Skillet Queso Blanco with Roasted Poblano

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The queso you get in a Tex-Mex booth — glossy, pourable, and still smooth on the fifth chip — built at home from real cheese instead of a jar. Broiled poblano and a raw-heat serrano go in with the cheese, and a can of evaporated milk plus a whisper of cornstarch does the emulsifying work so it never turns grainy or greasy. Keep it warm in the skillet and serve it straight from the stove.

Ingredients

• 1 large poblano pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely diced white onion
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced (or 2 for real heat)
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 12 oz white American cheese, from the deli counter, torn into pieces
• 6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 1/4 cup whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

• 1 small plum tomato, seeded and finely diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeños
• thick tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

1. Set an oven rack 4 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Put the poblano on a foil-lined sheet pan and broil, turning every 3 to 4 minutes, until blistered and blackened in patches all over, 10 to 12 minutes total. Wrap the foil around it and let it steam 10 minutes, then rub off the loose skin, pull out the stem and seeds, and chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. While the poblano steams, toss the torn American cheese and grated Jack together in a bowl with the cornstarch until every piece is lightly dusted. This is the insurance policy against a broken, oily queso — don't skip it.
3. Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet or small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, serrano and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook 45 seconds, just until fragrant.
4. Pour in the evaporated milk and bring it to a bare simmer — small bubbles at the edge only, about 180°F. Turn the heat to low.
5. Add the cheese in four handfuls, whisking constantly and waiting until each addition has fully melted before adding the next, about 5 minutes total. Keep the heat low; if the milk ever bubbles hard, pull the pan off the burner for 30 seconds. The sauce should look thick, glossy and completely smooth.
6. Whisk in the whole milk a tablespoon at a time until the queso falls off the whisk in a thick ribbon and settles back into itself — thin enough to scoop, thick enough to cling to a chip. Stir in the chopped poblano and the cayenne, then taste and add salt if needed.
7. Serve straight from the skillet over the lowest possible heat, or scrape into a warmed bowl. Scatter the tomato, cilantro, cotija and pickled jalapeños over the top and serve immediately with thick tortilla chips.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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