The Caviar of the South Finally Gets Its Due

(Bloomberg) -- A lot about Augusta National Country Club is shrouded in secrecy. For instance, how much the initiation fee and membership cost; rumors range from $20,000 to more than $250,000. Likewise, who the 300 members are; two that are known, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, are people who can afford to join no matter what the real number is.

Another Augusta item that's top secret: the recipe for its famed pimento cheese sandwich, a mainstay at this weekend's Masters tournament. 

Thanks to the label, we know mayonnaise, cream cheese, and pimentos are involved, plus extra sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, spread between two pieces of squishy white bread. Beyond that, it's secret alchemy, so much so that a 2013 vendor change caused a  "Pimentogate" scandal. Tournament goers may have their favorite concession—be it the egg salad, a sausage biscuit, or peach ice cream cookie sandwich—but no other food item is more iconic than the $1.50 snack, packed in individual plastic bags, colored green like the golf club's famous blazers (and able to blend in to the grass should a wrapper go astray). For many, it's like "eating the South."

It's a great moment for pimento cheese.

Let's not call it a trend, because people have been using their grandmothers' recipes for years and years. But you can find it almost everywhere you look. In her upcoming cookbook, Praise the Lard, barbecue queen Amy Mills of 17th Street Barbecue in Illinois shares her famed pimento cheese recipe for the first time. Her secret ingredient: the family hot sauce. Likewise, chef John Tesar of Knife steakhouse in Dallas reveals his top-rated version in his soon-to-be-released cookbook, Knife. He likes to turn his pimento cheese, which he makes with two kinds of cheddar, into a burger topping.

Hugh Acheson, the witty Top Chef judge and chef/partner at multiple restaurants in Georgia, including 5&10 in Athens, can get worked up about pimento cheese that tries too hard.

“The reason the pimento cheese sandwich is so good at the Masters is because it's so basic,” he says. “It doesn't suffer from the poutine malaise of America, chefs who think they should turn a simple dish of French fries, cheese, and gravy into an event with fancy brisket or steak and elegant shaved brussels sprouts. No. Pimento cheese is meant to be on white bread in a plastic sandwich bag.”

Or topped with a dollop of sweet, smoky bacon marmalade, as he does at his Atlanta restaurant Empire State South. “It's for fun. It's not meant to recreate the pimento cheese wheel.” 

(And though Acheson attends the Masters tournament almost every year, courtesy of his friend Jim “Bones” Mackay, caddie to Phil Mickelson, and has frequently catered parties for various sponsors, no, he doesn't know the secret behind Master's pimento cheese recipe either.)

The beauty of pimento cheese is that in the South you can find it at the most elegant places, such as Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn., where guests are given a jar of with homemade crackers when they arrive in their luxe rooms. Even in New York, you can now find noteworthy pimento cheese at ambitious restaurants such as Untitled at the Whitney Museum, from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. There, South Carolina-born chef Suzanne Cupps's ode begins with sharp cheddar from the elite Jasper Hill Farm, before she adds a few unconventional ingredients, such as ricotta and smoked jalapeños.

"Even though I'm from the South, I didn't grow up eating pimento cheese," says Cupps, "So I'm not afraid to play around with it." The ricotta makes it lighter than the cream cheese versions, while smoked jalapeños add a flavorful finish.

For purists, across town at the barbecue joint Blue Smoke, another USHG property, Jean-Paul Bourgeois makes a more traditional pimento cheese. His secret: unfancy American cheese. 

Of course, when you make it at home, you can make yours wacky or keep it classic. The following is Acheson's terrific, traditional pimento cheese, which can be served as a snack with crackers or turned into a Master's-style sandwich with the addition of a couple of slices of white bread. If you want to have a full Masters experience, Acheson says to plan on eating two sandwiches, with beer on the side.

Hugh Acheson's Pimento Cheese

Makes about 2 cups or 4 sandwiches

8 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 loosely packed cups)
1 roasted red bell pepper (jarred is fine), finely diced
¼ cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade or Duke's brand)
¾ tsp. smoked sweet Spanish paprika
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
8 slices of white bread, or crackers, for serving

In a large bowl, mix the cheddar with the roasted red pepper, mayonnaise, paprika, mustard, salt, and cayenne until well combined. Spread on white bread or serve with crackers.

To contact the author of this story: Kate Krader in New York at kkrader@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Justin Ocean at jocean1@bloomberg.net.