Culture Magazine

16 culturecheesemag.com C O O K I N G W I T H C H E E S E 202 3 PIMENTO CHEESE DEVILED EGGS Written by Virginia Willis Photographed by Nick Surette Styled by Madison Trapkin You can't get much more Southern than deviled eggs. Well, maybe kudzu is more Southern than deviled eggs, but you can't eat kudzu. The secret to these deviled eggs is butter, a culinary school tip that takes this Southern staple from delicious to sublime. Makes 2 dozen 12 large eggs ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup grated extra-sharp cheddar 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons diced pimento, drained and finely chopped, plus more to garnish Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Place the eggs in a saucepan and add water until covered by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat (you will see bubbles around the sides of the pot). Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain eggs and rinse under cold running water. Set aside to cool completely. Once eggs cooled, remove shells by tapping gently on the counter or sink to crackle it all over. Roll between your hands to loosen the shell. Peel, starting at the large end, while holding the egg under running cold water; this facilitates peeling and also removes any stray shell fragments. Halve peeled eggs lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks and place in a bowl. Set whites aside. Using a fork or rubber spatula, blend yolks, mayonnaise, cheese, butter, mustard, pimentos, and cayenne. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, or use a medium sealable plastic bag with one of the corner tips snipped off. Refrigerate whites and filling until ready to serve. Pipe yolk mixture into whites. Garnish with additional pieces of pimento and serve immediately. BACON-WRAPPED JALAPEÑO POPPERS STUFFED WITH PIMENTO CHEESE Written by Virginia Willis Lightly salted Ritz crackers topped with P-cheese are a time-honored Southern snacking tradition. In this recipe, buttery bits of cracker are mashed-up with grated cheddar, piquant pimentos, sharp green onions, and crispy celery, in homage to another favorite pimento cheese concoction. The combination is wrapped in sweet applewood-smoked bacon for a powerful and pleasing pop of flavor. Makes 12 poppers 6 jalapeños 2 stalks celery, very finely chopped ½ ounces freshly grated cheddar 3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped 3 tablespoons diced pimentos, drained and finely chopped ¹⁄ ³ cup mayonnaise, more if needed 15 Ritz crackers, crumbled 6 thin slices uncooked applewood- smoked bacon, halved widthwise Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil, then top with a wire rack. Halve jalapeños lengthwise. Using the tip of a small spoon, scoop out and discard seeds. Place celery in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until tender, about 30 seconds. Let cool. Stir together cooled celery, cheddar, green onions, pimento, mayonnaise, and crumbled crackers in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Salt and pepper inside of each jalapeño half, then fill each with about 2 tablespoons of mixture, until there's a slight dome on top. Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with 1 piece of bacon, setting one tip of bacon on top of cream cheese filling, then wrapping bacon under and over the popper at an angle, so bacon covers filling on top in two layers. (Bacon will shrink as it cooks, so you want to make sure top of popper is well covered.) Arrange poppers evenly on wire rack, nestling each popper between two parallel wires to keep upright. Transfer to oven and bake until bacon is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook until bacon is crisp, about 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then serve. Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

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