Queso recipe

the trick to good queso is white american cheese

Land O Lakes makes the stuff alot of restaurants use but it's hard to find in small portions

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/land-o-lakes-extra-melt-white-6-5-lb/160654.ip

but any white american cheese should work fine and most grocery stores have it

here's a standard recipe, white american, cream, and chiles/jalapenos

http://www.food.com/recipe/queso-blanco-dip-136923

 

THIS.

Just be sure not to buy "Cheese Food" and get the real stuff.

Personally I use Boar's Head White American Cheese from the deli at HEB. I have them slice it at their largest thickness and just cut it up into cubes. Add Rotel, ground beef/pork browned with yellow onion, and a half cup of milk then hit me up onc it's done!

 

Velveeta
Cream of Celery or Cream of Mushroom
Rotel
Chopped Green onion

Dump it all into a Crock Pot

Separately, Take 1 pound of ground beef or ground breakfast sausage
and cook it thoroughly.

Add to Crock Pot. Once the cheese has melted down it's ready.

You can also avoid putting meat in there and it's still good.

 

Velveta is too sweet. Check Sams for land o lakes ez melt.

Rotel is fine, I'd get the mexico blend with cilantro.

DO NOT USE MILK, use water. Many people use milk at the house to melt the cheese, that also makes the queso too sweet.

 

HEB also has a frozen Texas tamale company queso that's good. Not the best, but better than velveta/rotel.

 

I'm a fan of using evaporated milk to melt the cheese, end result has a much smoother texture than cream or milk. Not sure if that's traditional queso.

 

I use Land O'Lakes Extra Melt when I can, EZ Melt White when I can't. Make some pico (tomato/onion/cilantro/peppers/lime juice) and use that instead of Rotel. I've been known to throw in some chorizo (get the good stuff from a Mexican meat market), even sometimes some diced avocado and/or black beans.

 

Add spicy breakfast sausage to it. Cook it first, drain the pan, add to cheese. I like using the spicy rotel to give a really good kick. Hot in and hot out :grin:

 

I endlessly change it up. Sometimes standard velveeta and rotel. I prefer the spicy rotel. Sometimes use white american or yellow american. Sometimes add a little chipotle in adobo. Sometimes add salsa verde. sometimes roasted jalepenos or serranos, or poblanos. Sometimes add chorizo or spicy sausage or chili con carne. Taste as you go until you make something you like.

 

I just order queso and chips from the restaurant. Its even cheaper like that

 

Queso blanco brick
Can of rotel
Tube of spicy breakfast sausage cooked and drained
Add some cilantro, a little cayenne pepper, a little ground cumin, a little ancho chili powder and a little garlic salt.

Add half and half until you reach the consistency you prefer.

 

Two bars Ghirardelli white chocolate
Two diced habanero peppers
One small can condensed milk
Two diced jalapeno peppers (mild...for color)
One teaspoon cinnamon
One teaspoon vanilla extract
One handful of diced cherries (remove seeds)
Two tablespoons chili powder

And

Instead of chips, use graham crackers.

Okay...that was a joke. Albeit, I'm open for feedback to anyone who tries it.

I call it "Surf Cho-Queso".

 

Central Market used to carry the Land O Lakes in smaller sizes, don't know if they still do. I have a friend with a catering company and I get it from her now. Easy Melt is HEB's store brand version of velveeta. I'll have to try the Boar's Head, never thought of that.

Do try the fresh pico de gallo instead of Rotel, I like it better. HEB sells premade fresh pico in their produce section, if you're feeling lazy it works just fine.

This settles it, making queso for the game Sunday.

 

I just made a batch:

1 lb Boar's Head White American Cheese
.5 lb Hot Breakfast Sausage
1 can of Hot Rotel
1 can of Hot Diced Green Chiles
1 can of Hot Diced Jalapenos
1/3 cup of water

Tastes really good. This is the first time I've made queso with something other than Velveeta. Only thing I would change is maybe using less water or trying milk instead because I usually like it to be a little thicker than it turned out.

I've got a decent amount left over and I wanna take it to my friend's place for the game tomorrow. Anyone have any tips for reheating?

 

I use heavy cream instead of milk to keep it thicker and lower carb (1 pint of heavy cream for every pound of cheese) .

Never had much luck reheating, it just isn't as creamy.

I've heard powdered milk works better for reheating, but never tried it.

 

I like a nasty, oily tube of chorizo instead of ground beef.

 

Use a double boiler or crockpot and you have to replace a bit of the moisture that's evaporated, I just use water.