Cheese spread, with or without pimento

There are foods I would write about multiple times a year if I thought I could get away with it. Pimento cheese is one of those foods. (For the record, our last big spread on pimento cheese was three years ago.)

The mixture is one of the most versatile I can think of.

It can be the star or a supporting player. You can stuff it, spread it, dip it and even fry it.

From sandwiches and burgers to deviled eggs and jalapeno peppers, pimento cheese makes just about everything it touches better.

I’m a latecomer to the pimento cheese lovers club. As a lifelong Southerner (save a year in Germany, a summer in San Francisco and two years in New York) I did not grow up eating pimento cheese. I grew up avoiding pimento cheese. My early experiences with the Southern staple were versions too heavy on the mayonnaise and soggy pimentos, and too light on the cheese.

As a cheese lover I just didn’t see the point in ruining perfectly good cheese by whirling it in a food processor with a bunch of greasy mayonnaise. And I still don’t.

I acknowledge mayo has its place in pimento cheese, but with a light touch. I’ve found you can substitute sour cream, Greek-style yogurt, cream cheese and even cottage cheese for some or all of the mayonnaise in most pimento cheese recipes with excellent results.

And as far as the pimentos go, purists will likely cry foul, but roasted red bell peppers and diced green chiles make fine, tasty alternatives. I’ve even used sun-dried tomatoes. As long as it contains shredded cheese, peppers and a creamy binder, we think it’s in the ballpark.

Below are some of the best pimento cheese recipes I’ve come across, and one or two I developed since my 2011 tribute to the spread.

You’re unlikely to see a recipe exactly like your grandmother made (hopefully that recipe is safely preserved on an index card in your recipe box) but the following include a range of pimento cheese styles that should offer something appetizing to nearly everyone.

America’s Test Kitchen Pimento Cheese

¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

2 ½ tablespoons diced pimentos

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon any pickle juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir vigorously with a fork until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip

2 ¼ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup finely diced roasted red bell peppers

2 large green onions, trimmed and finely chopped

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Crackers or toasted baguette, for serving

In a food processor, combine the cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, bell peppers, green onion, paprika, cayenne and salt and pepper and pulse until mixture is well combined but rough in texture.

Transfer mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.

Serve with crackers or toasted baguette.

Makes about 6 servings.

Recipe adapted from The American Cookbook: A Fresh Take on Classic Recipes by Elena Rosemond-Hoerr and Caroline Bretherton

Tex-Mex Pimento Cheese

1 pound pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)

¼ cup chopped pimentos

¼ cup chopped pickled jalapenos

½ cup mayonnaise, or less to taste

¼ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon chile powder

Pinch sugar

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, pimentos, jalapenos, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chile powder and sugar. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until well chilled. Will keep for about 7 days.

Makes about 4 cups.

Recipe adapted from The B.T.C.

Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook: Recipes and Stories From a Southern Revival by Alexe van Beuren with recipes by Dixie Grimes

City Grocery Pimento Cheese

2 cups coarsely shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup coarsely shredded havarti cheese

1 cup cream cheese, softened

¾ cup chopped bread-and butter pickles

6 tablespoons pickle juice

2 teaspoons Tabasco hot sauce

½ cup chopped pimentos

½ cup Homemade “Duke’s” Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper

½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a very large mixing bowl), combine the cheeses, pickles, pickle juice, Tabasco, pimentos and mayonnaise and blend well. Season with salt, black pepper and red pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Will keep in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Makes about 4 cups.

Recipe adapted from Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey: Recipes From My Three Favorite Food Groups and Then Some by John Currence

Homemade “Duke’s” Mayonnaise

3 egg yolks (see note)

2 teaspoons mustard powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 ½ cups peanut oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt and ground white pepper

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, mustard powder, onion powder, sugar and lemon juice. Whisk on high speed 2 to 3 minutes, or until yolks are creamy. With the mixer on, drizzle the oil into the yolks in a slow, steady stream (avoiding the wires of the whisk), whisking until the mixture forms a thick emulsion. Blend in the vinegar and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a clean container, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 4 cups.

Note: This recipe contains uncooked eggs, which sometimes contain salmonella bacteria, which can cause serious illness. To reduce the risk of food-borne illness associated with uncooked eggs, we used Safest Choice pasteurized eggs.

Recipe adapted from Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey: Recipes From My Three Favorite Food Groups and Then Some by John Currence

This recipe is from Best of the Best From Arkansas Cookbook, Selected Recipes From Arkansas’ Favorite Cookbooks edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. The recipe was originally published in The Dairy Hollow House Cookbook.

A headnote reads, “We had never had pimento cheese until we ate at Papa Robin’s, a now-defunct restaurant in Jasper, Ark. [This is] our re-creation of their marvelous pimento cheese.” It is unclear if the quoted text is from The Dairy Hollow House Cookbook or from McKee and Moseley.

Either way, this pimento cheese is fantastic.

Papa Robin’s World’s Best Pimento Cheese

¼ cup mayonnaise

3 ounces cream cheese

3 cloves garlic

Handful fresh parsley

Several shots Pickapepper hot sauce

Several shots Tabasco hot sauce

1 cup pecans

1 small jar diced pimentos with juice

12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese

In a food processor, puree until smooth the mayonnaise, cream cheese, garlic, parsley and hot sauces. Turn into a bowl.

Add the pecans to the food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. A

dd pecans and pimentos with juice to mayonnaise mixture.

Coarsely grate the cheese and add it to the mayonnaise mixture. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

This recipe calls for fire-roasted green chiles instead of the traditional red pimentos.

Fire-Roasted Green Chile Fauxmento Cheese

1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese

1 cup shredded havarti cheese

1 teaspoon grated onion

1 teaspoon lime juice

¼ cup fire-roasted diced green chiles, drained

2 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 to 4 tablespoons sour cream

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses, onion, lime juice and green chiles. Stir in mayonnaise and sour cream until well blended.

Season to taste with crushed red pepper flakes and ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours before serving. Will keep for about 1 week.

Makes about 3 ½ cups.

We won’t try to pull one over on you and call pimento cheese diet-friendly. But this version, which uses cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise, comes close.

No Mayo Pimento Cheese

½ pound Colby cheese

½ pound American cheese

¾ cup small curd cottage cheese

½ cup diced pimentos or roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

2 teaspoons finely grated onion

2 teaspoons coarse-grain mustard

Lemon juice or pickle juice, to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

Using a box grater, grate the Colby and American cheeses using fine and coarse holes for the best texture; set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Fold in cheeses.

Makes about 6 cups.

Pecan Habanero Pimento Cheese

½ habanero chile, seeds and membranes removed, minced

½ pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

½ cup coarsely chopped pecans

¼ cup diced pimentos or roasted red bell peppers, drained

½ cup mayonnaise, or to taste

3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Salt and ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Let come to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Recipe adapted from The New Southern Table by Brys Stephens

Chipotle Pimento Cheese

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 teaspoon grated onion

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup diced pimentos or roasted red bell peppers

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, diced

½ cup chopped cilantro

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon lime juice or to taste

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses, onion, garlic, mayonnaise, pimentos, chipotle, cilantro, cumin and lime juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Makes about 2 cups.

Recipe adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain via mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com