I just about fell out of my chair when came across this recipe while looking for something completely different. Queso needs to be made just before serving it. It’s just not the same reheated….
One of the quickest and easiest tweaks for Campfire Queso is a sprinkle
of chopped Red Onion on top – to keep the Cilantro company…
Really good queso may have a laid-back, ‘take me for granted’ reputation because of the basic, unadulterated, folksy ingredients that go into it. But it’s really a delicate blend of flavours, with a unique texture. One of it’s best attributes is that it can stand on it’s own with the best corn chips as a great dipping snack. Or it can be enhanced until the cows come home.
If you think of Queso as reverse-engineered nachos, you get my meaning.
If you can imagine Queso as a kind of Tex-Mex fondue, you also get my idea – just with a slightly different ‘love language of the Med’ accent.
My only quibble with queso is that it can take a while to cook off until it’s just right. And some recipes have a ‘doneness window’ that incredibly narrow.
What you’re looking for is…
A perfectly smooth, rich but mellow-flavoured cheese experience that can do the dip thing without dripping, pour over a chili Dog without running, or act as a credible stand-in for classic Mornay…
And I am here today to admit that the only such creature I’ve ever come across that has even the slightest chance of filling all those roles is a quick few-ingredient, deceptively low-brow-sounding concoction that the source cook book where I found it simply calls Campfire Queso.
So what’s the secret?
Everyone have their NDAs signed? Excellent!
The secret to no-fail Queso and great quick versions of all those other expressions of gooey, cheesy goodness is… Velveeta Processed Cheese.
What do you mean? I am NOT joking. And I have many reasons for what may seem. at first glance, like a serious lack of judgement.
Made for melting…
One of the central, founding principles behind Processed Cheese was that it fill a central, leading role as the ultimate no-fail quick-prep fondue sauce base. In fact it was created in at the height of the Fondue craze that spread across Western Europe like a California wildfire about 100 years ago.
As the public demanded, it was an immediate success – and not just because it was such amenable melter.
Today, its enjoying a new(stalgic) heyday. And one of it’s favoured roles is as a base for a Queso anybody can claim as their own (with a few personal tweaks), it’s also not as expensive, by far, as ‘real cheese. And it will last an incredibly long time in the fridge. Even longer longer, unopened, on the shelf at room temperature.
Today’s recipe
You’re going to love this part… Campfire Queso calls for only about half a dozen old fashioned, simple ingredients. And it take only about 5 minutes to throw together, 15 minutes total prep time.
A big part of the dish’s flavour profile is contributed by a crumble of Hot or Mild Italian Sausage meat mixture. I prefer the mild, spicy way. You may crave the ‘flaming hot’ version, so infused with chili pepper that it bleeds red-tinged juice as it renders off during cooking. However you like it, indulge yourself.
DOs and DON’Ts
Do NOT go light on the fresh-chopped Cilantro, much less leave it out altogether. It’s an indispens-able component of the overall flavour profile!
DO take it easy with the fresh Jalapeño rounds. If you’re featuring Pepperjack as your Best Supporting Actor in a cheese role, you might even want to leave the fresh chilis out altogether…
DO use something like Corona or Del Sol beer. Neither of those is too light or too hopsy-bitter to push to flavour too far in any dangerous direction!
My take
The overall spiciness of this dish, and how you get there, of course, is up you. You’ll want to experiment over a succession of batches to get it just right. But by time you’ve arrived at your preferred formula and selection of ingredients, your ‘recipe’ will be YOUR signature Secret Queso, and yours forever!
~ Maggie J.