Acclaimed pastry chef Lisa Donovan, formerly of Sean Brock’s Husk in Nashville, grew up traveling with her family, as her dad was in the Army. “I think there’s a biological imperative that has us seeking a sense of place,” she said. “I’d wandered the whole planet wondering where my place was. It wasn’t until I went to southwest Virginia that I felt, ‘This is it.’ When I connected with my mountain grandmother about baking, I realized I did a lot of things instinctively that were also what she did.”
With that in mind, I asked Lisa if she’d create a recipe for every mountain pickup truck driver’s glove compartment emergency ration: cheese nabs. (Note that these are salty, but in the mountain South, any packaged cracker snack—even the sweet ones, or the ones filled with peanut butter—are called “cheese nabs.”)
When she sent the recipe, she wrote, “They may seem a bit labor intensive, but I promise they are worth every bit of ‘freeze,’ ‘set,’ and ‘hurry up and wait.’” People, that woman does not lie. You will need a stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments, and you will need to start this recipe a day before you want to eat the nabs. Just put the pimento cheese together after dinner one evening and start the crackers the following morning.
Lisa Donovan’s Pimento Cheese Nabs
Makes about 26 nabs
You Will Need
PIMENTO CHEESE FILLING
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Duke’s brand preferred)
- 3 ounces sharp cheddar, finely shredded
- 3 ounces mild cheddar, finely shredded
- 1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimentos, strained
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon finely grated yellow onion
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
CRACKERS
- 2 teaspoons leaf lard, frozen
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur brand preferred), plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- cup warm water (about body temperature)
- Coarse sea salt
- 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons water
To Prepare
1) Prepare the pimento cheese filling: Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2) Make the crackers: Cut the frozen leaf lard into small cubes, about the size of peas, and return them to the freezer while you mix the dry ingredients.
3) Put the flour, yeast, sugar, kosher salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine. Work in the lard to make a crumbly mix.
4) Remove the paddle and fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment. Start the mixer on low speed and slowly add in the warm water. Once the water is added, increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
5) Turn the mixer off and cover the top of the dough snugly with plastic wrap while it’s still in the bowl. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
6) Use lightly floured hands to remove the dough from the bowl and then form it into 2 balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and gently flatten them into disks. Let these chill in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
7) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap one dough disk and place it in the center of one of the baking sheets. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll it out to a ⅛-inch thickness. Top it with a second piece of parchment paper and place it in the freezer. Repeat this process with the second dough disk and baking sheet. Let freeze for 2 to 3 hours.
8) Remove one of the baking sheets from the freezer, and gently remove the top layer of parchment paper. Use a 2x2-inch biscuit cutter (or a knife) to cut out an even number of squares from the dough, cutting directly on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Pull gently on the squares to separate them. Remove any dough scraps remaining from cutting. (If you have enough scraps, you can reroll, freeze, and cut again.) Use a fork to score each square with 3 rows of 2 holes each, and then sprinkle the squares lightly with coarse sea salt. Return them to the freezer, and repeat this process with the second portion of dough. Let the crackers freeze while the oven preheats.
9) Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Remove the baking sheets from the freezer and bake the crackers for about 5 minutes. The crackers will be pale and about 75 percent baked at this point. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
10) Puree the chilled pimento cheese in a blender until smooth. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the cheese out on the lined sheet pan and top it with a second piece of parchment. Roll the cheese evenly into a ⅛-inch thickness. Freeze it for 2 hours.
11) Remove the cheese from the freezer and use a 1x1-inch cutter to cut out an even number of squares. (You’ll need half the number of cheese squares as of the crackers you’ve made.) Return the pan to the freezer for 15 minutes. (If the cheese gets too warm to handle when you’re cutting it, just pop it back in the freezer for about 5 minutes.) Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375ºF again.
12) To assemble the nabs, remove the cheese from the freezer and use a knife or narrow spatula to pick up a cheese square and place it between two crackers, making a sandwich.
13) Place the sandwiched crackers on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 5 minutes, until the crackers are cooked through and have developed a sheen. Remove them to a wire rack and allow them to cool to room temperature before serving. The cheese nabs will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.