ANDI’S FAMOUS PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD
Andi Wandt, production manager at our FVC Creamery and accredited ‘Pimento Queen,’ was kind enough to share her go-to recipe and tips for making the best-ever pimento cheese spread.
Set this delicious dip out with crudités, crackers, potato chips, crusty bread, or pretzels, or spread it onto a simple sandwich for the perfect afternoon snack. You can even stuff it into small sweet peppers or use it to fill jalapeño poppers! Finally, if you’ve never made a grilled pimento cheese sandwich, you haven’t lived.
PREP TIME: COOK TIME: CHILL TIME: 30 minutes YIELDS: 3 cups
HOW TO MAKE IT
Add all of the ingredients except for the mustard, salt and pepper, and cayenne to a medium bowl and stir to combine thoroughly.
Start with a little bit of each of the mustard and seasonings, adding more to taste.
The texture of the spread at room temperature should be just a little loose — you’re going to refrigerate it and it will firm up a bit.
Pop the bowl into the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
PRO TIPS
Make sure your pimentos/peppers are well-drained to avoid bringing excess moisture into the mix.
The longer you let the ingredients mingle, the better the spread will taste — let it sit in the fridge overnight if you have the time. Give it a quick stir before serving to loosen it a little.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb shredded cheese- we recommend Whitney, Cabot Clothbound, Alpha Tolman, or for extra ease, our Chef Shred.
8oz softened cream cheese (Andi prefers Philadelphia)
1/3-1/2 cup mayonnaise, add more as needed for desired texture- bonus points if you use Duke’s!
A couple of heavy dashes of Worcestershire sauce
4oz jar pimentos, drained and chopped
4oz jar sweety drop peppers (Andi’s secret ingredient)
Dijon mustard — start with a dollop, adjust to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dash of cayenne, if you’re spicy
