Chile con Queso
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 19, 2012
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 16 (Makes 4 cups)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can substitute 3/4 cup of canned diced tomatoes (drained) and 1 tablespoon of chopped canned green chiles for the Ro-tel Tomatoes.
Instructions
- Place Monterey Jack, Colby, and 1 tablespoon oil in blender; set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in chipotle and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and cook until hot, about 2 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.
- Add evaporated milk and water to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Pour hot milk over cheese in blender, cover, and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour cheese into serving bowl with tomato mixture and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes to thicken slightly. (To rewarm cooled queso, microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring at each interval, until melted.) Serve with tortilla chips.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 16 (Makes 4 cups)Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
The Tex-Mex version of chile con queso is an irresistibly creamy dip for chips. The most widespread method is to add Ro-tel diced tomatoes and chiles to Velveeta, microwave, and stir. For a dip that was similarly smooth and simple to make without the plasticky flavor and waxy texture, we nixed roux-based sauces in favor of evaporated milk, which has stabilizers built-in. Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses gave us a smooth-melting base. Adding a little vegetable oil kept it dippable even after cooling down, and fortifying the canned tomatoes with onion, garlic, and chipotles in adobo added complexity and heat.
Before You Begin
You can substitute 3/4 cup of canned diced tomatoes (drained) and 1 tablespoon of chopped canned green chiles for the Ro-tel Tomatoes.
Instructions
- Place Monterey Jack, Colby, and 1 tablespoon oil in blender; set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in chipotle and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and cook until hot, about 2 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.
- Add evaporated milk and water to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Pour hot milk over cheese in blender, cover, and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour cheese into serving bowl with tomato mixture and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes to thicken slightly. (To rewarm cooled queso, microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring at each interval, until melted.) Serve with tortilla chips.
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