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Chili con Queso: Gourmet Version

Source of Recipe


From "The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide"






List of Ingredients



• 1 small onion, unpeeled, quartered
  
• 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  
• 3 Anaheim chiles
  
• 3 jalapeno chiles
  
• 3 plum tomatoes
  
• 8 ounces Caciotta or Monterey jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
  
• 8 ounces Cheddar or Longhorn, shredded (2 cups)
  
• 4 tsp cornstarch
  
• Salt
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
  
• 1 tsp pure ground chile powder
  
• 1 dried arbol chile, for garnish
  
• Corn chips, tortilla chips, or cut-up vegetables, for serving
  






Instructions



1. Preheat the broiler.
   
   
2. Place the onion, garlic, chiles and tomatoes on a baking sheet. Broil them 3 inches from the heat, turning with tongs as necessary, until their skins are blackened on all sides. Remove from the broiler; place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to steam until cool.
   
   
3. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins from the onion and garlic. Remove the blackened skins and seeds from the chiles and discard. Peel the tomatoes, cut in half, squeeze out the seeds and juice and discard. Place the onions, garlic, chiles and tomatoes in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse to chop coarsely. (There will be about 1-1/2 cups of chopped vegetables.) Set aside.
   
   
4. Mix the shredded cheeses with the cornstarch and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
   
   
5. Combine the cream, cumin and chile powder in a 2-quart saucepan and heat over low heat. When the cream is warm, gradually stir in the shredded cheese, handful by handful; wait for each handful of cheese to melt before adding the next. When all of the cheese is melted, gradually stir in the chopped vegetables. Add salt, to taste. Serve the queso in a chafing dish or fondue pot to keep it warm. Float the chile arbol on top as a garnish. Serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, or cut-up vegetables.
   
   Makes 4 cups;
   Serves 8 to 10