Another Recipe – Pimento Cheese

An Evolution

Hello! If you are just joining, thanks for being here and please read the first few newsletters if you would like to be brought up to speed. We are currently right smack dab in the middle of my origin story with some recipes thrown in for good measure. If you are here for wine, have no fear, the “Wine Years” are just beginning, and then its weekly ponderings on wine and food and life from here on out!

Last week’s origin story brought me from New Orleans to Charleston and laid the path for opening my own restaurant, the Glass Onion (more on that monumental experience next week)! But in the meantime, I think it’s time for another recipe, and really no recipe could be more appropriate for this time than my pimento cheese recipe that I honed over several years. 

Make no mistake, I most definitely grew up eating pimento cheese from plastic tubs bought in the grocery story. And to be honest, I have a nostalgic craving for that ultra creamy (almost fluffy) pimento cheese even as I write this. But as explained in Origin Story Part 1, I became determined in my early 20s to learn how to make things (and not just eat them!). Pimento cheese was such a staple of my childhood that it seemed like I should have my own, tried and true version. 

I believe my first foray in pimento cheese testing came about after a food conference in Oxford, Mississippi – the Southern Foodways Alliance’s annual symposium. I was an early member of this group that sought to really delve into the history of southern food and collect the stories behind it. Thus, they hosted a “Pimento Cheese Invitational” in 2003 and published an entire (albeit small) cookbook on pimento cheese! 

I came back from the symposium to my job at Emeril’s Homebase armed with this cookbook and determined to come up with “my” version. I distinctly remember making one with grated onion and tasting it with my co-workers. We all decided that the raw white onion was a bit intense, but this inspired me to try adding finely chopped green onions. This idea was a winner, and I took it with me to Charleston where I further developed it in my Folly Beach kitchen and ultimately brought it to the Glass Onion where I believe it is still served today. 

This is most definitely a spicy take on pimento cheese, and you can dial back the black pepper if you are sensitive to heat. But I simply LOVE black pepper, especially in dishes with mayonnaise. Speaking of my favorite condiment, I just realized that at this point I have given you THREE mayonnaise based recipes. Lord have mercy! It’s quite funny to me as believe it or not I cook quite healthy (most of the time), but what can I say mayonnaise played a large role in my younger years! 

As far as a wine pairing…while a slightly spicy pimento cheese might not seem like the most wine friendly food, I beg to differ. A dry rosé (but one with a bit of structure) happens to be a perfect pairing with a little spice. Pictured here is the Loire Valley rosé from famed Chenin Blanc producer Francois Chidaine. It’s a blend of Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Grolleau (a much lesser known red grape that you see occasionally in this region). You might notice it has a darker hue but rest assured that it is indeed dry! I know that I’ve fielded many questions during my wine retail years regarding the color of rosé and whether darker ones have more sweetness. The short answer is no, but perhaps that perception comes from the fact that darker rosés just have a bit more “stuffing” from a longer amount of time on the grape skins. It’s this “stuffing” that I think makes a darker rosé work wonderfully with spice. See for yourself 🙂!

(Fun fact: pimento cheese did not actually originate in the south; local Charleston food writer Robert Moss gives a well researched history of pimento cheese on the Serious Eats site. Click here to read that!)

Pimento Cheese à la Glass Onion 

2 cups sharp cheddar, grated (almost an 8 ounce block)

¼ cup chopped green onion (green part only), about 4 onions 

½ cup mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s 

⅓ cup canned pimento peppers, drained and chopped (4 ounce jar)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (can be reduced)

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Couple of dashes of hot sauce, preferably Tabasco 

Combine cheese and green onions in a medium bowl and stir or mix gently with hands to combine. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Add cheese-onion mixture to mayonnaise-spice mixture and stir gently to combine. (It is important not to over-stir.) Serve immediately with crackers and/or crudité; or cover, refrigerate, and let flavors marinate before serving. Either way it’s delicious! 

(Pimento cheese is also quite yummy on burgers!)

Yield: About 1 pint; serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

P.S. I tweaked this recipe just a touch from my original version with more accurate measurements and also a touch less salt as my palate now believes that Duke’s mayonnaise brings just enough salt on its own. 

P.P.S. For a musical pairing – check out Shuggie Otis – a lesser known R&B singer/ songwriter/guitarist that I listened to A LOT during this time in my life.