This luscious pimento cheese evolved from my usual Pimento Cheese recipe after I tasted the delectable Queen Charlotte’s Jalapeño Pimento Cheese. I recommend getting Queen Charlotte’s Pimento Cheese when possible, but if you are far away from Charlotte and you like heat and and you want some fabulous pimento cheese, try this recipe.
For light reading, remember Emily Elizabeth Wallace’s thesis submitted in 2010 for the degree of Master of Arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: It Was There for Work: Pimento Cheese in the Carolina Piedmont. Had I known it was possible to major in Pimento Cheese at UNC, my life might have been quite different.
The spelling question of “pimento” vs. “pimiento” has been thoroughly investigated by the editorial team at Gran’s Best. In the end, we opted for “pimento”, bowing gracefully to our alma mater’s spelling.
8 oz. yellow extra sharp cheddar
4 oz. white extra sharp cheddar
4 oz. pepper jack
4 oz. cream cheese cut into small chunks
4-oz. jar diced pimentos and juice
4 oz. pickled jalapeños, roughly chopped, and a tablespoon of the juice
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Grate the cheese on the big holes in the grater. Roughly chop jalapeños (and pimentos if not already chopped) and add to cheese. Add all other ingredients and mix with plastic spatula.