White Pimento Cheese Spread

When you move around a lot, you start missing things from all over the world. Of course, I always miss  the food! And places. And cool shops. And a whole host of other things.

But mostly the food. And the people.

You feel me here, peeps? I miss Mexican food from El Paso, and crumb cake from New York. I already have a list of things I know I'll miss from Germany. One of the things I crave the most comes from the town I grew up in, in Virginia. A local company made a "gourmet white pimento cheese spread" that was absolutely to die for.

Like the crumb cake, the cheese couldn't be shipped. Something had to be done! So I re-created it at home, and now I eat it whenever I want.  

White Pimento Cheese Spread

Because that's how I roll.

Oddly enough, I used to be prejudiced against pimento cheese. I thought it was weird. But then I tried the "gourmet" version, and I was hooked. I bet you will be too. Come on, give pimentos a chance…

The ingredients are pretty basic:

The ingredients

And the method is pretty easy. Start by mixing a few spices into ½ cup of mayonnaise: ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and an ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder.

Then, whip 3 ounces of cream cheese until it's all light and fluffy. I do this with my hand mixer, the process is much quicker this way. Blend your mayo mix into the fluffy cream cheese.

This goopiness may look weird, but it's the binder for your cheeses and it's going to taste delicious when everything is put together, I promise. The most important ingredient in your spread is the cheese. Don't by the pre-shredded stuff, people! Grate your own, it's worth it. Trust me.

So, to your goop, add 2 cups of freshly grated white cheddar cheese. You can use the yellow kind, but then it wouldn't be white pimento cheese anymore. The white cheddar has a slightly different flavor too, try it one time and you'll see.

Also add 1 cup of freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese, and ¼ cup of fresh grated Parmesan. Grate the Parmesan on the littlest hole of your grater, kay? Also on the smallest opening, grate 2 teaspoons of onion.

The smallest grater side

Stir in 2 tablespoons of minced green onion as well, and 1 jar (4 ounces) of diced pimentos, drained of the liquid.

Mix it all around, and viola! White pimento cheese. I suggest chilling the mixture for at least 2 hours before serving, but you don't have to. To be honest, I always taste test a couple bites before the cheese makes it into the fridge. Don't tell!

I make this for parties, or weekend snacking. Or weeknight snacking. And I always make a double batch, because the Hubs is a pimento cheese hog. If you want to spice things up a little, try adding a bit of minced jalapeño to the mix.

Until next time, happy cooking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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The Standard Form: 

White Pimento Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated fresh

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated fresh

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated fresh

1 (4 oz.) jar pimentos, drained

2 teaspoons finely grated onion

2 tablespoons green onions, minced

Directions:

Mix the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper with the mayonnaise. Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, then add the mayonnaise mixture to it and beat until well combined. Stir in all three types of cheese, the grated onion, pimentos, and green onions. Mix until well blended. Chill before serving. Serve with crackers, or as a sandwich.