Roasted red pepper cheese spread

Roasted red pepper cheese spread: it's the hipper cousin of pimento cheese.

Regular readers know that while I was raised a New Englander, I lived away from my homeland for nearly 20 years. And I did most of that living away in the South: Louisiana, Alabama and both the Carolinas, to be exact.

(Not to mention a stint in the surrealistic world of Southern California, but that's a story for another day.)

There are uniquely southern things -- practices, expressions, foods -- that, over those 20 years, I adopted or that managed to weasel their way into my largely Yankee life and traditions: I say "y'all" rather than "you guys", make a mean shrimp and grits and have a dog named for four Confederate generals.

But then there are some Southern things that I just never understood -- like all-day church services and pimento cheese.

To be honest, I never even tried pimento cheese, because it just looked too scary. Given its neon orange hue, I was convinced pimento cheese was probably made up of a whole lotta mayonnaise, some nasty Velveeta and little else. I avoided it like the plague -- or like crispy fried catfish with a side of stewed okra, which is a close rival to the plague in my book.

So you'll likely be surprised that I finally learned about pimento cheese from Whole Grains for a New Generation, the book I'm cooking from as part of the From Scratch Club's virtual book club.

What the hell does pimento cheese have to do with whole grains?

Well, nothing frankly.

But how it made its way into Liana Krissoff's book is simple: Liana now lives in the South and, bless her heart, just probably couldn't avoid it at the church suppers or tailgate parties.

No, seriously, she has a section of the book all about condiments, particularly condiments that make nice complements to the whole grain recipes.

And yes, pimento cheese is one of those condiments.

It is, however, not quite right to call it pimento cheese, which is why I haven't. Rather than the slightly sweet jarred pimento, Liana's recipes calls for nice smoky, roasted red peppers, as well as way way way less mayonnaise than Paula Deen would think is even legal.  Round that out with sharp, tangy cheddar cheese and you can see the appeal.

This is seriously good stuff. We have eaten it, spread on whole grain crackers (see the grain connection there?!!), as a light accompaniment to cocktails, and it is wonderful.

HOWEVER.

Shmear the spread all over some hearty bread and let it become a wee bit melty as part of a hip girl's panini with bacon and tomato? Or swirl a dollop into some hot grits for breakfast?

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit: that's some good eatin', y'all.

Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Spread (adapted from Whole Grains for a New Generation)

You can mix this spread by hand with a rubber spatula, but it's much easier to do it on slow speed in a stand mixer, but only if you have a rubber-edged blade (which I use almost exclusively now).  Also, the recipe is easily doubled.

Ingredients:
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I use Cabot Seriously Sharp)
4 ounces neufchatel (cream) cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lime juice
3/4 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, diced (pat them dry with paper towels first)

Directions:
Either in a bowl using a rubber spatula or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a rubber-edged blade, beat all the ingredients EXCEPT the peppers until well blended. Gently mix in the peppers until combined. Store in the refrigerator.