I went ahead and used the original recipe from the above link (not the blogger's modified version). The ingredients seemed easy enough, but I did make one mis-step.
The recipe called for wheat bread, but I couldn't help but try it on my beloved Pepperidge Farm sourdough. Add to that some extra sharp Vermont cheddar, onion, mayonnaise and chili sauce and I was on the right track. Unfortunately, I couldn't find pimentos in the store. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't even know what I was looking for, so I ended up mistakenly buying pre-made pimento spread. Well, the whole point of this recipe is to make my own pimento spread, so this would not do. I called my grocery shopping consultant (Mom) and asked for a description of pimentos and had no trouble finding them on my second trip to the store (oddly enough, they were in the Hispanic food section). For those of you who may also struggle as I did, here they are:
Anywho, I assumed that the recipe I found excluded some important "/" marks and that the recipe did not actually call for 14 cups of pimentos, so I started out with this big guy and finely chopped him until I had about 1/4 cup (making sure to drain the juice from him as much as possible as I worked).
Then I went ahead and grated half of my block of cheddar (approx. 4 ounces).
Next came all of the mix ins-- the diced pimentos, 2 T mayonnase and 1/2 t. hot sauce.
I mashed this together pretty thoroughly with a fork until I had the following:
It said salt to taste, but since I never salt my food I just left it as is.
Next it was time to assemble the sandwiches. I buttered one side of two slices of sourdough and piled on the pimento. I used almost all of the cheese on just two sandwiches (maybe because I love cheese so much), but that was fine, just note that you'd have to multiply the recipe for more people.
Next came a few thin slivers of sweet onion. I was a little nervous about putting raw onion on the sandwich, but decided to trust the recipe.
Unfortunately, my other ingredient mis-step was an inability to locate watercress. I took several turns about the produce section to no avail, so I decided to do without (I mean come on, who needs more veggies? :-P).
I believe the Masters variety is served as is, but it wouldn't be a grilled cheese if I didn't grill it! So into the pan they went and mere minutes later I was ready to devour the melty perfection.
Taste Review:
The first word that popped into my head when I tasted this sandwich was "feisty!" I'm not sure exactly why since that's not a standard sandwich descriptor, but something about the blend of flavors makes this quite a fun sandwich. The sandwich has a good texture to it-- that perfect blend of crunchy bread with just the right amount of creamy filling (although sometimes the filling gets a little runny and falls out of the sandwich).
The use of a roasted pepper reminds me of the Two Cheese Mediterranean, but it was improved here by the fact that the pepper had been finely diced rather than being served as one big slippery pepper (it was almost too much to handle in the other sandwich).
Even though I was worried about what the raw onion might do to the sandwich, it proved to be a great addition! It was the middle ground between the slightly sweet pimento and the sharp cheddar (I think the key being that this is a sweet onion).
The most shocking statement of the night came from Colin who said that he felt the level of spiciness was actually good and that he wouldn't add any condiments (or anything else) to the sandwich because it already contains everything he would add (read: Sriracha).
I can see why people like pimento cheese as a dip. I would happily scoop this onto a cracker, veggies, or any other appropriate dipper, so including it in a grilled cheese was certainly a great move!
FINAL RESULTS:
Sandwich:
|
Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese
|
Gooey-ness:
|
5
|
Aroma:
|
2
|
Appearance:
|
Very orange!
|
Taste:
|
A- |
Gooey Scale
|
Aroma Scale
|
| 1 = still cold/hard |
1 = can’t smell
a thing
|
| 2 = slightly
melted but still firm |
2 = tender waft
|
| 3 = melted evenly |
3 = makes your
stomach growl
|
| 4 = melted and slightly runny (starting
to get those cheese strings between your sandwich and your mouth
when you take a bite) |
4 = strong scent
|
| 5 = runny |
5 = overpoweringly pungent
|
| 6 = sloppy mess! |
Overall it's a sandwich that is truly worthy of The Masters!
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