Cheese Spread

Okay, so technically absolutely nothing but the color is different. You can use either white or yellow sharp cheddar cheese in this cheese dip. Their taste and texture are exactly the same!

However, I did make this recipe a few times with previously frozen cheese, for SCIENCE! And the white cheddar was always smoother than the yellow. Use that anecdotal evidence however you see fit! 😉

That being said (for legal reason) I do not really recommend using frozen cheese for cheese spreads. If there is enough moisture loss in the cheese when storing and defrosting, it can lead to a mealy texture, which no amount of cream cheese will fix. Because there is a chance the recipe won’t turn out, I suggest grating fresh cheese for your cheddar cheese spreads. It’s not worth the risk.

I highly recommend sticking to either extra sharp cheddar or sharp cheddar. A mild cheddar will not have enough zing to make the cheese spread interesting. I’ve interchanged both with this recipe and they are equally delicious.

I have two options for you that can be combined should you choose to accept this mission.

1. Instead of only jarred sweet cherry peppers, swap some of the sweet peppers for pickled jalapeños. Bonus points if you purchase the “hot” pickled jalapeños. I really like a half and half ratio, so the spread maintains some sweetness.

2. The above option only makes the spread mild. To add extra spice or simply add spice, use between ½tsp (1g) and 1tsp (2g) of cayenne pepper to give it a kick.

Of note: I know a lot of blogs say to add hot sauce for heat. I did test this. Unfortunately, the vinegar in the hot sauces changes the flavor balance of the spread. It was a miss for me.

I can buy the Mezzetta brand of sweet cherry peppers from any of my local grocery stores. They are typically shelved with the pickles and olives.

Pimento peppers are a small, heart-shaped, sweet, and mild pepper similar in flavor to a bell pepper. They are among the mildest chili peppers, with a Scoville heat rating between 100 and 500. In the U.S. it is most common to see pimentos, chopped and jarred, stuffed into olives, or dehydrated and ground into paprika.

Sweet cherry peppers are a varietal from the same species of pepper as the pimento pepper, C. annuum. They are small and shperical in shape. Also sweet and mild they have slightly brighter flavor than the pimento pepper. Their heat level is the same as well, making them an excellent substitution for pimento peppers.

Pimento (English spelling) or Pimiento (Spanish spelling) peppers were originally canned and shipped from Spain to the U.S. in the late 1800s. They became wildly popular in the Northern United states, mixed in with Neufchâtel or cream cheese, and then moved their way south.

The steep cost of purchasing pimento peppers meant farmers in Georgia opted to grow them instead. Soon the peppers found their way into spreads made with mild fresh cheeses, like farmer’s cheese. Eventually pimento peppers were added into mixes with harder and more flavorful cheese, creating southern staples like pimento cheese.

Technically, an authentic, southern pimento cheese does not use cream cheese. It uses only mayo to emulisfy and bind the grated cheese into a dippable texture. The cream cheese is a hold over from the spread’s roots; where it began as a mix of cream cheese and pimento peppers. I’m sure it’s also a bit of modern cooks using cream cheese in most dips for a thicker, smoother, and creamier texture.

This cheese spread will last roughly 1-2 weeks in the fridge if kept in a tightly sealed container with minimal time out of the refrigerator.

Of Note: If you serve this cheese spread at a party and it is left out for more than 2 hours, please do not keep leftovers.