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Ingredients
- 1/2 pound grated cheddar cheese, preferably sharp or extra-sharp (I often buy packaged, pre-grated cheese; see Notes)
- 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers (to taste)
- one 4-ounce jar canned pimentos (see Notes)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise (to taste; I prefer more rather than less)
- black pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon for me)
- salt to taste (optional, but I find some is needed; a couple big pinches of Kosher salt is usually enough)
- cayenne pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon for me; but it you don’t like spicy, use less or omit it)
- pre-made, ready-to-serve pastry shells (often sold frozen; see Notes)
- garnish of jalapeño pepper slices (optional)
Preparation
Step 1
Jalapeño Pimento Cheese tastes better if made a couple of hours ahead of time (so the flavors get to mingle). Better yet, make it the day ahead. But don’t fill the pastry shells with the cheese spread until an hour or so before you’re ready to serve—so the shells don’t get soggy.
This recipe makes about 1½ cups of pimento cheese, enough to fill around 2 dozen shells. You can store leftover pimento cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Grate the cheese (if not using the pre-grated variety). Place the cheese in a mixing bowl.
Wash the jalapeño peppers and cut them lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the ribs and seeds (be careful, the oil on these is hot; keep fingers away from your eyes). Chop the peppers into very small dice (or use a mini food processor). Add the chopped peppers to the mixing bowl with the cheese. Then
Drain the pimentos. Add them to the mixing bowl with the cheese.
Add about half the mayonnaise you think you’ll need, then mix all the ingredients together. In addition to adding flavor, the mayo helps “dilute” the cheese so you’ll get a nice, spreadable texture. Keep adding mayonnaise until you get the consistency you want.
Add black pepper, optional salt, and cayenne to taste. (You may want to add a bit at a time and keep tasting.) Stir well to incorporate. The longer you mix the ingredients, the smoother the cheese will become. But a chunky texture is nice—and that’s what I usually make.
It’s fun to use a mix of cheeses in this dish (for example, half cheddar and half mild white cheese, such as Monterey Jack). Or for added flavor, maybe a Pepper Jack.
Some people like to include a bit of cream cheese. For this recipe, you might try adding 2 ounces. If you do so, you’ll probably need less mayo—probably no more than ¼ cup.
Canned pimentos are traditional in this dish. They add some flavor, but it’s mainly their color that’s appealing.
If you live in the southern United States, you’ll probably use Duke brand mayonnaise when you make Pimento Cheese. But Duke is not available in most of the country, so elsewhere the mayo of choice is Hellmann’s (in the western US, it’s called Best).
If you want, you can heat the filled pastry shells in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese a bit—turning a cold canapé into a hot one.