Queso Blanco... it's that yummy white cheese dip that you enjoy at *some* Mexican restaurants. Ben and I love it, but it's proven hard to find. Even more difficult is finding a recipe for it! I've been on the lookout for a few years now, so you can imagine my "hip-hip hooraying" when I saw a promising recipe posted on Confections of a Foodie Bride.
We really enjoyed this dip, but I have to say it's not exactly what I was hoping. Maybe I'm getting a little too picky, but there was something missing. Just a very tiny little mismatch to what we are used to eating in the restaurants. Ben noticed, too, and we kept tasting it to figure it out but just couldn't put our finger on the missing component. Was it the texture of the white American cheese?
This is really easy to put together, while a little messy to clean up. The more we indulged, the more we liked it. It's definitely our go-to for now, until I find THE perfect recipe that has that "missing" element. I must have made it very clear that I was a little disappointed in it, as Ben kept saying "I think I like this better than you! I really like it." In fact, he's sitting next to me right now eating the leftovers of it as we watch Toy Story 3. Again, it wasn't that I didn't like it, I think I just had higher expectations. You know how that goes...
Give it a try, let me know what YOU think. Is it "spot-on" for you, or can you tell me what is missing?
UPDATE 12/6/11: Thanks to all of your suggestions, I finally found my perfect recipe. Check it out here!
Queso Blanco
Yields: About 2 cups queso
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup white onion, finely diced
1 large jalapeno, seeds and stem removed; finely diced
12 oz white American cheese, shredded
4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (don’t use pre-shredded)
½ to 1 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
1 - 2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the shredded cheese and ¼ cup of the cream. Quickly stir until the cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, tortillas, or on tacos, burritos, etc.
Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride
