One of the first recipes that I learned to cook was cheese. One of the first creatures I almost killed was an armadillo. That is growing in Texas, Sweetcheeks. (My car hit the Armadillo. It was fine, honestly. That shell!)
My children’s cheese recipe was simple: cut a wobbly brick velveeta and place it in a safe microwave bowl. Add a touch of milk and microwave until it melts. Mix and eat in front of the TV with toasts.
However, as I aged, life has become more complicated. Cheese too. The most elaborate and dazzling cheese I made was the recreation of Rick Martínez of the Texas icon, “Bob Armstrong”. Combine Picadillo, Cheese, Guacamole and Gallo Pico in a giant bowl, and works. No Maximalist Charcutía Board has approached to fly like Bob.
Even so, one needs a basic house cheese. A dip that can appear, almost magically, with a chip basket never accumulated, in the same way that does so in the best food establishments. It is for great football vacation, weekend Friday and everything else. I did this on the eve of the New Year, and my outbreaks of Michigan were delighted. I did it for the reading club with Margaritas, which fed an animated discussion. For a dairy -centered culture, those in the west medium lack surprisingly with a good restaurant cheese; I have to fill the void.
I moved to a real cheese of my velveeta days, although it still has a loved place (and possibly medically permanent) in my heart. Game with accessories, but I need a spicy component, whether a pinch of cayenne, marinade chipotles or chopped fresh jalapeño. It can a little go a long way, but a kick helps to balance cheese wealth so that everyone returns for more.
The essential components are not allowed substitutions:
– Cheese. A giant block of Monterey Jack but Pepper Jack or Cheddar also work (I crushed it in my food processor on Sundays as “meal preparation” hahaha). The cheese shattered by the store is the enemy, since it is covered with things that can lead to a granulated cheese.
– Milk. Whole milk The other things are too aqueous and we are already committed to complete dairy products here, so stay in the task.
– A ROUX. Since you are using real cheese, compared to Velveeta or American, you must beat some butter and flour in the pan to make a soft cheese.
Optional, but recommended, spicy kick:
-RO-Tel or canned hatch chilies, if you are very good, please!
– A tablespoon of chipotles chopped in marinade sauce, if you are very good, please!
– A coverage of fresh jalapeños, coriander or pico de rooster, if you are very good, please!
If you don’t eat dairyMy private recipe has no substitutions to do it for you, but I understand your difficult situation. However, there is good news, because Jo Carey Polis has a great fall of two ingredients that is in the same flavor neighborhood, with fatty anacards mixed with marinade chipotles, a brilliant party trick that I have made innumerable times.
My biggest cheese fight is how to keep it hot. I can’t buy a fondue pot, I just can’t. Maybe one of those heated bases for coffee cups? Is this a one billion market in process? For now, my solution is to serve it in a ceramic ceramics bowl or reliable size of a relatively modest size. Then I keep more on the stove and add milk to the thin as it shut up again. Or you can expect your guests to do their job correctly eating the cheese before it cools.
House cheese
2 tablespoons of salt without salt
1-3 chipotles in marinade sauce, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon of flour for all use)
1.5-2 Whick milk (or more as necessary)
8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, crushed (for you! Not preheated, see above
Salt, to taste
In a medium saucepan, it melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped chipotles and garlic, and mix until they are fragrant, but do not allow garlic to burn, only 1 minute or so. Beat the flour and let it cook its raw polvoriento flavor for another 2 minutes or so. (Error on the side of too much time for the sauce to thickens properly.) Slowly gats the milk and then lets it warm But it does not boil. When it seems that it is to boil, it gigs a handful of cheese until it is incorporated, then another handful … and another until it is a good cheese consistency for your soul. Do not let cheese boil or break and become granulated. Add more milk if it is too thick. Try a chip and add salt if necessary. Serve hot and happily.
Do in advance: You can do this in advance and store in the refrigerator. Heat back down (without microwave!) And add milk because it will probably be thick from the refrigerator. I have frozen it before with questionable results, depending on how long it freezes and how desperate it is by hot cheese.
More super bowl recipes for those who celebrate:
* Baked self -service beans
* Artichoke immersion pizza
* The easiest party appetizer
* Ruffles and onion sauce
* Homemade cheese straws
* A potato salad trick
* Three strategic entrants
* How to build a Charcutía board
* How to build the perfect cheese tray
* Monochromatic fruit salad
* The best brownies in box
* Batch cocktails
* The funniest host gift
In addition, a fun game for a party rule
Alex Beggs is a writer and editor who lives with his partner in Michigan. His articles have appeared in Bon Appetit, Elle Decor and the New York Times. He has also written for Jo’s cup about his father’s meat cake, the cold cake and (very) days of bad hair.
(Alex Beggs photos).
