Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese

I've been in a Southern mood lately. The cuisine is just so inviting! From Fried Green Tomatoes to beignets!! Today I'm going to enjoy another Southern delight, pimento cheese. The South knows comfort!! This cheese is ridiculously delicious!! The smokiness of the pimento is so amazing. Big flavor in such a tiny diced pepper. I love the bright deep red color of the pimento, very pleasing to the eye.

This cheese is full of full fat ingredients as to why this cheese is amazing!! Mayo, cream cheese are major players in this cheese. It's really simple to make. I made it in the food processor. I added puréed 1/2 of pimentos then add the  cream cheese and pulse until blended. Then add the cheese handful by handful and pulse until incorporated. Finally add the mayo and pulse until incorporated. Pour it out into a bowl and mix in the reserved pimentos and you're done! So easy!! 

You can totally just eat the cheese with crackers, but why not make it into a grilled cheese!! I took my favorite bread, sourdough, and did just that!! 

In order to get a crispy sandwich I spread butter to the outside, works every time. The cheese was oozing out! So exciting!! 

The outcome was so GOOD!!!!! 

This dish is definitely worth every sinful bite!! It's a must try!! 

Buen Provecho!!

8oz of shredded sharp cheddar

Place about half of the pimento into a small processor and puree.

Add 4 oz of cream cheese with pimento puree and process...

...Until it looks like this

Add cheese in batches and process until....

...it looks like this.

add mayo  & process until smooth

Yummy Pimento Cheese!

Slather bread with cheese, don't be greedy! 

Add butter to the outside for a crispy sandwich.

Griddle up or Pan up1

Until bread is brown & toasty and cheese is ooey gooey!

Such beauty!!!!

Look at that deliciousness! Gooey cheese & crispy bread! Perfection!

Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese - yields about 1-2 cups of pimento cheese

Ingredients:

8oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
4oz Cream cheese, room temp
7oz pimento jar
1/4 cup Mayo
4 slices of Sourdough Bread
melted butter for grilling

Roadmap:

1. Puree 5 oz of pimentos in a small processor. Add cream cheese and process.

2. Add shredded cheese in batches and process. Add mayo and process until smooth.

3. Pour mixture into a bowl. Add remaining pimentos and mix well with a spoon.

4. Preheat griddle or non stick pan. Add a generous spoonful to all 4 slices of bread and make sandwiches. Brush melted butter to the outside bread, to ensure a crispy exterior.

5. Add buttered sandwiches to griddle and toast until golden brown.

6. Drain on a paper towel, let sit for for a couple of minutes, until its cool to touch.

7. Store remaining pimento cheese in an air tight container. Keeps good for 1 week. Enjoy!!! 

S'more Bread Pudding

As a treat for my Sunday School kids I set up an indoor s'more spread. I bought more than I needed and now I have leftover chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallow. What to do, what to do? Bread pudding sounds like a plan!

This pudding is chocolaty, gooey with a bit of texture. I enjoy the dance of this dish. The notes of  bittersweet chocolate with the rich sweetness of the marshmallow balance each other beautifully.  However if you need a bit more sweetness just amp up the sugar. Make it your own. It's a bowlful of campfire fun!

Toasted bread in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes.

                      I started off heating up milk and cream and melting in some chocolate, essentially making hot chocolate minus the sugar.

 In a bowl I whisk together the eggs, honey, sugar and vanilla.

I temper the eggs by adding a cup of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.

Once incorporated add the rest of the chocolate mix into the egg. Pour chocolate custard onto the stale bread.

Let it soak for 30 minutes to an 1 hour, longer if you like, just enough time for the bread to soak up the chocolaty goodness. Pour into a greased dish and sprinkle graham cracker crumbs.

Put into a preheated oven (350F) bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Put oven to broil. Place marshmallows all over pudding and place into the oven. Watch carefully, the marshmallow toasts up quickly!

Enjoy warm or room temperature. So delicious!

Buen Provecho!!


S'more Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1- stale loaf of bread, cubed
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
8 oz chocolate, bittersweet or semi-sweet
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1Tbsp Vanilla extract
pinch of Salt
5 sheets Graham crackers, crushed
15-20 Marshmallows, cut in half (I used kitchen scissors)

Side note: You can stale up your bread by cutting it up into cubes and putting it in a 350 oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until they're golden brown.  


Road Map:

1. Preheat oven 350. Cube stale bread and put aside.

2. Heat up milk and cream on med heat, bring to a simmer. Add chocolate and butter to milk and melt. Remove from heat. 

3. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, honey, sugar and vanilla. Temper eggs by adding a cup of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Once incorporated add the rest of the chocolate mix into the egg.

4. Pour chocolate custard onto the stale bread. Let it soak for 30 minutes to an 1 hour, longer if you like, just enough time for the bread to soak up the chocolaty goodness.

5. Pour mixture into a greased pan. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on pudding.  

6.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Put oven to broil. Place marshmallows all over pudding and place into the oven. Watch carefully,  the marshmallow toasts up quickly!

8. Serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!