Weekend Eats & a Cheese Spread
This weekend we visited friends who live on apple/peach/pear orchards in Germantown, Columbia County, upstate New York, about 100 miles north of New York City. A totally rural farming area, except for the little town of Hudson, where art galleries and antiques shops abound.
There are a lot of cottage industry food businesses, local farms that sell raw milk and handmade cheeses, terrific butchers that sell organic meats and chickens and all local New York State produce is used at all the interesting little restaurants.
We stopped at a working farm called Pleroma Farms and bought fresh eggs and farm raised chickens (to roast this week!) and met the owner, Ana, a Dutch woman who has owned the farm since 1986.
What I thought so amazing was that you pay with the honor system. There is a price list and you help yourself to what you want in the refrigerated case, then write your name and what you are taking on a sales slip type of pad, and leave the cash in a cigar box!!! I guess this is why people live up here.
We stopped at a great little market called Otto's in the postage size downtown shops (5 shops in total) of Germantown.
We bought excellent cookies & rum balls homemade by Otto, pickles from Rhinebeck, NY, handmade by a girl named "Spacey Tracey" (I was instantly interested, since some people still call me "Spacey Stacey"), and sampled some really delicious cheese spread called Pimento Cheese Spread, also made "in house".
At first I was leery. Pimento Cheese Spread? I was told it is a Southern thing. The sign in front of the samples said "this sounds weird, but it's good!"
It was really delicious and I am no cheese log type of gal.
I tried to recreate Otto's delicious spread, and after googling and finding many different variations, this was as close as I could get and it was terrific!
Pimento Cheese Spread: (adapted from Otto's Market by me!)
some shredded muenster cheese (most recipes used sharp white cheddar)
some chopped pimentos from a jar
lots of dill weed
small amount of chopped red onion
very little mayo to bind
dash of tabasco sauce
This was great served on a crusty baguette or just with plain Carr's crackers.
Notice the beautiful apple trees (in winter mode) in the background.
Comments
No self-respecting southerner would ever embrace those ingredients.
Sharp Yellow Cheddar
Pimentos
Mayo
That's all. Yum. I make mine in a food processor.
You are forgiven since you did not know. You just have to rename yours! :-) ♥Rosemary
Yes, it would probably be better w/ cheddar, but I had muenster and it was damn good!
It's the Yankee version!
Stacey
http://www.ehow.com/how_4434673_authentic-southern-pimento-cheese.html
Paula Deen would use a whole jar of mayo. (I won't be making that!)
She uses HALF cup of mayo.
No more about this! I will never make it again!!!!
1/2 c mayonnaise .
salt & pepper .
1 (8 oz) package shredded white cheddar cheese .
1 (4 oz) jar pimientos, with juice, sliced .
1 (8 oz) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Hugs -- Stace
--I had no idea how well-loved pimento cheese is before I moved to Austin. Long story, but I learned that at a lunch I was helping to serve years ago.
Your version looks great.
This Germantown sounds like a lovely getaway place from the city. I folk you cityfolks behaved, ya hear!
And don't let the big bad southerners get you down. I'm in Texas, and I say you make your Pimento Cheese spread with pride! (with any ingredients you want)
Thanks for helping bring in a great new year,
Catherine
I too fell hard for Pimento cheese. (I married a southern boy)Here are my many findings on the subject.
http://nicolelang.blogspot.com/2008/06/pimento-cheese.html
Great blog!!
Have you ever heard of World Spice Merchants? (www.worldspice.com) You order online and then they ship you your stuff and you send them payment in the mail. I thought THAT was crazy. In a good way. It's nice when people actually have faith in the goodness of others.
The cheese spread looks great and I have no thoughts about authenticity as I have never had it in the first place!
There are some great apple orchards and wineries in NY state up in the Hudson Valley.
1/2 lb Velveeta processed cheese, grated
1 big-as-you-can-grab-out-of-the-ziploc handful of grated co-jack cheese
1/2 or more (to your taste) cup Hellman's Mayonnaise (and don't be bringing no reduced-fat stuff up in here, either)
1 large jar pimentos, chopped, drained
1/2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp. sugar
I don't want to think about how many calories, or how bad it is for you (there have to be at least 70 different additives in Velveeta). But Lord have mercy, it's good!
I prefer it on whole wheat Ritz crackers.