Roasted Poblano White Queso Dip Recipes

POBLANO QUESO DIP

Steps:

• Roast the poblano peppers, if you haven't already done that.
• In a medium sized skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. When butter is melted, add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add peppers and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add flour, chili powder, and cumin, and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring constantly.
• Slowly add milk while stirring constantly. Add chili powder and cumin. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
• Reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar and cream cheese until melted. Stir in cilantro.
• Serve warm with chips.

ROASTED POBLANO WHITE QUESO DIP

Steps:

• On a gas stove: turn on the exhaust fan.Heat the stove on high and lay the pepper over the grate. Roast the pepper for 1 minute or until black blisters form on the peel. Use a pair of tongs to flip the pepper repeatedly until the entire peel is blistered and charred. This usually takes 3-4 minutes over an open flame.
• On an electric stove: heat a seasoned (non-stick) cast-iron skillet over high heat. Once the skillet is searingly hot, press your poblanos onto the surface using a pair of tongs, making sure as much of the skin touches the skillet as possible. The pepper will begin shimmying, and you'll hear the seeds inside begin to pop. Flip the poblanos over to roast the other sides, searing each side like you did the first. This can take anywhere from 7-10 minutes.
• Once the poblanos are charred, use the tongs to transfer them to a food storage bag to steam or cover them with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the peppers to steam for 15-20 minutes or until cool to the touch.
• Tear the pepper open with your hands (wear gloves if you have sensitive skin).Once open, pull off the stem and use the backside of your chef's knife to scrape away the seeds. Remove the yellow membrane that runs the length of the pepper as well, then discard everything you just removed.
• Once the pepper is empty, flatten it out onto your cutting board. Use the back of your knife blade to scrape off the papery skin of the poblanos.After scraping away the skin, pat the peppers on both sides with a paper towel to dry them.
• Cut the peppers into 1/4-inch thick strips, then across the strips to 1/4-inch pieces. Set this aside while you begin the white queso dip.
• Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat.Once the butter is melted, use a wooden spoon or a whisk to stir in the minced onion and garlic. Sauté the veggies until they're glossy and opaque- about 3-4 minutes.
• Whisk the all-purpose flour into the pan. Stir the roux until it becomes blonde in color, or for 1 minute. Pour the evaporated milk into the pan in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. The roux will go from looking like a paste to looking like a thin gravy as you whisk in the milk. This will take about 5 minutes.
• Once you add the milk to the roux, this becomes a béchamel sauce (or a milk sauce). Flavor the béchamel by adding the Dijon mustard, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the sauce. After adding the spices and other flavorings, decrease the stove temperature to low. Allow the béchamel to cool off for 5 minutes while you whisk occasionally.
• With the stove still on low, whisk in the shredded cheese a 1/2-cup at a time. After all the cheese is mixed in, add the diced poblanos and the chopped cilantro. Whisk these in until they are incorporated. Don't allow the sauce to simmer.
• The roasted poblano white queso should be smooth and thick at this point. If you see some graininess, whisk in up to 1/2-cup of warmed whole milk. Garnish the queso dip with chopped red onions, thin jalapeño slices, and some more cilantro.Serve with warmed tortilla chips.

GRILLED POBLANO QUESO DIP

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat (400 degrees F -200 degrees C) and lightly oil the grate.
• Lightly spray or brush poblano peppers with olive oil. Cook peppers on the preheated grill, turning every couple minutes, until charred and softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Remove peppers from the grill and place in a large resealable plastic bag to steam, about 15 minutes. Peel off the charred skins. Discard seeds and chop peppers.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in milk slowly and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese, salt, paprika, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne; whisk until the cheeses have melted and are blended in, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped poblano peppers.

QUESO FUNDIDO WITH ROASTED POBLANO VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the poblanos on a baking sheet and roast, turning, until browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let sit 5 minutes. Peel the poblanos with your fingers, then halve, seed and roughly chop.
• Combine the roasted poblanos, vinegar, garlic, honey, canola oil and 2 tablespoons water in a blender; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Make the queso fundido: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add the flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the monterey jack. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Turn on the broiler.
• Scrape the cheese mixture into an 8-inch cast-iron pan and arrange the goat cheese rounds on top. Broil until golden brown in spots. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.