Publican Bread Plate

Pimento Cheese

Makes about 4 cups: 

-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

-1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

-1½ cups mayonnaise (we like Hellmann's/ Best Foods)

-½ cup diced pimento peppers

-2 cups grated aged white cheddar

-sea salt

We think just about anything dipped in this would be great—raw vegetables, toasted bread, even ham. We use Hook's 4-year-old white cheddar, which has a nice tang. That, plus the cayenne and black pepper, which we give a measure for instead of "to taste" so it'll be peppery- is something else.

In a large metal mixing bowl, whisk together cayenne, black pepper and mayonnaise. Add the pimento peppers and gently fold in the cheese until everything is evenly mixed. Season to taste with sea salt.

Smoked Fish Dip

-1 pound of smoked salmon

-½ pound cream cheese

-1 cups mayonnaise 

-Juice of 1 lemon

-1 shallots minced

-2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped

-1 teaspoon old bay seasoning

-Salt and pepper

In a large metal mixing bow, whisk together the salmon, cream cheese, and mayonnaise. In a separate bowl cover the shallots with lemon juice. Let the shallots pickle in the lemon juice for 10 minutes. Add the shallots in lemon juice, dill, and Old Bay and gently fold all of the ingredients until everything is evenly mixed. Season to taste with salt and lots of black pepper.