I’ve never met a single person who doesn’t like queso. I mean seriously, who wouldn’t like a bowl of melted cheese? Weird people, that’s who. I’m definitely not one of those people. I feel like queso was one of the first foods I came to love. Since I grew up in south Texas, we ate Mexican food pretty often. We had the best of the best on every corner of the city, so we took advantage of it whenever possible. I can remember my parents ordering me bean tacos and a plate of nachos and a bowl of queso for all of us to share. I know what you’re thinking.. who eats “bean only” tacos? Trust me, don’t knock it. Bean tacos take on a whole new meaning in corpus. There’s something about those authentic ‘bad for you’ refried beans paired with fluffy warm flour tortillas…it’s. Incredible. End of story. I eventually expanded my taco horizons and moved on to bean, bacon, potato and cheese tacos. (Also an incredible combination FYI). Okay I’m getting way off topic now. I seriously cannot help myself when it comes to talking about Mexican food. Especially Mexican food from Corpus. If you ever happen to venture down to this area, let me know and I’ll give you a list of all the best Mexican food in the area.
Anyways, my love for queso has grown over time from a very young age. I first started out making queso as a teenager with velveeta cheese and a can of rotel. Now I’m not saying that’s bad… because it’s not! But now that I’m a little more experienced in the queso department, I realize that velveeta doesn’t stand a chance to a good homemade queso. This bowl of cheese is something else I’ll tell you. It’s creamy 3 cheeses make for the perfect queso texture and the chunks of onion, tomato and chilis pack in so flavor. Make it yourself and you’ll know what I’m talking about! It’s to die for.
Pair these with my:
So you’re probably wondering why I’ve topped the queso with a dollop of pico and guacamole… Well there’s a reason and I’ll tell you. There’s this place in Corpus called The Surf Club. I’ve been going there since I was a little girl and I always ordered their queso no matter what. It’s a must. It’s a white queso with guacamole in the center. I swear the combination of the two is magical. Who would’ve thought a chunk of avocados in the middle of melted cheese would be good? I decided to copy that and add in my own guacamole and pico de gallo recipe. Let me just say… it takes the queso to the next level. It’s good on its own, but even better with the additions on top.
Find those two recipes here:
THE BEST QUESO
Prep time: 12 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Makes: 7-8 cups
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 large white onion, diced small
- 2 serrano chilis, diced small (may also use jalapeño for a more mild spice)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a press
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced small
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2-3 cups milk, warm
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 lb White American cheese, shredded (buy at your grocery cheese/meat counter in a block, not sliced)
- 1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 oz. cream cheese, cut into small chunks
DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large pot to medium high and add butter, onion and serrano chilis. Sauté for 2 minutes white stirring occasionally. Add in tomato and garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Add in flour to the pot and stir everything together. Let cook for 45 seconds. Add in two cups of milk slowly. Bring to a boil and let thicken. (About 2 minutes).
Reduce heat to a medium low. Add in chili powder, cumin and cream cheese. Whisk until cheese is melted. (About 2-3 minutes).
Add in American cheese and cheddar cheese and continue to whisk till melted. (About 2-3 minutes)
At this point, add in the remaining cup of milk if you’d like to thin out the queso. Also add 1.5 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste.
Serve warm with guacamole and pico de gallo on top + chili spiced tortilla chips on the side. (Link at the top of the post).
One Comment