento cheese last week using Tillamook Maker’s Reserve Cheddar and Tillamook Yellow Sharp Cheddar. I used Duke’s Mayonnaise (I live in The South so it must be Duke’s) and a jar of Del Destino Organic Red Pepper Strips. I added my own proprietary blend of 22 seasonings plus garlic powder, salt and pepper. There is one other ingredient, thanks to a tip from Chef David Chang, which I call my secret ingredient. It enhances the umami notes of the cheese. Or as Emeril says… it “kicks it up a notch”.

If possible, allow your finished pepper cheese spread to marinate in the fridge 24 hours. Like a lot of soups and sauces, it’s better the next day.

Pepper cheese spreads are versatile. You can do most anything with this iconic spread:

• Simply on crackers – in The South, we use Ritz or Club Crackers
• Sandwiches – always on white bread (think Wondra). Most popular at the Masters Golf Tournament held every spring in Augusta, Georgia
• Grilled Sandwiches – plain or with bacon strips or slices of ham. When warmed, PC oozes…
• Added to Mac n Cheese
• Added to biscuit batter
• Grilled Quesadillas with hot pepper strips added
• Southern Nachos – broiled over tortilla strips

My favorite pairing is on a cracker and topped with Kelly’s Jelly Habanero Pepper Jelly – the spicy, sweetness of the jelly just sends the pepper cheese over the moon.

Here’s the “basic” recipe I used:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds of Tillamook Maker’s Reserve – cubed

2 pounds of Tillamook Yellow Sharp Cheddar – cubed

3 Cups Duke’s Mayo

1 42-ounce jar of peppers including the brine

4-5 Tablespoons Seasonings

1 Tablespoon Ground Pepper

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cube cheeses.

In small batches, food process cheese, mayo and peppers to desired texture. For this recipe, I decided to go with a creamier (instead of chunkier) texture.

Chop jalapenos (remove tops and stems) in a small processor, with seeds and membrane. Set aside.

Combine all small batches. Add seasonings, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well.

Scoop half into containers.

Add jalapeno mixture to second half and scoop into containers.

Chill or serve.

Selections of Kelly’s Jelly and Tillamook Cheese are available at my Amazon Influencer Storefront. Thanks for supporting my efforts to keep the passion for cheese and specialty foods alive!!

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