Yahoo Lifestyle How to Make Pimento Cheese Dip Taste a Million Times Better
From buffalo chicken and spinach artichoke to hummus and veggie, dip is the universal party snack that keeps on giving. Not only are they utterly delicious, but dips are super simple to whip up in a pinch. One of the best among them is the pimento cheese dip.
Pimento cheese dip is a creamy, tangy Southern spread made with shredded cheese, mayonnaise, and diced pimentos, often seasoned with garlic powder or cayenne. While the classic version is always a favorite, I was eager to find a way to make it even better. After searching online, I came across a recipe promising to make pimento cheese dip taste “like a million bucks” with just a few simple tweaks—so, of course, I had to try it.
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What is the Neiman Marcus Million Dollar Pimento Dip?
Legend has it that American chef Helen Corbitt developed this dip in the 1950s for the restaurant of the Neiman Marcus department store in Texas. The base of her recipe stayed true to classic Southern pimento dip, with cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and seasonings. To make it more upscale and "rich", she added ingredients like almonds, bacon and more mayo. Akin to classic Southern pimento dip, the million dollar version is perfect for spreading on crackers or sandwiches.
Get the recipe: Million Dollar Dip
Ingredients for the Neiman Marcus Million Dollar Pimento Dip
For this recipe, I used slivered almonds, sliced prosciutto (substituted for bacon), cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, a pinch of red chili flakes, garlic powder and some onion powder.
How I Made the Neiman Marcus Million Dollar Pimento Dip
To sliver almonds, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes, peel, and chop. I used about 1/4 cup to keep the dip from being too almond-heavy. Toast the almonds in a pan over medium heat, adding the prosciutto at the same time until both the nuts and meat are crisp, about three minutes. If you prefer, bacon can be used instead of prosciutto for a similar flavor. Once cooled, chop the meat into small bits. Thinly slice the green onions, reserving some for garnish if desired.
In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in shredded cheese, prosciutto, green onions, almonds and seasonings. Chill the dip for at least one hour before serving with crackers or veggies.
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What I Thought of the Neiman Marcus Million Dollar Pimento Dip
With slight ingredient adjustments, Neiman Marcus took pimento cheese dip from good to mouth-watering-ly appetizing.
What really amped up the taste of this dip is the garlic powder, onion powder, and red chili flakes. If you don’t have red chili flakes on hand, you can substitute for cayenne pepper, chili powder, paprika, or even a dash of hot sauce. I found that 1/4 teaspoon of each was just enough to achieve the perfect flavor kick. I think you can experiment further if your taste buds feel the dip needs more flavor. Missing in this dip is the pimento peppers, which add a very mild and sweet flavor (similar to a bell pepper), but the dip gave off pimento cheese vibes even without the star ingredient. So I think it's up to you whether or not you’d like to include them.
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Tips for Making the Neiman Marcus Million Dollar Dip
Let the cream cheese soften. It's always a real pain to have to hand-mix dairy that isn’t pre-softened. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to do without special equipment and mechanical whipping also affects the resulting texture of the dip. Therefore, it's essential to take out the cream cheese from the fridge and place it on the counter several hours before you intend to make the dip.
Don’t be stingy on the seasoning. You won't regret having a heavy hand on the spices.
Scale it up. If you’re serving a large party for the Super Bowl, it's super easy to double each ingredient except for the cream cheese and seasonings.
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