Andrea Nguyen
Author & Teacher
Send a message
My Books + App
Book trailer, info on ebook w/ video, sample content
BUY NOW @ Amazon, B&N, iBooks, IndieBound, J. Biscuit & local bookstores
* * *
Details on eBooklet, how & where to buy
* * *
BUY NOW @ Amazon, B&N, iBooks, IndieBound, J. Biscuit & local bookstores
* * *
Info on e-book w/ videos!
BUY NOW @ Amazon, B&N, iBooks, IndieBound, J. Biscuit & local bookstores
* * *
The mobile app is here!
BUY NOW @ iTunes store
« Summer Vacation Eats: Washington, DC |Main| Surprise! Tofu with a Southern Touch »
August 01, 2013Sriracha Pimento Cheese RecipeMy experiences in the American South are limited but everytime I visit, I am surprised and refreshed by the simple, tasty food thatSoutherners make. It’s unfussy, straightforward cooking that has grown out of the melding of many cuisines and traditions. One of the iconicfoods of the region is pimento cheese, a thick spread of cheese, jarred sweet redpepper, and mayonnaise. That may sound blah to you but it’s darn good – like anelevated version of “pub cheese” sold in tubs.
During our recent trip back East, we had pimento cheesetwice within the span of 3 days. The first was at Bayou Bakery in Arlington, Virginia,where chef/owner David Guas served it with Triscuit crackers. “That’s theproper way to eat it,” his wife toldus. She was right. The crunchy, saltiness of the nutty crackers went perfectlywell with the alluring pale orange cheese spread.
Our second sampling of pimento cheese was at The Rooseveltin Richmond, Virginia. Chef and owner Lee Gregory served his spread with someof the best housemade potato chips I’ve ever had.
Pimento cheese has a subtle flavor, is simple to make, and isoddly addictive to eat. My husband asked me to make pimento cheese when we got home.I used the “Blue Ribbon Pimento Cheese” recipe in thewonderful SouthernFoodways Alliance Community Cookbook for reference and added my own twists. It called for jarredpimento, which I tried but found that it was expensive, kind of tasteless, andgave me indigestion. (Sorry if this is too much information, but frankly, Asianpeople openly discuss digestion issues.)
With all the chiles at our farmers’ market, why not roast some to inject bright flavor into pimento cheese? I opted for Hatch chiles, alovely Anaheim-like pepper that’s typically sold green but a farmer had strikingred ones last Saturday. To boost the earthy pungent sweetness of the pepper, Igrated raw onion instead of using onion powder. The recipe called for Worcestershiresauce, which I lacked so I substituted a bit of fish sauce and Chinese blackvinegar (the stuff that’s served at dim sum with shrimp-filled tofu skin rolls).
To amplify the chile’s sweet funk and to add a touch of heat, I employed Srirachain lieu of cayenne. Pimento cheese isn’t spicy hot, so I added just enoughSriracha to support the roasted red pepper.
The recipe didn’t specify what kind of Cheddar to use. For asuper vibrant color, choose an orange-colored cheddar cheese. I selected a dry,sharp, white cheddar instead because I like the flavor. Nothing fancy isneeded. For example, I bought Kerrygold brand at Trader Joe’s.
The result was a cheery spread that I’ve now made twicesince we came home last week from vacation. I guess we kind of like it. Try it pimento cheese withTriscuits or pretzels. If you’re gluten-free, potato chips and little roundrice crackers work. Cutting down on calories or carbs? Try celery sticks withyour pimento cheese. I just saw a Costco Connections recipe for a hamburger garnished with pimento cheese. You can’t lose.
Recipe
Sriracha PimentoCheese
Yield: 1 3/4 cups(420 ml)
Ingredients
1 large sweet red pepper (such asHatch/Anaheim), or 1 1/2 ounces (45 g) coarsely chopped roasted red bell pepper10 ounces (300 g) sharp Cheddar cheese, gratedon largest hole of a box grater1/2 teaspoon finely grated yellow onion1 tablespoon Sriracha or other Southeast Asianchile sauce2 to 4 drops fish sauce plus 1/8 teaspoonChinese black vinegar, or 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire saucePinch of sugarAbout 1/4 cup mayonnaise or 2 tablespoonsmayonnaise and 2 tablespoon lowfat Greek yogurtInstructions
If needed, roast the red pepper for 5 to 7minutes over a flame or under a broiler. Let the flames lick the pepper andchar it. Put into a thin plastic produce bag, twist to close and set aside to steamand loosen the skin from the flesh, about 10 minutes. Standing over the sink,remove the skin. Rinse, pull off the seeds. Cut off the stem, then coarselychop. Put the pepper and cheese in the work bowlof a food processor. Pulse to finelychop and combine. Pause to add the remaining ingredients, then restart themachine to render the mixture into a relatively smooth texture. When done, you’llhave a cantaloupe-colored thick paste. Taste and adjust the flavor with extrachile sauce for heat, mayonnaise for creaminess. Pimento cheese is a thickspread. It’s not a dip. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature orrefrigerate. Keeps well for several days. Stir up the pimento cheese beforeusing. Enjoy at room temperature and use a spreader or just scoop up with crackers,potato chips, or celery sticks.Related posts: more ideas for you to spread around...
Avocado and goat cheese with togarashiSeared ginger raitaPosted | Permalink | |
| Comments Sriracha Pimento Cheese Recipe My experiences in the American South are limited but everytime I visit, I am surprised and refreshed by the simple, tasty food thatSoutherners make. It’s unfussy, straightforward cooking that has grown out of the melding of many cuisines and traditions. One of the iconicfoods of the region is pimento cheese, a thick spread of cheese, jarred sweet redpepper, and mayonnaise. That may sound blah to you but it’s darn good – like anelevated version of “pub cheese” sold in tubs.
During our recent trip back East, we had pimento cheesetwice within the span of 3 days. The first was at Bayou Bakery in Arlington, Virginia,where chef/owner David Guas served it with Triscuit crackers. “That’s theproper way to eat it,” his wife toldus. She was right. The crunchy, saltiness of the nutty crackers went perfectlywell with the alluring pale orange cheese spread.
Our second sampling of pimento cheese was at The Rooseveltin Richmond, Virginia. Chef and owner Lee Gregory served his spread with someof the best housemade potato chips I’ve ever had.
Stay Connected
Asian Tofu in the News"A whole cookbook devoted to tofu? Yes, please."— Kate Williams, Serious Eats 2012 Favorite Cookbooks
"Cooking with Tofu (Are You Serious?!)"
— Michael Rulhman on his tofu conversion
"This book should be a priority for anyone with the slightest interest in Asian cuisines."
— Anne Mendelson, Taste & Travel
"The most gratifying part about cooking from Asian Tofu is that all the recipes work the way they’re written."
— T. Susan Chang, Boston Globe
Book info, reviews, radio & TV . . .Classes & EventsDumpling Demo & Signing, Menlo Park, CA
Sat, Aug 3, 11am
Live Radio, Dr. Don Show (from AZ)
Wed., Aug 5, 3-4pm PST, we're talking tofu!
Hands-on @SFCooking, San Francisco
Sat, Aug 17, 11am-4pm: Asian Dumplings (waitlist)
Hands-on @loveapplefarms, Santa Cruz
Sun, Oct 6, 12-4pm, Asian Dumplings
Sat, Oct 26, 12-4pm, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2013/07/sriracha-pimento-cheese-recipe.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});
No comments:
Post a Comment