Spicy Pimento Cheese

A traditional southern recipe, this spicy pimento cheese, kicked up a notch up with the addition of Hatch chiles and cayenne pepper, is the perfect sandwich filling or spread to top crackers.

Despite its northern origins, pimento cheese is a staple of southern childhood. While researching its history, I discovered that many families bought it ready-made in stores, keeping a small tub ever present in their refrigerators. My grandmother always made it with homemade mayonnaise, as does my mother. If you are so inclined, here’s a link to their homemade mayo recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Pimento cheese spread on white bread is the sanguine stuff of childhood summers, best eaten high in the nearest climbable tree, favorite book in the other hand, scuffed bare feet swinging in the breeze, amongst the flutter of the pink and white fluffs of mimosa flowers or wisps of Spanish moss draped from ancient oaks. 

Pimento cheese was once considered fancy food – think teatime sandwiches cut in triangles with crusts removed. It evolved into everyday fare as red peppers, initially imported from Spain, were cultivated in the south and prices fell. 

There are almost as many recipes and combinations for delicious pimento cheese as there are cooks. It fits our Sunday Supper theme today – Foods That Travel – not just historically with its popularity spreading from north to south but also with the ease it can be served, between slices of bread or on crackers for tasty sandwiches and appetizers on the go.

I’ve made this many times over the years to take along to potlucks or teas, just recently, in fact, piping the pimento cheese onto crackers and sharing it with a close group of friends I’ve treasured for more than 40 years. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

My humble pimento cheese joined a table laden with delicious teatime fare.

Many thanks to our host for this week’s Sunday Supper, Marion of Life Tastes Good, who is ably assisted by Coleen at The Redhead Baker.

Ingredients

1 (4 oz or 113g)) jar pimentos, drained
1-2 teaspoons finely grated onion
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus a little extra for dusting, if desired
16oz or 454g extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 (4 oz or 113g) can Hatch chilies (or mild green chilies if you prefer), drained
1 cup or 240ml mayonnaise

Method
In a large bowl with plenty of room for mixing, use a fork to combine the first five ingredients thoroughly.

Add in the mayonnaise and mix well.

Spread on bread for sandwiches or put the spicy pimento cheese in a sealed plastic bag, cut off one corner and pipe it onto crackers. For the tea, I snipped my bag and closed it with a secure clip so I was ready to lay out crackers and pipe on pimento cheese immediately. Food That Travels!

Sprinkle with a light dusting of more cayenne, if desired.

Enjoy!

Looking for recipes to pack for lunch and head outdoors? Need inspiration for upcoming National Night Out get-togethers or family reunion potluck picnics?  Sunday Supper is here to help!

Adventurous Appetizers

• Bacon Cheeseburger Dip by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Spicy Pimento Cheese by Food Lust People Love

Destination Desserts

• Almond Flour Brownies by Recipe for Perfection
• Cherry Blueberry Pie by Pies and Plots
• Cherry Pound Cake with Lime Glaze by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Classic Carrot Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• No Bake Banana Pie in a Jar by Our Good Life
• No Bake Millionaire Shortbread Cookies by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Oatmeal Raisin Banana Bars by What Smells So Good?

Mains in Motion

• Baby Back Pork Loin Ribs by The Freshman Cook
• BBQ Chicken On The Grill To Go by Family Foodie
• Chicken Salad Skewers by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cobb Salad in a Jar by Life Tastes Good
• Farro with Eggplant and Tomato by Cooking Chat
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Mexican Breakfast Casserole  by Simply Healthy Family
• Pan Bagnat (Provençal Tuna Sandwich) by Curious Cuisiniere
• Pastitsio by Food Done Light
• Roasted Vegetable Tart by Adventures in All Things Food
• Spinach Pie by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Vegan SuperFood Bowl by Sustainable Dad

Sightseeing Sides

• Grilled Corn, Bean & Radish Salad by Feeding Big
• Heirloom Tomato Salsa by Nosh My Way
• Parmesan Pasta Salad by Recipes Food and Cooking
• Pomodoro Fresco Pasta Salad by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen

Traveling Treats

• Cherry Crumble No-Bake Energy Bars by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins by Caroline's Cooking
• Energy Balls by Noshing With The Nolands
• Sunflower Seed Oatmeal Bars by Magnolia Days

More Tips

• Comfort Foods That Travel Tips by Sunday Supper Movement

Crushed Pineapple Ice Cream #FoodieExtravaganza

Old-fashion ice cream made with a sweet egg custard and crushed pineapple is simplicity itself because sometimes one shouldn’t mess with a good thing.

Not too long back, we were cleaning out the storage space in my laundry room and came across a brand new ice cream maker that had been a gift from my older sister when we were living in Brazil. We never did use it because cream was so dang expensive there, so it got moved to Houston in 1999 and was never really unpacked. It was time to make ice cream! Suggestions were solicited and I expected Mom to ask for peach, her favorite fruit, but she surprised me with the request for pineapple ice cream.

When my mom was growing up in southern Louisiana, family picnics always included hand-cranked ice cream makers filled with the ingredients for pineapple ice cream in the middle, surrounded by rock salt and ice. She says sometimes as many as six were lined up under the shade of the old pecan trees. The menfolk chatted and cranked until the ice cream started freezing and the handles became harder and harder to turn. Then the ice cream machines would be covered with old burlap sacks until the ice cream was hard enough and ready to serve, several hours later. What a great finish to a family picnic!

This crushed pineapple ice cream brought back good childhood memories for her and I am delighted to share it today for our Foodie Extravaganza creative ice cream event, hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

Recipe adapted from the pineapple ice cream in Quick Cooking May/June 2002 issue. (No longer published, more’s the pity.)

N.B.: You need a thermometer to accurately prepare this recipe, as written.

Ingredients
2 cups or 480ml milk
1 cup or 200g sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1-3/4 cups or 414ml heavy whipping cream
1 small can (8 oz or 227g) crushed pineapple in 100% juice - Do not drain!

Method
In a bowl large enough to hold the pot you plan to make your ice cream base or custard in, cover the bottom with ice cubes two layers deep. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat your milk to 175°F or 80°C. Add in the sugar and stir till it is dissolved.

Whisk a small amount of the hot mixture into the eggs.

Return all to the pot, whisking constantly.

Cook and stir over low heat until the mixture reaches at least 160°F or 72°C and coats the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the heat. Add some water to the ice bowl and place the pot in the ice water to cool quickly. Stir constantly for two minutes.

Now stir in the whipping cream and the can of crushed pineapple.

Pour the mixture into a Ziploc bag and press the air completely out of it. Pop it in your freezer until chilled through, about one hour.

Pour into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions. Depending on your ice cream maker, you may have to transfer the ice cream into an airtight container to freeze completely before serving.

After about 30 minutes of churning in an electric ice cream freezer.

Enjoy!

Check out all the great frozen treats we have for you this month! Thanks for hosting, Camilla! 

• Chocolate Decadence Ice Cream by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Malted Whopper Ice Cream by My Daylights
• Crushed Pineapple Ice Cream by Food Lust People Love
• Custard Cream & Strawberry Swirl No Churn Ice Cream by Baking in Pyjamas
• Éma’a (Syrian Ice Cream) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Fruity Fruit Popsicles by The Freshman Cook
• Lemon Basil Ice Cream by Our Good Life
• Lemongrass Ginger Coconut Ice Cream by The Joyful Foodie
• Maple Bacon Ice Cream by Cooking With Carlee
• No-Churn Chopped Macaron Vanilla Bean Ice Cream by Rhubarb and Honey
• No Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• No Churn Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream by NinjaBaker.com
• Oat and Dulce de Leche Swirl Ice Cream by Passion Kneaded
• Peach Cobbler Ice Cream by Cherishing a Sweet Life
• Rhubarb Ice Cream by From Gate to Plate
• Root Beer Barrel Ice Cream by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Tahini and Lemon Curd Ice Cream by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• The Bees' Knees Semifreddo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. This month - Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla is hosting - she invited bloggers to come up with creative ice cream creations.

So during this first full month of summer, it's all about ice cream. But that can include gelato, semi-freddo, and even popsicles! We hope you all enjoy our delicious frozen creations this month and come back to see what we bring for you next month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

.

Fresh Peach Pie #FridayPieDay

The only thing that smells better than a big bowl of ripe peaches is this old-fashioned peach pie baking in the oven. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some thick pouring cream. 

A couple of days ago, I went for what I call the annual mashing, that is to say, a mammogram. (If you are of the female persuasion and haven’t gone for your well-woman check up in the last year – Just do it! Make the appointment and GO. And do your monthly self breast checks.) I rewarded myself with a stop on the way home at the farmers’ market to buy shelled Texas pecans, peaches, homegrown tomatoes, eggplant and fresh purple-hull peas. I love, love, love fresh peas, which are so hard to find the rest of the year. For dinner that evening, I cooked them simply with garlic, sea salt, black pepper and some smoked paprika. I grilled the eggplant on a griddle pan and made a delicious garlicky salad with the homegrown tomatoes.

And the peaches - oh, the fragrant peaches! - were destined for pie! Since it’s the last Friday of the month, I am once again joining my friend, Heather of girlichef for Friday Pie Day. Last month I shared an almond plum tarte tartin made with puff pastry but I really wanted to make a traditional pie with short crust this month.

I brought this baby on the road to Louisiana yesterday to visit my aunt and two uncles in New Iberia. I haven’t been to my Louisiana birthplace since a couple of summers ago when my grandmother passed away but it feels good to be here, in such a familiar place, with people who love me, have the same sense of humor and know all the family history and, most importantly, secrets. Where a person can buy spicy boudin and hog head cheese at the local butcher. Where grey Spanish moss hangs in wispy strands from ancient live oaks along a lazy bayou flanked by historic mansions. Where one can get local blue point crabs by the extra spicy half dozen at all the seafood restaurants. Yes, it’s good to be home home. Even if I am missing Gram.

Ingredients
Double recipe of shortcrust pastry – from this link here or use your own favorite crust recipe for a two-crust pie.
2 lbs 9 oz or 1100g whole fresh peaches (995g or 2 lbs 3 oz, pitted or about six cups once sliced.)
1 cup or 200g sugar
1 small lemon (for 2 tablespoons juice and zest)
1/3 cup or 40g flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons butter

Method
First make the pie crust dough and divide it into two pieces, one slightly bigger than the other. Cover them both in cling film and refrigerator while you get on with the rest of the pie.

Pit and slice your peaches thinly. You can peel them first if you want but I like the look of the slivers of red and I like the way they color the pie filling when baked.

Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

Add the sugar, flour and salt to the sliced peaches then zest in the lemon and add the juice. Stir well.

Roll out the bigger piece of piecrust and line your pie plate.

Pour the peach filling in and add the butter in small pats.

Roll out the top crust and cut three or four slits in it.

Top the peach filling with the pastry and trim the edges.

Fold the pastry under and crimp the edges.

Bake in your preheated over for about 45 or 50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Speaking of bubbling, I suggest you put a piece of heavy duty foil or another baking pan under the pie while baking, because the chances of it dripping over are pretty darn good. Another tip: Cover it with foil if the crust gets too dark before the baking time is up.

Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or heavy pouring cream. I didn't have any for the photos but you can trust me that there was ice cream for the real serving.

Enjoy!

FridayPieDay is the brilliant invention of Heather from girlichef.

I am pleased to join her on the last Friday of each month for pie and crust recipes, techniques, tools of the trade, and other inspiration.

Today, Heather is also sharing a peach pie recipe but she upped the game with the addition of blueberries! Check out her gorgeous Blueberry Peach Pie with Cornmeal Streusel and Crust!

For more information and recipes, please check out her #FridayPieDay page!

Cherry Lemon Muffins #MuffinMonday

Chock full of fresh cherries with a hit of tart lemon, these cherry lemon muffins go equally well with a cup of tea or coffee or even a glass of milk, making breakfast or snack time special.

I started doing Muffin Monday almost three years ago today with this Banana Bacon Peanut Butter Chip Muffin. Until these last few weeks, when I’ve been traveling, I had not missed a single week since then. Even so, this is my 150th Muffin Monday!

Muffins are so easy to bake. They can be relatively healthy, made with less sugar than a cupcake with none of the cloyingly sweet icing that a cupcake requires, the batter filled with a variety of fruit, nuts and other add-ins like chocolate, bacon, jam and cheese. 

Yes, the flexible muffin can be sweet or savory. If you tell me you can’t bake, I’m going to suggest you start with muffins. One bowl holds your wet ingredients, the other your dry. Mix them together and bake. Nothing is more simple yet creates a fluffy, tender baked good in under 30 minutes.

For the first time in many years, cherries in Houston are on sale for $1.87 a pound which is less than one dollar per kilo. And I just can’t get enough of them! 

I baked them yesterday morning and, after they cooled, popped them in a plastic container to take along to the beach. It was a lovely day, watching my little nieces seine for fish with their father on Galveston Bay, while chatting with my sister, mother and daughter from the high perch of their beautiful front porch, where the wind cooled us off and the sea view went on forever and ever.

Cherry Lemon Muffins

This muffin is a celebration of the seasonal Bing cherries, brightened with fresh lemon juice and zest. 

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
1/2 cup or 115g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small lemon (for zest and 4 teaspoons juice)
2 eggs
3/4 cup or 180ml milk
1/3 cup or 75ml canola or other light oil
5 2/3 oz or 160g 125g pitted fresh cherries (about 3/4 cup once quartered)

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.  Butter or grease your muffin pan or line it with paper liners.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Grate in the lemon zest and mix.

Juice your lemon. Quarter your cherries and set 12 pieces aside for topping the muffins.

Put the bigger pile of cut cherries in the flour mixture and toss well to cover.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and lemon juice.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until just mixed through.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cups in pan.  Top with reserved cherry quarters.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Pin these cherry lemon muffins! 

.

Bee's Knees Lemon Honey Bundt #BundtBakers

Based on the Prohibition era cocktail called Bee’s Knees, this lovely buttermilk-pound-cake textured Bundt is flavored with honey and lemon, spiked with gin and finished with a gin honey lemon glaze sprinkled with lemon zest. 

A couple of weeks ago, one of my fellow Bundt Bakers asked for a Pimm’s cake recipe in another Facebook group. I had never heard of such a thing so I did a quick web search and found several. Pimm’s is one of our favorite summer drinks, made with lots of fresh fruit and cucumber so I was most intrigued. Deon’s cake is not on the list list below but you can see his Pimm's Bundt here.  I was inspired to check out some other lemony cocktails to recreate as a Bundt and settled on this one called Bee’s Knees popular during the American Prohibition.

Ingredients
For the cake batter:
1 cup or 226g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
2 2/3 cups or 335g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest one small lemon
1 cup or 240ml buttermilk
1/4 cup or 60ml gin
1/4 cup or 60ml honey
1/4 cup or 60ml lemon juice
3 large eggs, at room temperature

For the lemon honey gin glaze:
3/4 cup or 95g confectioners' sugar or as needed to get the consistency you’d like.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons gin
2 teaspoons honey
Pinch salt

To decorate:
Zest one lemon

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Generously grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan. Mine is a Nordic Ware Chrysanthemum pan. I’d love to put an affiliate link for that one but it’s been discontinued. Sorry!

In a stand mixer cream your butter combine the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Zest one lemon into the flour and mix.

Zest your second lemon on to a paper towel and set aside.

Measure out your honey, gin and lemon juice and add it to the buttermilk. Mix well.

Add the eggs to the butter-sugar mixture, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.

In three additions, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and one third of the liquid mixture, beating well in between. Scrape the bowl down before each new addition.

Spoon the batter into your prepared Bundt pan, making sure to fill all the little crevices.

Bake until the center of cake springs back when touched and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean, around 55 or 65 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine, the lemon juice, gin, honey and pinch of salt. Add in the icing sugar a little at a time, whisking well between additions until all the sugar is dissolved. Keep adding icing sugar and whisking until you reach your desired consistency.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Sprinkle with the zest of the second lemon which should have dried out somewhat from sitting on the paper towel.

Enjoy!

If you are a fan of lemon in baked goods, this is the Bundt Baker month for you! Many thanks to our host Anne of From My Sweet Heart!

• Bee's Knees Lemon Honey Bundt from Food Lust People Love
• Blueberry-Lemon Breakfast Bundt from Cali's Cuisine
• Bundt Cake de Limón from La Mejor Manera de Hacer
• Eggless Lemon Bundt Cake from Seduce Your Tastebuds
• Extra Lemon Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs
• Lavender Lemon Cake from Magnolia Days
• Lemon & Lime Cheese Bundt Cake from Un Mordisco Un Pecado
• Lemon Apple Upside Down Bundt Cake from Simply Veggies
• Lemon Basil Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra
• Lemon Bundt Cake from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Lemon Confetti Bundt Cake from Our Good Life
• Lemon Curd Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Lemon Honey Bundt Cake from Brunch with Joy
• Lemon Marble Bundt Cake from Jenny and Sweets
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake from Liv for Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seeds Bundt Cake from La Cocina de Aisha
• Lemon Poppyseed Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Rhubarb Bundt Cake from From Gate to Plate
• Lemon Ricotta and Poppyseed Bundt Cake from Spice Roots
• Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
• Lemon-Cranberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Mini Limoncello Bundts from Living the Gourmet
• Pink Lemon Pound Cake from Making Miracles
• Pink Lemonade Bundt from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Rhubarb Pound Cake Bundt with Lemon Glaze from Brooklyn Homemaker
• Soft Lemon Rosemary Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Spring Strawberry Lemon Bundt Cake from Adventures in All Things Food
• Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake from Baking and Creating with Avril
• Sweet Lemon Bundt with Blackberry Glaze from From My Sweet Heart

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving Bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board right here. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our homepage.

.