Todd Richards’s Grilled Peach Toast With Spicy Pimento Cheese
Updated June 8, 2020
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4slices bacon
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 2small red bell peppers, stems removed, finely diced (about 1¼ cups) or 1 cup diced canned pimentos
- 2teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers
- ¼cup mayonnaise
- 1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Crystal
- ½teaspoon dry mustard
- ½teaspoon granulated garlic, or use garlic powder
- ¼teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 4ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4ounces white Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
- 4ounces sharp yellow Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
- 2tablespoons thinly sliced chives
- 2large firm-ripe peaches, halved and pitted
- 3tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola
- 4large slices boule-style bread (½-inch thick), preferably multigrain
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Flaky salt
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼cup thinly sliced red radishes (about 3 ounces, optional)
- 1small bunch watercress, thick stems removed, or use arugula or curly mustard greens (optional)
For the Pimento Cheese
To Finish the Dish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
849 calories; 71 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 969 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high for 5 to 6 minutes or until just crisp (but not crunchy). Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels; chop into coarse pieces. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, and set aside. Wipe out the skillet clean, but don’t worry if there are brown bits stuck to the pan — they will loosen as you cook.
- Step 2
If using fresh peppers, return the skillet to medium heat. Add the oil and then the peppers and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (If using canned pimentos, just add them to the clean skillet.)
- Step 3
Stir in the reserved bacon drippings. Add the adobo and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the bacon, mayonnaise, vinegar, hot sauce, dry mustard, granulated garlic and black pepper. Let cool to room temperature.
- Step 4
In a large bowl or using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese until soft. Mix in the Cheddar cheeses. Stir in bacon mixture and chives. Set aside. (Or refrigerate, covered, up to 4 days. Bring to cool room temperature for serving.)
- Step 5
Grill the peaches: Heat a grill to medium-high (450 degrees). Brush the peach halves with 1 tablespoon neutral oil, and place on the grates, cut sides down. Grill, uncovered, until grill marks appear and the juices begin to release, about 3 minutes. Remove from the grill, and slice each half into 4 to 6 wedges. Set aside.
- Step 6
Brush the bread slices on both sides with the remaining neutral oil, and place on the grill grates. Grill until the bread is toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill.
- Step 7
Spread pimento cheese thickly on 1 side of each slice of toast. Cut each slice into 4 equal pieces, keeping them together to look like a whole slice. Top with sliced peaches. Drizzle the olive oil over the peaches, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If using, top with radish slices and watercress leaves. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
Also, (former cheesemonger), you don't need to bother with buying yellow and white cheddar unless you care about the color, since the "yellow" is just annatto coloring and adds no flavor. Because you add adobo and hot sauce the color of the cheese doesn't make a difference, IMHO. Just buy a half pound of delicious cheddar like Tickler or Prairie Breeze and go to town.
I love pimento cheese, and this mix was delicious. Followed the recipe as suggested, and felt that the watercress and radishes were unnecessary. Ended up eating the toast with cheese/peaches and making a little side salad with watercress, radish, olive oil. This is the way I prefer to eat it, since all together it just seems overly fussy and difficult to keep everything on the bread otherwise.
What a delightful surprise for a summer supper. I had my concerns, but thought it could be interesting. I made a slight alteration to peaches, as I don't have grill. Used a high heat sauté pan with just a dab of butter. Now on my summer rotation.
This is my go to pimento cheese recipe. I love it with the bacon.
This is the best pimento cheese ever, but in my experience it makes much more than two servings. There's no way I could cram a quarter of the cheese onto one slice of bread and still be able to fit peaches on top of that. I'd say this serves at least four, maybe even more, with a generous amount of pimento cheese for everyone.
I was excited to feature local peaches in this but they were overpowered and lost. All I could taste was the cheese which I will make again on its own because it is delicious.
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