Pimento Cheese Dip

by jake rosenbarger

 

This is a classic Southern spread you’ll see on nearly all family tables during festive events like Mardi Gras, the Kentucky Derby, the Masters Tournament, and on to Thanksgiving, really any gathering you choose is a perfect reason.  It’s a mix of thick dip made of sharp cheese, mayonnaise, sweet and spicy roasted peppers, and dried cayenne pepper.  There are about a zillion variations and versions but we like this one for its simplicity as it allows the ability to add other toppings.


Tools that you need:  Medium mixing bowl, large metal spoon, and about 10 minutes of time.


Ingredients that you need:

  • ½ lb. sharp cheddar cheese (white or yellow), grated

  • ¼ cup roasted pimento peppers, smashed

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise (you can make your own from recipe below if you want)

  • 2 tsp. smoked paprika

  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper

  • ½ tsp kosher salt

  • 1 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice

 

Here's how to get it done:

  1. Put mayonnaise in bottom of mixing bowl and all the ingredients except for the cheese, and mix together thoroughly.

  2. Grate cheese over mixing bowl mixing with mayonnaise in three stages (this will help get everything incorporated evenly).

  3. This is great in sandwiches or on toast served on a platter.

 

Variations you can make:  Italian parsley, chives, or green onions help give the rich dip a bit of zip, sub roasted red peppers for Pimentos if you can’t find them, sub out almost any firm cheese you want for the cheddar, adding olives (green or black) is a great salty blast, adding avocado in place of some of the mayo is tasty too.


To make your own Mayonnaise here is what you need:  small mixing bowl, whisk, patience, and a bit of elbow grease.


Ingredients that you need:

  • 1 large egg yolk (room temp)

  • ¾ cup of oil (veg, olive, or avocado, anything you like except for motor)

  • 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

  • Big pinch of salt and cracked black or white pepper.

 

Here's how to get it done:

  1. In bowl start with whisking the yolk with the vinegar or lemon juice.

  2. Slowly (and I mean slowly) add the oil in a slow stream or drip to bowl while you whisk the egg. 

  3. At first you will see the oil and egg mix so that it looks like cream, then custard, and finally mayonnaise.  This process will take about 10 minutes to get all the way through.

  4. Once the mayo is in the custard faze it is good to add the salt and pepper. 

 

This will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks but it’s best to use sooner rather than later

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