The Duke’s & Sharp Cheddar Heirloom Pimento Cheese
Front Porch Gatherings & Holiday Spreads
Real pimento cheese isn't scooped from a supermarket tub; pimento cheese is the undisputed pâté of the American South, a Gilded Age luxury transformed into a working-class staple by affordable canned pimentos and industrial cheese. Take a heavy box grater to a block of sharp cheddar—you must grate the cheddar by hand to avoid chalky anti-caking agents—bind it with a jar of Duke's mayonnaise, and eat it straight from the fridge on a Tuesday night. Tear open a sleeve of Ritz crackers and get out of the way.
Before you start
Prepare the pimentos.
Discard any liquid from the jar and gently pat the peppers dry with a paper towel so the excess brine doesn't break your mayonnaise emulsion.
Ingredients
- extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese8 oz
- extra-sharp white cheddar cheese8 oz
- Duke's mayonnaise3/4 cup
- jarred diced pimentos4 oz
- cayenne pepper1/4 tsp
- freshly ground black pepper1/2 tsp
- onion powder1/4 tsp
- kosher saltto taste
Method
- 01
Grate the cheese by hand.
Using the large holes of a standard box grater, manually shred both the yellow and white extra-sharp cheddar blocks into a large mixing bowl.
- 02
Combine the aromatics.
Add the drained pimentos, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and onion powder to the shredded cheese.
- 03
Bind the cheese with mayonnaise.
Add a half-cup of mayonnaise to start, gently folding the mixture together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to coat the shreds without crushing them into a paste. Add the remaining mayonnaise a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- 04
Rest and marry the flavors.
Taste for salt, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least one to two hours to let the sharp dairy proteins and tangy mayonnaise meld.
- 05
Serve with a slight chill.
Remove from the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before serving to take the hard chill off.
Notes
Never use pre-shredded cheese.
Commercial bagged cheeses are coated with anti-caking starches that will ruin the creamy emulsion, resulting in a gritty, disjointed spread.
Respect the mayonnaise.
If Duke's is unavailable in your region, use a high-quality, full-fat, sugar-free mayonnaise like Hellmann's or Best Foods. Sweet salad dressings like Miracle Whip will ruin the flavor profile.
Avoid the food processor.
High-speed mechanical mixing shears the cheese proteins and turns this highly textured spread into a homogenous, gloppy paste.
From Cook Southern Food.