First the backstory. My husband’s Idaho grandmother baked an apple cake that he remembers with great fondness. We have spent years attempting to replicate it with varying levels of success. We may never reach the pinnacle of his grandmother’s achievement (local apples and a woodfired oven may have played a role) but this cake approaches greatness.
Yes, it is French. A dear friend from the region around Toulouse gave us the recipe. Yes, we had to translate and work on some ingredient changes. Did you know that the French use a different leavening agent than we do? But I think it is worth it. And once you get the hang of it, it’s very easy. Or as they say in French, “trop facile.”
With the holidays nearly upon us, you want to have things that can be made ahead for spontaneous entertaining. One of our favorites is this yummy cheesy spread. The original vintage recipe hails from the Carolinas and was perfected by cookbook authors Ted and Matt Lee. Well, not quite perfected as this is our own variation. And we think it is truly perfect now.
This Pimento Cheese could not be easier to make. It keeps for a week in the fridge. It looks festive because of the red flecks from the peppers. Pay attention to the notes about the ingredients. We’ve made this a lot and quality matters.
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese grated fine. DO NOT use pre-grated cheese.
¼ cup cream cheese cut into pieces and softened. Really softened.
Scant ½ cup finely diced jarred roasted red peppers or pimentos. DO NOT use cheap ones. We use the Trader Joes brand.
3 tablespoons high-quality store-bought mayonnaise. Best Foods, Dukes or Hellman’s. Nothing organic for heaven's sake! This is southern.
½ teaspoon dried red chiliflakes
Splash of Worstershiresauce
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large shallow mixing bowl place cheese in first. Scatter the remining ingredients over it. Using a spatula, lift and fold the ingredients together. This should not take more than a couple of minutes.
Transfer mixture to a container and cover with plastic. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
For a completely retro vibe, serve with Ritz crackers. This recipe is very flexible. Feel free to experiment with spicing!
