That Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi

Teetering here at the end of summer, it seemed appropriate to have another of the quintessential summer sandwiches--while there  are good tomatoes available. We love BLTs and I love a plain tomato sandwich. Add to that pantheon, pimento cheese--and add tomato to it.

Pimento cheese is a beloved staple for sandwiches i\n the South. I understand that there are some really good prepared brands, but I've always made my own, as did my mother and grandmother.

Grated cheddar, mayonnaise (homemade, avoiding the perennial Southern debate as to whether Dukes or Hellmans is better,) a little grated onion, some Worcestershire, some Sriracha, and drained pimentos. And recently, I've begun adding cream cheese and whirring the whole mixture in the food processor.

Heavenly on crisp toast or in a sandwich. But the sandwich is elevated to the sublime with the addition of fresh tomato and torn basil.

The addition of basil was suggested years ago by a blogger friend Vagabonde, a Frenchwoman long time resident in the States. She had learned to make pimento cheese at the request of her husband and felt that the basil added that little je ne sais quoi. 

I heartily agree. And am thankful that my pots of basil are still going strong.