Keep spirits fueled between the placing of bets and horses racing with this Derby Day-ready pimento cheese recipe from Jonathan Searle. This recipe is all about the cheese. Make sure to pick a high-quality, sharp cheddar. Also, roast your own fresh peppers. The canned peppers just don’t taste the same. Feel free to adjust the lemon juice, salt, and hot sauce to your liking.
recipe 
yields
Makes 1 jar
2 pounds cream cheese
1½ pounds shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Searle uses 2 year Tillamook sharp cheddar), divided
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
⅓ sweet yellow onion, grated
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
⅓ tablespoon sweet paprika
⅓ tablespoon hot paprika
⅓ tablespoon Crystal’s hot sauce
½ garlic clove, finely grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
This recipe is all about the cheese. Make sure to pick a high-quality, sharp cheddar. Also, roast your own fresh peppers. The canned peppers just don’t taste the same. Feel free to adjust the lemon juice, salt, and hot sauce to your liking.
Ingredients
steps
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place all ingredients except for half of the cheddar. Use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest setting. Once the ingredients start to combine, increase to 3 or 4 and mix for 20 seconds longer or until all ingredients are well blended. Transfer the mixture into a large mixing bowl. With gloved hands, fold in the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
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- From Jonathan Searle, Executive Chef at Proof on Main, Louisville, Kentucky
