Regional American specialties are a great way to celebrate our country’s food heritage, and pimento cheese has earned its way onto cheese boards, charcuterie platters and other shareable options.
JEFF MILLER
Pimento cheese is a great item to cross-utilize on your menu. Serve it as an appetizer dip, warm or hot, dollop it on nachos, stuff it inside a quesadilla, spread it atop a burger or smear it on a steak. For the breakfast crowd, add it to an omelette, serve it with hot biscuits or smear it on bacon waffles with fried chicken topped with a spicy maple syrup.
KATHY CASEY
Pimento cheese is a flavor bomb that adds a savory backbone to a burger build, a depth of taste and a smooth texture. These all drive craveability.
CHARLIE BAGGS
It’s all about Americana and comfort food in unsettling times. It’s that fattiness with light spicing, with a hint of nostalgia that makes this intensely satisfying. As there is no set recipe, operators can vary it endlessly and even give it global flair. There is also an opportunity to revisit pimento cheese’s close cousin, the cheese ball, and use it not only in its spherical shape, but as a callout sandwich spread or topping on hot vegetables.
CHRIS KOETKE
From the January-February Top 10 Trends 2021 issue of Flavor & The Menu