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Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Sauce


Ingredients

Scale

For the Queso

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup monterey jack cheese
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the Roasted Poblano Sauce

  • 3 poblano chiles
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons honey
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the Pepper Relish

  • 1 poblano chile
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the Queso

  1. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium/medium-low heat. Add flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. You want to cook away the raw flour taste, but not let it get too brown.
  2. Add whole milk and stir until the roux (butter-flour mixture) has been completely incorporated. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has thickened slightly (it will probably beging bubbling a bit) and a the spoon leaves a trail when drawn through the mixture.
  3. Remove pan from heat, add cheese and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir until fully melted.
  4. Transfer queso to serving dish. If it's not hot enough or if you are not serving it immediately, you can transfer it to a 350°F oven for a bit. When ready to serve, drizzle with some roasted poblano sauce and pepper relish. Serve with tortilla chips.

For the Roasted Poblano Sauce and Pepper Relish

  1. Turn your broiler to low or preheat your oven to 375°F. Place the 4 poblano chiles (3 for sauce and 1 for relish) and red bell pepper on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle peppers with a tiny bit of oil. Use your hand to coat peppers with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  2. Roast in oven until peppers are blistered with brown char marks on all sides and skins are wrinkled. It will take about 6-8 minutes per side. Remove from the oven and place the peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the skins to loosen. Remove skins and seeds from the poblano chiles and red bell pepper.
  3. For the Roasted Poblano Sauce: place 3 of the roasted poblano chiles in a blender with the water, apple cider vinegar, garlic, oil, and 2 teaspoons of the honey. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. If sauce it too spicy, add 1 more teaspoon of honey.
  4. For the Pepper Relish: Chop 1 roasted poblano chile and the roasted red bell pepper. Combine in a small bowl with honey and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Both the sauce and relish can be made a few days ahead of time and stored covered in refrigerator. The roasted poblano sauce can also be frozen (thaw in refrigerator) for future use.