spicy pimento cheese heaven

Happy Eric Sandwich Bliss!

Things about Eric that you may not know. He loves pimento cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. It is totally the fault of French Truck Coffee. Their BLT & Pimento sandwich became a biweekly ritual until I put my foot down. Unlike Eric, I cannot eat the same thing over and over again. After a month or so break from these frequent French Truck visits, Eric decided we should try to recreate this sandwich at home. 

Cast of Characters

The Rest of the Crew

Pinterest to the rescue!  After a quick browse on Pinterest we decided this recipe looked like the go-to...loosely. We didn't want anything sweet. I personally cannot stand the sweet tasting pimento cheese my grandmother made or the kind that is frequently found at grocery stores in the South. Sorry Maw Maw Dot, you were a great cook. I just don't like sweet pimento cheese!  

Grated Cheese Goodness

Without further ado, I present to you Adventures with Eric Pimento Cheese with Bacon & Jalapeño. Please note this makes 3 cups! So you can feed a village this goodness.

Pimento Cheese with Bacon & Jalapeño

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of diced roasted red pepper
• 1/3 cup of diced jalapeño (or more if you like it extra spicy)
• 1/2 cup of Hellmann's or Duke's Mayonnaise (one of us is a mayo snob)
• 8 oz of cream cheese
• .5 lb Cabot Vermont Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (the best cheddar cheese ever: fact)
• .5 lb smoked Gouda 
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like it extra spicy)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Make

• At medium speed, beat mayo, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of the reserved pepper juice, black pepper, red pepper, and salt until well combined and all cream cheese is blended into the mixture.
• Add the roasted red pepper and jalapeño pepper, Cabot and gouda cheese, and continue mixing until combined. 

KitchenAid Mixing it up in the Kitchen

If you'd like to make these into BLT & P's then be sure to use crispy bacon, find a bread you like, and build your sandwich like you would a grilled cheese sandwich. It should be noted, we really love arugula with this sandwich. That's how the French Truck has it on their menu. Sometimes they cheat and use a spring mix, but arugula is where it's at. You can find bagged arugula at my go to for grocery goodness, Trader Joe's. We used a make-shift panini press by using a skillet on top of the sandwich. Clearly we ain't fancy. We just wanted a quick way to satisfy Eric's addiction for the BLT & P!  

Building the BLT & P Layers

Ready to become Melted

Makeshift Panini Press (heat resistant fingertips optional).

Finished Product with a Scoop of Pimento Cheese for the Chips

Please let us know if you make this sandwich at home. If you have any other fun uses or recipes for pimento cheese...holla! We'd love to hear them.