“These are my favorite for watching a game or having a party,” says Thomas Boemer, the James Beard-nominated chef behind Minneapolis restaurants Corner Table and Revival. “I fell in love with how pimento cheese melts when it’s warm. Find your favorite hot pepper jelly and set this out for finger food.”
Pimento Cheese Fritters
Yield: Yields 25-35 pieces
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs. cream cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
¼ cup hot sauce
1½ cup pimentos, diced
¼ cup pickle juice
3 lbs. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2½ lbs. white cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 eggs
4 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
Jars of pepper jelly and pickles to serve
Preparation
- Soften cream cheese and combine with mayonnaise, dry seasonings, hot sauce, pimentos, and pickle juice. Mix until fully incorporated. Add cheeses and mix together.
- Using parchment paper, roll dough into cylinders and chill for six hours or overnight.
- Cut into coins ¾ inch thick. Bread using standard breading procedure (first dredge in flour, then in whisked eggs, and finally in breadcrumbs).
- Chill in freezer for approximately 30 minutes (until the cheese sets up) before frying in 375-degree oil.
- Serve with pepper jelly and pickles.
Recipe from Thomas Boemer of Corner Table and Revival in Minneapolis and St. Paul