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Pepper Jelly Pimento Cheese

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Snacks" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"Pimento cheese is for me the ultimate Southern snack. And I literally wrote the book on pimento cheese. While I was researching and developing Pimento Cheese: The Cookbook, I came across lots of recipes and had many people tell me that they like a little sugar in the mix. I tried, but I never really warmed to the granulated sugar idea. While racking my brain for another way to make the spread for this book, it hit me—why not stir in a little sweet-tart pepper jelly? I serve pimento cheese with homemade pepper jelly for dolloping, and I love a sandwich with some PC and pepper jelly, so it is actually kind of an obvious twist. And this little note of sweetness I really like."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 cup mayonnaise, preferably Duke's
â—¦ ¼ cup red pepper jelly (such as Braswell's)
â—¦ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ Generous grinds of black pepper
â—¦ 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos, rinsed and drained
â—¦ 8 ounces extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese
â—¦ 8 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar cheese


Recipe

Whisk the mayonnaise, pepper jelly, vinegar, paprika, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until well combined. You want to make sure there are no big lumps in the jelly, so use a fork or a whisk if needed. Stir in the pimentos.

Grate the cheeses in the food processor fitted with the grating disk or on the large holes of a box grater. Add to the bowl with the mayo mixture and stir to combine, making sure you separate the strands of cheese and get them coated with mayonnaise.

Cover and refrigerate for several hours to let the flavors blend.

Makes about 3 cups