Recipe: Masters Pimento Cheese and Truffle Egg Salad

During a normal year we would be celebrating the Masters Tournament in April, fresh off SXSW, the temps in Austin just starting to reach the 90’s while mornings still dipping below the 60’s. While the temps may be similar during this different change of seasons, this is not a normal year, and this is not a normal Masters. Just two weeks before Thanksgiving, we’re running a couple sandwich specials at the food truck to go along with a golf tradition like no other. These specials took off like a 400+ yard drive from the hulking Bryson DeChambeau. We weren’t expecting the reception and have sold out of most orders by Sunday’s final round. This is one instance when coming in under par was not what we were aiming for. If you can’t get the good stuff at the truck this weekend, try making these sandwiches at home.

Here’s our recipes for Truffled Egg Salad and Pimento Cheese.

Truffled Egg Salad

Truffles are intimidating for an uninitiated cook but they function very much like an aromatic. Using it in a similar way to garlic will make its application easier to understand. When shaved raw or minced, it’s aromatic and pungent. When grated and cooked with fat and dairy, its essence mellows, producing a more earthy flavor. When living in Astoria, Queens, I visited a panini shop weekly called Il Bambino that opened my eyes to truffled egg salad and it was a go-to order since the first taste.

Look for either canned truffles mixed with mushrooms or fresh truffles around the winter months in specialty grocery stores. Either of these can be found online as well. Truffle oil has a cheap stigma attached to it, but I’ve seen many more people encounter truffles for the first time from the flavored oil than I’ve seen food-Twitter turned off by it. Any way you choose to incorporate truffles into your dishes, they certainly bring an elevated taste to your holiday table or your Masters week sammies.

12 eggs

1/2 C mayonnaise

1 oz dijon mustard

1 oz truffle oil

1 oz chopped truffles (canned or fresh)

1 TB kosher salt and lil bit of pepper to taste

In a medium-large sauce pot, bring 4 qts of water to a rapid boil on high heat. Carefully lower the eggs into the water, being careful not to break any of the shells. Once all the eggs are submerged, set a timer for 10 minutes and cook on high until the timer goes off. Once 10 minutes have elapsed, turn the heat off and put a lid on the boiling pot, covering the eggs and steeping in hot water for another 3 minutes. Once 3 minutes have passed, shock the eggs in ice water to stop the cooking process. Submerging the cold eggs into very hot water will rapidly cook the outside first, allowing for an easy and clean peeling process.

To peel, crack the egg on the wide end where there’s an air pocket. Carefully make a line of cracks up the side to the top of the egg and peel it open like a book. Rinse the egg under water to remove any shell fragments and reserve.

To dice, either cube with a knife or push through a roasting rack grate to achieve a fine diced egg. Mix with mustard, chopped truffle, oil, mayo, and seasonings. Mix thoroughly (but not roughly) to combine and serve about 2 oz on untoasted white bread with peppery arugula.

Pimento Cheese

Back when Freedmen’s was open in Austin’s West Campus, we had a version of Pimento Cheese on the menu but we used smoked jalapeños and red bell peppers. We ran it through the meat grinder to make sure we had a smooth texture and added in some spices to round out the flavor. Here’s our pimento cheese recipe for Masters Week.

1/2 lb shredded cheddar

1/4 lb cream cheese

1/4 lb American cheese

1/4 C mayonnaise

1 TB chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 C canned pimentos or roasted red bell peppers

1/4 C diced smoked or fire roasted jalapeño

In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded cheddar, chunks of cream cheese and American, mayo, spices, and chiles. Mix thoroughly with gloved hands or tongs.

Run the mix through a meat grinder twice to achieve a smooth and spreadable consistency as well as to combine all ingredients. If a grinder isn’t available, try a food processor or just work the mix with gloved hands for 10–12 minutes until cohesive.

Spread about 2 oz on a piece of Martin’s Potato Bread and griddle toast on the outsides until golden brown. We like a flat comal greased with butter, but a toaster oven or oven will work just as well.

Pack either of these sandwiches in zip top sandwich baggies on a picnic or in your golf bag for an afternoon round.

Visit LeRoy and Lewis at 121 Pickle Rd, Wed-Sun 11am-9pm

Order our rubs, sauces, merchandise or pre-order bbq at www.leroyandlewisbbq.com

Follow us on Instagram @leroyandlewis