Melty, gooey cheese (and a little Tequila...)
Queso fundido is easy to make and impossible to resist
People, is there anything better than a skillet of melted cheese? I think cheese can solve many problems, and this queso fundido from Oyamel is one of the best ways to enjoy it.
You may have had a lot of queso, queso blanco or chile con queso in Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants around the U.S….there are lots of versions of it, some with salsas or vegetables, some with chorizo, and it’s always salty and amazing. But have you tried queso fundido? It’s a bit different than those other quesos…its roots are in deep in Mexico, when revolutionaries in the early 20th century would make it around Mexico City. It eventually spread to other parts of Mexico, and became popular in ranching culture, because it is easy to make and you only need one piece of equipment…a cast iron skillet.
This version of queso fundido has a fun, slightly alcoholic kick…tequila! It adds flavor, but it also plays an important role in helping the cheese stay together as it melts, and prevents it from separating. The roasted poblanos (rajas) give it a smoky, spicy kick, and I love it with fresh corn tortillas, which we make at Oyamel (the tortilla recipe below is from our friends at Masienda). If you don’t have time to make the tortillas from scratch, you can buy them at the store or even ask for tortillas to go from your local Mexican restaurant. You can also serve it with tortilla chips…just make sure they are strong enough to hold up to all that cheese!
This is a simple dish with just a few ingredients, but it does take some technique—you want to make sure that your cast iron skillet is hot before you broil the cheese, and make sure that you’re checking in on it during the broiling process. Many home ovens can distribute heat unevenly, so you might want to turn it as you’re broiling to get those amazing golden brown bubbles throughout the cheese!
What’s your favorite melted cheese dish?
Queso fundido con rajas
Serves 4