Drunken Pimento Cheese

This post first appeared over at Real Housemoms where I am a contributor.  This Drunken Pimento Cheese is a delicious twist on the classic cheese spread that you'll want to eat with everything!

A while back, one of my friends shared a recipe for pimento cheese on her Facebook page. I usually try to pay attention to the kinds of recipes my friends are talking about to get ideas for recipes I’d like to make in my own kitchen. I am a food blogger, after all. I consider stalking my friends’ food preferences kind of like research for upcoming blog posts. My friends are like my own personal focus group for foodie trends. I tell ya, I get inspiration from all over the place!

Anyway, when my friend shared the pimento cheese, I’d say my interest was definitely piqued. But I’m going to be honest with you here, I had no idea what pimento cheese actually was. By the picture she shared, it looked like nothing but cheese mixed with pimentos, but could it be that simple? I had to find out. Because, you know, cheese is life. I love cheese like nobody’s business and I felt way too out of the loop with this whole pimento cheese thing.

With a little investigation, I discovered that pimento cheese is, indeed, just sharp cheddar cheese and pimento peppers bound together with a little mayonnaise. Those three ingredients are the base of the cheese spread that has become a staple in the south.

People customize their pimento cheese like people customize pizza toppings. Everyone’s got an opinion on how it should be made, or rather, how their momma and their momma’s momma made it. Well, my momma’s momma didn’t make pimento cheese, and if she did, I didn’t have a recipe for it. So, I dressed up the cheese, pimentos, and mayo to suit my tastes.

Now I get what the pimento cheese hype is all about. I added some smoked paprika for that smokiness I love so much, some cream cheese for, well, creaminess, and a little bit of beer because it goes so well with peppers and sharp cheese, don’t you think? A few more dashes of this and that for seasoning and I had some seriously delicious pimento cheese on my hands. How I’ve gone 37 years as an avid cheese lover and never been exposed to pimento cheese, I’ll never know. Thankfully, I now see the pimento cheese light!

While researching the simple but delicious cheese spread, I found out that some people use it as a filling for grilled cheese, some people stuff it in mini peppers, and some people slather it on a burger. I’m telling you, I want to put this pimento cheese on aaaaaaallllllll the things. Straight out of the food processor it’s perfect as a dip and after it’s been refrigerated overnight, it’s more of a spread. Either way, it is out of this world! You’ve got to try this easy-to-make drunken version of the southern classic!

Drunken Pimento Cheese

   

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup beer
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup jarred diced pimentos, drained

Instructions

1. Bring beer to boil in small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and let cool completely.
   
2. In your food processor, process the mayonnaise, cream cheese, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, and hot sauce until well combined.  Add the shredded cheese and beer and pulse to combine.  Add the pimentos and pulse a few more times until mixed in.
3. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Notes

• Try this with different kinds of cheeses or spices to suit your tastes.  The possibilities are endless!
• Source: Mine!