Todd Richards’s Grilled Peach Toast With Spicy Pimento Cheese

Name: Todd Richards’s Grilled Peach Toast With Spicy Pimento Cheese
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 appetizer or 2 entrée servings
Cuisine: american, southern
Ingredients: 4 slices bacon; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 small red bell peppers, stems removed, finely diced (about 1 1/4 cups) or 1 cup diced canned pimentos; 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Crystal; 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard; 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, or use garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; 4 ounces cream cheese, softened; 4 ounces white Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup); 4 ounces sharp yellow Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup); 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives; 2 large firm-ripe peaches, halved and pitted; 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola; 4 large slices boule-style bread (1/2-inch thick), preferably multigrain; Extra-virgin olive oil; Flaky salt; Coarsely ground black pepper; 1/4 cup thinly sliced red radishes (about 3 ounces, optional); 1 small bunch watercress, thick stems removed, or use arugula or curly mustard greens (optional)

Recipe from Todd Richards

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Todd Richards’s Grilled Peach Toast With Spicy Pimento Cheese — Melina Hammer for The New York Times

Total Time: About 30 minutes
Rating: 4(248)
Notes: Read community notes

Pimento cheese is a Southern classic, but the combination of spicy, smoky pimento cheese — spiked with bacon and the adobo that comes in a can of chipotle chiles — and sweet, juicy peaches could only come from the mind of a chef. Todd Richards of Richards’ Southern Fried in Atlanta’s Krog Street Market and the author of “Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes” (Oxmoor House, 2018) calls this his ideal summer breakfast, “along with a glass of champagne.” If you don’t want to use a grill, just toast the bread and use the peaches freshly sliced. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Is It Southern Food, or Soul Food?

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Ingredients

Yield:4 appetizer or 2 entrée servings

For the Pimento Cheese

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

To Finish the Dish

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)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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.

Ratings

4 out of 5

248 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

LM6 years ago

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.

LM6 years ago

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.

Bellaverdi6 years ago

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.

OnThePlate6 years ago

It’s one of those words that has changed meaning over time. A whole bunch of celery used to be called a stalk, but now common usage has made stalk and rib the same thing. Hold up a rib of celery and ask a random person what it is, and they’ll probably say a stalk of celery. Like it or not, language is fluid, and word definition is dictated by usage, no matter what the origin.

Susan Gosman6 years ago

According to James Beard, stalk is the correct name for one piece of celery.

Ciel6 years ago

Look more closely the picture is grilled peaches, not chicken

Wondering why today’s foodies use the word “stalk” instead of “rib” when speaking of celery. The whole bunch is the stalk!6 years ago

Picture seems to be chicken with radish!

sued2 years ago

This is my go to pimento cheese recipe. I love it with the bacon.

Rachel3 years ago

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.

Jennifer4 years ago

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.

Iona4 years ago

I found the pimiento a little rich for my taste, and would recommend using light cream cheese and less grated cheddar (probably about 4-6 oz instead of 8 oz) for a lighter breakfast. I also doubled up on the adobo sauce and used smoked tabasco, which was great!

David C4 years ago

Best. Pimento cheese. Ever.

Rahel4 years ago

Couldn't get my hands on peaches so improvised with nectarines. Very good. Though I think this recipe makes more pimento than you need (since it's rich and very flavorful). Could have probably done with about half of the amount. Also, one slice makes a full-on entree for me (rather than an appetizer), especially with a side salad, again because the pimento is so rich.

Debby4 years ago

This looks interesting but overly fussy for most home cooks. I will make my usual pimento cheese with added chipotle pepper in adobo, I will grill or toast some peach slices, and I will serve as open-faced sandwiches on good toast with a side salad that may or may not include watercress and radishes. Looking forward to peach season!

Adam4 years ago

I made this for a Sunday afternoon cocktail party. This is fantastic and well worth your efforts. I couldn’t find watercress or arugula (Wisconsin life...) so, I subbed in Oregano. It truly does pair best with bubbles.

Annaka4 years ago

From a pimento cheese addict- cream cheese is blasphemy. I know it is now considered a mainstay but it isn’t classic. Otherwise nice combo of flavors.

abstract6684 years ago

We made Peach Toast at Girl Scout camp in the 1960s! We made it over a fire when we were off on canoe trips. Thanks for reminding me about those wonderful summers!

SMH5 years ago

This will be the perfect "small bite" for the cocktail party we are hosting this June (even if a little early for summer peaches). Any suggestions for a great cocktail to pair with this?

B Wood5 years ago

Champagne or a sparkling white.

LM6 years ago