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Old 05-31-2008, 06:01 PM
tammy Offline
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Default Is there any way to lessen the strong flavor of garlic in homemade pimento cheese?

Hello. I am new to this forum and site and have a hopefully basic question regarding a problem I have that is hopefully easily solved. I made homemade pimento cheese, where one of the ingredients was garlic. I am normally good about judging the amount of an ingredient that goes in a recipe without truly measuring it. So I added the amount of garlic the recipe stated without really measuring it and I definitely added too much. The pimento cheese has a very strong flavor of garlic. The major problem is I made a lot of the pimento cheese. Is there anything I can add, or any thing I can do to the pimento cheese to greatly lessen the flavor of garlic in it and therefore save my pimento cheese. Other than the strong flavor of garlic the pimento cheese is very good, my husband agrees and he is a pimento cheese lover. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Last edited by tammy; 05-31-2008 at 06:03 PM.
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Old 05-31-2008, 07:23 PM
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I don't know how you can reduce the garlic flavor of the pimiento cheese once you have mixed it in other than to make another batch without the garlic and combine the two.

However, as my husband and I are kind of nuts about the stuff ourselves, we both agree that true southern pimiento cheese should have no garlic at all.

Here's the recipe for Pimiento Cheese that I always make for parties. Most folks here in NY do not know what they are eating as it's a southern regional thing, but they rave about it all the same.

1 1/2 pounds shredded cheddar cheese (I mix half white extra sharp and yellow NY sharp or use other bits of cheese I have laying around-jack, pepper jack, provolone, etc.)
1 4 ounce jar pimientos, drained and coarsely chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 shakes Tabasco sauce (or more if you like)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
In a large bowl, combine the grated cheese and pimientos. In another bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients; pour over cheese mixture.
Stir together with a rubber spatula until the cheese is nicely coated with the sauce. It should not be stiff, like a cheese ball, but loose, like a spread. Chill for about an hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve on crackers or on celery sticks. Pim-Chee sammiches are great too with a big mound of crunchy iceberg lettuce.
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Old 05-31-2008, 08:00 PM
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Roasting the garlic first may help mellow it's effect.

happy eating!
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Old 05-31-2008, 09:11 PM
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Make another batch and leave out the garlic. Then combine the two together. Next time only add 1/4 the garlic to start and add to taste from there.

Yeah everybody I know, sometimes it's like there's a hook, line and sinker attached to the questions but then again the question itself is why we're here.
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Old 05-31-2008, 09:30 PM
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Personally, not a big fan of pimento cheese, not a hater, just don't use it cause i like other things better. However , the only way I can see to save the batch you have is if you use it as some kind of garnish, topping or ingredient that will be cooked in some form. Raw garlic has no subtlety, it just is, like the sun on a 110 day. Cooking garlic mellows it's flavor, even just a brief saute or blanching before using it will greatly reduce the sharpness of garlic.

best of luck
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