Classic Homemade Pimiento Cheese

THE AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB in beautiful Augusta, Georgia is hosting the most prestigious tournament in the U.S., The Masters, this week. My husband and I are not golfers but we have family that are crazy about the game. And we have family living in Augusta, including 4-year-old twin boys, Twin A and Twin B (as they were labeled on their ultrasound).

A & B at their first Masters

The Masters is famous for their food, especially the egg salad and pimiento cheese sandwiches, which at $1.50 each are cheap. At least something about the Masters is cheap. When we were in Augusta last month for the twin's 4th birthday, we paid about $100 per night for our hotel room. For that same hotel, during the Masters, the rooms start at $650 per night with a 4 night minimum.

Twin B "enjoying" an egg salad sandwich?

The chips seem to be a bigger hit

In honor of A & B's first Masters, I decided to make Pimiento Cheese, which like all Southerners, I love.

There are many variations on this humble spread. Everyone seems agree with the three main ingredients; cheese, mayonnaise, and pimiento. Then differences kick in. All types of cheese can be considered. The texture is up for much debate. Some use a mixer or blender to achieve a completely smooth product. More mayonnaise or less? Cream cheese? Then there are add-ins, onion, Worcestershire sauce, olives, jalapeno peppers, the list goes on.


Although I will tamper with the ingredients, depending on what I have on hand, I remain, for the most part, a purist. I don't enjoy mayonnaise, so I use as little as possible, and include the pimiento juice, along with some mustard for extra moisture. I insist that for the best finished product, good quality, extra sharp cheddar cheese must be used, and must be hand grated. If you have the cheese at room temperature before grating, you can get a better idea of the final texture, rather than working with cold cheese. I mix by hand, minimally, because I like the chunky, homemade look. If you want your Pimiento Cheese fluffier or creamier, go right ahead, add more mayonnaise and mix it more vigorously, it will still be delicious.

Classic Homemade Pimiento Cheese
16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. jar chopped pimiento, undrained
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1/4 c. to 1/2 c. good quality mayonnaise
Freshly ground black pepper or cayenne, to taste


Mix all ingredients together until desired consistency, starting with the lesser amount of mayonnaise.

A & B watching the putters

Egg Salad

EGG SALAD IS NOT ON A REGULAR ROTATION in our home. Why? It has just never been part of our repertoire. I don't remember my mother ever making it at home. I don't remember it being served at school or anywhere else for that matter. My husband doesn't especially like it so we never think about it. Except at Easter--to make use of some of those Easter Eggs.

There are so many ways to make this simple spread, the most basic being chopped hard boiled eggs mixed with mayonnaise. All kinds of add-ins can help up the flavor. Pickles, dill or sweet, are popular, onion, scallion, or shallot are good, celery, peppers, cheese, bacon, anchovies, and more.

Mustard is often used and I pondered the various types I had in the kitchen--stone ground, Dijon, honey mustard, and yellow ballpark mustard. Ultimately, I decided to use some mustard powder and I'm so happy that I did. I loved the flavor it imparted and the inner warmth reminded me of wasabi. In fact, next time I think I will try using wasabi.

I served the egg salad on sour dough bread with alfalfa sprouts. Delicious!

Egg Salad
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 rib celery, with leaves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 - 3 Tbsp. finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 - 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise (more to taste)

Mix all ingredients together to desired consistency. Chill before serving.

Monte Cristo Quesadillas

EACH YEAR AFTER THANKSGIVING, we make Monte Cristo sandwiches, using slices of turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese. The sandwiches are dipped in an egg mixture and cooked in a hot skillet, much like French toast. The sandwiches are then sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with cranberry sauce.

These Monte Cristo quesadillas are not made with Thanksgiving leftovers because I don't yet have any. But I did have some tortillas I wanted to use, left from making Pot Roast Quesadillas. I used deli sliced turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese and served them with homemade Strawberry Ginger Jam.

I did not dip these quesadillas in custard before cooking but I did consider it. . .

Monte Cristo Quesadillas
2 large tortillas
2 - 3 oz. sliced turkey
2 - 3 oz. sliced ham
2 - 3 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
Powdered sugar
Butter for pan

Layer turkey, ham, and cheese slices on one tortilla. Top with the other tortilla.

Heat a pat or two of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Put the stacked tortillas into the skillet and cook until well browned then flip over and cook the other side until browned and the cheese is melted.

Remove from skillet and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with berry jam or maple syrup.

Repeat steps for additional quesadillas..

Smoked Turkey Club Sandwich with Cherry Chutney

CLUB SANDWICHES ALWAYS SEEM so fancy. Maybe it is the way they are cut into triangles and plated pointed side up. Or maybe the extra layer makes them look so pretty. Whatever it is, they really appeal to me--like afternoon tea or lunch at the museum.

Pictured is Pritchard Parker's sandwich. I prefer my sandwiches toasted, which I believe is traditional for a club sandwich, but he likes his untoasted. This is one of the beauties of preparing meals at home--you get to customize according to tastes.

For this sandwich, I used deli-sliced mesquite smoked turkey and provolone cheese. I also used the Fresh Cherry Chutney I recently posted. Recipe here.

We enjoyed our sandwiches at our backyard picnic table while watching hummingbirds zipping from flower to flower. We have a town ordinance prohibiting bird feeders (due to bears) yet we have a very lively bird and butterfly population in our garden.

We felt very fancy.

Smoked Turkey Club Sandwich with Cherry Chutney
For each sandwich:
3 slices bread, toasted if desired
Mayo or butter, to taste, optional
Few slices smoked deli turkey
Thinly sliced red onion
Lettuce
Fresh cherry chutney, or other chutney of choice
2 -3 slices crisp bacon
A slice or two of provolone cheese

On the first piece of bread or toast, apply a thin layer of mayo or butter if desired. Top with a few slices of smoked turkey, then thinly sliced onion, plus crisp lettuce. Spread another slice of bread or toast with a generous amount of cherry chutney. Place on top of the lettuce layer and top the chutney with bacon slices. Add a slice or two of provolone and top with the third piece of bread or toast.

Place a toothpick into all four sides of the sandwich, then slice diagonally to form triangles. Plate with the pointed edge up.

Crock Pot Pulled Ham

ADMITTEDLY, WHEN PRESENTING A PLATTER OF PULLED HAM at Easter Brunch, you miss the dramatic effect of a glistening ham perfectly scored into a diamond pattern each of which has been carefully dotted with whole cloves, and basted with the perfect glaze. Or one of those with the pineapple rings and cherries. Even a spiral sliced ham with the perfect slices all fanned out.

Even when served on a beautiful heirloom platter which belonged to my great-grandmother, it still looks like a pile of shredded meat. But don't let its humble appearance fool you, this is the most succulent and flavorful ham I have ever eaten. I think I have a crush on it and my mind has been reeling with leftover possibilities.

And it is ridiculously  easy to cook with only two ingredients--ham and water. You can make some kind of sauce if you wish, but we didn't find that it needed it, being so intensely ham flavored on its on.

This ham is also very economical. We used a bone-in smoked picnic ham which comes in shank or butt halves and found in the regular grocery store.

Crock Pot Pulled Ham
1 bone-in ham which will fit in your crock pot
Water, to come up 1-inch

Place ham, fat side up, in cooker and add water. Cover pot and turn it on low. Let cook 8-10 hours, until easily shredded with a fork.

Even though you start with only a small amount of liquid, more will form in the pot throughout the day. If it does not, lower the heat and add a little more water if necessary.

When done, take it carefully out of the crock pot and place on a large meat board or rimmed platter. Remove the fat and bone then shred the meat using two forks. To keep the shredded meat from drying out, ladle over some of the cooking broth from the pot.

For another menu item, my little 5-year-old assistant helped with another batch of Black Skillet Parker House Rolls. 

We have really been enjoying some little pulled ham sandwiches.

Muffuletta Sandwich for a Fall Picnic

THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY is scenic highway which runs from the boundary between The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina to The Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

The Parkway is a product of the New Deal's efforts to provide jobs to the unemployed during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Construction began in September, 1935, took 52 years to complete, and runs for 469 miles.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is my favorite part of living where we do. While driving the parkway, you encounter 26 mostly hand dug tunnels which were designed to reduce excessive landscape scarring. They are so beautiful! You will encounter old farmsteads, an old grist mill, hiking trails, waterfalls, scenic overlooks to park and take in the beauty. You might see a bear, fox, coyote, skunk or another animal. What you will not see are power lines, traffic lights, billboards, or any other sign of commercialism. It is a two-lane highway and the speed limit is never more than 45 mph.

Lucky for us, there is an entrance to the Parkway just about 5 miles from our home. We have taken a few drives in the past couple of weeks to enjoy the glorious fall colors. This has been an especially brilliant fall.

I am not equipped to photograph the sweeping and breath-takingly beautiful mountain vistas, but I recently packed a picnic and shot some photos around a picnic area where we lunched. It was a glorious day. The skies were brilliant blue with fluffy white clouds floating about. The air was crisp but quite warm in the sun.

I made Muffuletta sandwiches because they are delicious and travel well.

Muffuletta Sandwich
1 round loaf Italian bread
1/4 pound each thinly sliced:
   Genoa salami
   Cooked ham
   Mortadella
   Mozzarella cheese
   Provolone cheese
Olive Salad:
   1 jar Giadeniera, chopped
   1 1/2 cups pimiento stuffed olives, chopped
   3 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed
   1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
   1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
   Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
   1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Combine the olive salad ingredients and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Stir well again before applying to the sandwich.

Cut the bread in half around the horizon. Tear away some of the fluffy interior to hollow out the bread a bit. (Save to use for bread crumbs later).

Generously spread olive salad on each half of the sandwich. Layer the meats and cheese. Close the sandwich and press down. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until later or serve right away, cut into wedges.

Leftover sandwich wedges and leftover olive salad keep well.

Poached Mozzarella in Fresh Tomatoes

OUR TOMATO SEASON IS COMING TO A CLOSE. And I am eating as many as I can. This is a lovely, fresh, and flavorful way to use not only fresh tomatoes, but some of your fresh herbs. I will really miss stepping out the kitchen door to snip some fresh basil and parsley, won't you?

My Mother made this dish for me when I visited her last week. I loved it so much, I came home and made it again to share with Pritchard Parker.

It is Capri-like with the fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese, but it it served hot, as an open faced sandwich, with oozy cheese. The herb topping brightened with a squeeze of lemon juice adds another layer of fresh flavor.

Poached Mozzarella in Fresh Tomatoes
4 slices French bread, sliced 1/2" thick, brushed with olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups fresh tomatoes (about 4) peeled and diced
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. sliced fresh basil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste
4 slices fresh mozzarella (1/2-inch thick)

Saute onion, garlic, and pepper flakes in oil over medium-high heat until onion softens, 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine; simmer until reduced by half, 5 minutes or so. Add tomatoes, broth, and vinegar; simmer until tomatoes begin to break down, about 10 minutes.

Toast bread under the broiler and set aside.

Toss herbs with lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper.

Add cheese to tomatoes, and cook gently until it's soft and a little gooey, 2 - 3 minutes.

Place toast in shallow bowls, lift a slice of mozzarella from the tomatoes, and place on the bread. Spoon more tomatoes around and top with some of the herb mixture.

BLT Sandwiches with Heirloom Tomatoes and Basket Weave Bacon

EACH SUMMER, WE EAGERLY ANTICIPATE THE ARRIVAL of Harold's tomatoes. And it is our tradition to make BLT's with the first ones, because is there any better way to honor a fresh, vine ripened, summer tomato?

Harold is a farmer in a nearby county who grows all kinds of vegetables. He is especially proud of his tomatoes (as well he should be) and is most well known, area-wide, for his Mr. Stripey tomatoes. Mr. Stripeys are low acid, yellow heirloom tomatoes with red striping. They are sweet, juicy, and extremely tender. They are perfect for sandwiches and salads.

Harold is a commercial vegetable grower but because we happen to have an inside track, we had the honor of trying out three other heirloom tomatoes he has tested this season, which are not yet on the market. They are a pink tomato, a red Mr. Stripey, and a Cherokee black tomato.

The idea of weaving little rafts of bacon for sandwiches is not original to me. I have seen the concept around for quite a while but this is the first time I have tried it. And it really works great!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with foil. Cut bacon in half. I used 3 strips of bacon, or 6 half strips for each raft. Weave like a little potholder, or basket, or lattice crust. Bake 20 - 30 minutes, to preferred done-ness, depending on thickness of bacon. Keep checking, it may be done earlier or it may take a little longer. We like our bacon crispy and I think these rafts cooked around 35 minutes.

Pritchard Parker and I don't agree on every aspect of the perfect BLT. We both agree there is no need to bother without excellent summer tomatoes. We both prefer crispy iceberg lettuce. Neither of us wants to scrimp on bacon.

He prefers his bread untoasted and smeared with mayo, specifically Duke's mayonnaise (this is a must). I like my BLT on buttered toast.

How do you make your BLT?

Roasted Balsamic Beet Sandwich on Russian Rye

IT ALL STARTED WHEN PRITCHARD PARKER CAME HOME with a fresh loaf of Russian Rye Bread. I already had dinner well underway but we both enjoyed a slice of the bread with our meal. The bread was made with coffee and had minced onion throughout, it was still warm from the oven and it was excellent.

I thought about Borscht.

The next morning I remembered the large beets I had seen at the curb market the day before. Some of them had the circumference of a bread slice. I knew then I would make some kind of beet sandwich.

As I was sipping my morning tea, I was thinking about how to make a beet sandwich.  Once I concluded, in my wavering mind that I would simply use a thick slice, a slab, of beet I started pondering cheese. First I thought of Feta. Then I jumped to Gorgonzola. But neither of those seemed to be inspiring me and I realized it was because I wanted goo. I used Mozzarella.

Parboiling the beets for a few minutes makes them much easier to slice and peel.

Roasted Balsamic Beet Sandwich on Russian Rye Bread
Beets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Mozzarella cheese
Shaved sweet onions
Chopped or sliced arugula or other greens
Good sturdy bread of choice

Parboil beets, depending on size, for 10 - 20 minutes, until they are not so hard. Drain and cool. Peel beets and slice into slabs. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Oven roast at 400 degrees until tender and beginning to caramelize around the edges, another 10 - 20 minutes, depending on size. Once they are tender, sprinkle with Balsamic vinegar to taste.

Slice cheese and place onto bread slices. Put under the broiler until the cheese is melting and beginning to brown. Add a slice of beet and top each sandwich with shaved onions and shredded sandwich greens.

Put top onto sandwich and press down. Slice in half and serve.

Brunch for One: Egg and Avocado Sandwich

 SATURDAY IS THE DAY Pritchard Parker and I usually do something fun. Most weekends we have a 4-year-old in tow and she calls our outings, "Adventures".  Some Saturdays I cook breakfast at home, usually pancakes or French toast. Others, we go out.

I have talked before about how my husband loves to shop, especially junk junque , antique, and thrift stores. I'm afraid the little one does too--she'll say, "Come. Look at some beautiful things; some gorgeous things". So I have taken to tagging along with them, though I am pickier about which stores I will go in.

I like looking at the china and crystal as well as old kitchen ware. I have enough china, kitchen ware, and old junk already, but lately I find myself admiring antique cake stands, especially depression glass, and I am afraid it only a matter of time before they start following me home.

This Saturday was different; I was alone. I am used to spending my weekday mornings alone. I wake quietly and sip tea while checking news, weather, updates on the many blogs I follow, and work on my to-do list. I am not ordinarily a breakfast eater, opting for a smoothie later in the morning.

But this morning I missed my pals and our Saturday morning breakfasts together.  I thought about making pancakes but that seemed too much for just myself, so I decided to cook an egg, which became an egg and avocado sandwich with a squeeze of lime juice, a sprinkling of Celtic sea salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Delicious.

Next week, we will have another adventure.

Toast with Blue Cheese, Figs & Honey

Spread some blue cheese on a slice of toast. Add a few slices of fresh fig and drizzle with honey. Place under the broiler for a couple of minutes to heat the fig, bringing out the juiciness, and to melt the cheese. 

Ambrosial.