Highlands Bar and Grill Pimento Cheese

This is the Pimento Cheese I crave and the one I make over and over again. What makes it so good?  Using fresh roasted red peppers  instead of  chopped red peppers from a jar. It makes a huge difference in the taste and bumps it up to a whole new level.

The recipe calls for homemade mayonnaise but since that’s never worked for me,  I use Hellman’s and  love the results.  Serve this as an appetizer with crackers or make the best sandwich ever using the fluffiest white bread you can find.  It’s to die for.

This recipe is from Frank Stitt, a famous Southern Chef who features this in his restaurant Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, AL. and his cookbook, Southern Table.

Highlands Bar and Grill Pimento Cheese

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 pound cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped (may want to use 2)
1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s)
1 teaspoon sugar
splash of hot sauce, such as tabasco or cholula
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Grate the cheddar in the food processor with the grating disk or grate by hand on a box grater. Using the food processor, mix the mayo, cream cheese, pepper, sugar, hot sauce and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Then, gently pulse in the 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese. Do not mix too finely. Add remaining shredded cheese by hand. *Mix in the chopped roasted red peppers BY HAND. They get too small if added to food processor.