1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ medium shallot, minced
½ clove garlic, minced
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese (don’t use pre-grated cheese)
4 ounces jarred pimento
4 – 5 tablespoons Duke’s, Hellmann’s, or other high-quality store-bought mayonnaise
8 oz full fat cream cheese
Dash Tabasco sauce, or to taste
Dash Worcestershire, or to taste
Kosher Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
½ teaspoon celery salt, or to taste
Heat butter in a small sauté pan. Add the shallots are sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and continue cooking for another 15 or so seconds. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
Using the grater attachment of a large food processor, grate the cheese. Remove the cheese to a bowl and switch out the grater attchment for the metal “S” blade.
Return the grated cheese and other ingredients to the bowl of the food processor. Process to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking.
Transfer the spread to a glass serving container with a lid. (I used 2 1/2 pint canning jars.) The spread keeps about a week in the refrigerator.
Linzer Cookies
Whether it’s cookie, pie or tart dough, I’ve been experimenting with rolling out doughs between parchment paper or plastic wrap as soon as I make the dough instead of forming the dough into a disk. Using either eliminates the need for flour and therefore, the dough scrapes can be rerolled a couple of times instead of traditionally only once.
Because the dough is already pliable, it saves time as I don’t have to wait for the disk to come back to room temperature. I also find that regardless of whether it’s disk form or rolled out, by allowing it to rest in the fridge there’s no shrinkage when baked.
½ cup (2.5 oz / 70 g) almond flour (or blanched and slivered, sliced or whole almonds)
1 cup (5 oz / 140 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1 large egg yolk, beaten
1 tablespoon heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¾ cup seedless raspberry or apricot jam
If you don’t have almond flour, in a food processor using the metal “S” blade process the sugar and almonds until almonds are finely ground, about 20 seconds. Add flour, salt, and butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, 15 to 20 pulses.
In a small bowl whisk together egg yolk, cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Pour over the flour mixture and process until dough just begins to come together. Transfer dough to a counter and using the palm of your hand, smear the dough until it comes together. Divide dough in half and roll each piece out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to a scant 1/8-inch. Leave the dough between the parchment paper, transfer to a half-sheet pan and refrigerate at least one hour or better yet overnight.
When ready to proceed, adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using 2-inch fluted square or round cookie cutter, cut out cookies and space ¾-inch apart on prepared sheets. Using a smaller cutter, cut out centers from half of cookies. Gather and reroll scraps. Bake until edges are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely.
Spread bottom of each solid cookie with 1 teaspoon jam, then top with cutout cookie, pressing lightly to adhere. Let cookies set before serving, about 30 minutes.