flipPimento Cheese Grilled Sandwich
Pimento Cheese Grilled Sandwich
Why this dish? Nicknamed the "caviar of the South," pimento cheese is the spread slipped into every picnic and lunchbox in the Carolinas. A perfect portable snack for a childhood between Gaffney and Southern roads — and later for long days on set.
A spread of shredded cheddar, jarred pimentos, and mayonnaise, sandwiched between two slices of bread and grilled until oozing. Melty, salty, slightly tangy.
Pimento cheese is our caviar, honey — you make it on Sunday and it lasts the week. You grate your own cheddar, never the bagged stuff, add the little sweet peppers from the jar and just enough mayo to hold it together. You spread it on bread, take it to the river, in the car, everywhere. And when you pan-fry it between two slices of bread until it oozes, then nobody talks.
- •Sharp cheddar — a good piece (base)
- •Pimentos (jarred sweet peppers) — a few (sweetness, color)
- •Mayonnaise — enough to bind (binder)
- •White bread — as needed (support)
- •Black pepper, pinch of cayenne — a pinch (kick)
Pimento Cheese Grilled Sandwich
A spread of shredded cheddar, jarred pimentos, and mayonnaise, sandwiched between two slices of bread and grilled until oozing. Melty, salty, slightly tangy.
Why this dish? Nicknamed the "caviar of the South," pimento cheese is the spread slipped into every picnic and lunchbox in the Carolinas. A perfect portable snack for a childhood between Gaffney and Southern roads — and later for long days on set.
Pimento cheese is our caviar, honey — you make it on Sunday and it lasts the week. You grate your own cheddar, never the bagged stuff, add the little sweet peppers from the jar and just enough mayo to hold it together. You spread it on bread, take it to the river, in the car, everywhere. And when you pan-fry it between two slices of bread until it oozes, then nobody talks.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sharp cheddar — a good piece (base)
- Pimentos (jarred sweet peppers) — a few (sweetness, color)
- Mayonnaise — enough to bind (binder)
- White bread — as needed (support)
- Black pepper, pinch of cayenne — a pinch (kick)
Ingredients
- Sharp cheddar, hand-grated — 250 g (base)
- Jarred pimentos, drained — 100 g (sweetness, color)
- Mayonnaise — 4 to 5 tbsp (binder)
- White bread — 8 slices (support)
- Butter (for grilling) — 30 g (browning)
- Black pepper, paprika, pinch of cayenne — to taste (kick)
Method
- Mix grated cheddar, chopped pimentos, mayonnaise, and spices until spreadable.
- Chill for at least 1 hour to let flavors meld.
- Spread generously between two slices of bread.
- Butter the outside of the sandwiches and pan-fry over medium heat until golden and the cheese is melted.
- Cut in half and serve hot — or cold, as a spread on crackers for a picnic.
How it was made : Originally a recipe from the industrial North in the early 20th century, pimento cheese was fervently adopted by the South, where it became a staple of picnics, children's snacks, and famously, the sandwiches at the Augusta golf tournament. Every family guards its mayonnaise ratio.
The contemporary twist : Serve grilled and cut into soldiers with a bowl of fresh tomato soup, a nod to the classic American grilled cheese.
Andie MacDowell · Charactorium
