Derby Day Pimento Spread
Cheddar powder, dried peppers, and oil worked into a spread you eat off crackers.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 3.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 134
- protein
- 12 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 45 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Lunch
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Day hike
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Cheddar cheese powder | 1/2 cup | the kind sold for popcorn works |
|---|---|---|
| Dried diced red bell pepper | 2 tbsp | stands in for jarred pimentos |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Onion powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Mustard powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Cayenne | 1/8 tsp | more if you want the Kentucky version |
| Black pepper and salt | to taste | |
| Sturdy crackers | about 20 |
Method
- Tip the dried pepper into the bag with 2 tbsp of cold water. Seal it and let it sit ten minutes while you drop your pack.
- Add the cheese powder, onion powder, mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper to the same bag.
- Pour in the oil and another tablespoon of cold water. Work the bag with your fingers until it comes together as a thick paste.
- Add water a teaspoon at a time if it stays crumbly. Stop before it turns runny.
- Snip a corner of the bag and squeeze it onto crackers.
Pimento cheese is a mayonnaise-and-block-cheddar job at home, which means a cooler and a knife. Neither travels. Cheddar powder plus oil gets you the same place: the powder carries the flavor and the protein, the oil supplies the fat that mayonnaise would have, and the two emulsify into a spread once you add just enough water.
Water is the whole difficulty. Cheese powder drinks it fast and then keeps drinking, so a spread that looks right in the bag can slump into sauce two minutes later. Go slow, and rehydrate the dried peppers separately first so they take their share before the powder gets any.
Packing
Premix all the powders and dried pepper in one freezer bag at home. Oil rides in a bottle, crackers in a rigid container or they arrive as crumbs.
Variations
- A spoonful of powdered milk makes it creamier and less sharp.
- Dried chives and a squeeze of lemon powder push it toward the cucumber spread the Derby crowd calls Benedictine.
- Spread it inside a tortilla with a foil packet of chicken for an actual lunch.
https://www.pinchmeimeating.com/kentucky-derby-party-food