mi queso, su queso | real mexican cheese queso dip recipe

I beg of you -- please reconsider before you make a Velveeta-based dip for your Cinco de Mayo festivities. There's a better way. It's simple! And really, really delicious. I can't stress that part enough. Trust me on this.

My office is having an early Cinco celebration with a dip-off. I get crazed about these competitions. I search high and low for the perfect recipes, I go so far overboard I can't even see the ship, and I win. Every time. Knock on wood, because the competition doesn't start for another few hours!

I planned to make Queso Fundido con Chorizo (a baked, sizzling, smoldering dish of melted cheese, flavored with chorizo, jalapenos, peppers, and onions), but logistically, how could I get that to work still sizzling? I couldn't figure out a way so I decided to go with queso dip. I took a trip to El Progresso, a Mexican market in Mt. Plesant, and picked up some Crema, or Mexican sour cream, and a variety of Queso Fresco cheeses.

I searched recipes for blanco (white) queso dip using real cheese, and they were few and far between. The ones I did find had questionable reviews - multiple people said it turned out gloppy, and the cheese separated, creating an unappetizing mess. After finally finding half a dozen similar recipes with nice-looking results, I adapted what I liked from each to make my own.

I made a simple roux - melted better, milk, and flour to start. I sauteed onion, jalapeno peppers, and garlic next - my house smelled like a Mexican restaurant (my version of heaven, I think). I stirred in tomatoes and cilantro, then slowly mixed in cheese on low heat- half of which I grated from a block, the other half was shredded. I mixed in half a cup of Mexican crema to finish, testing for taste, and then I swooned. It's spicy, cheese, rich in flavor, and fragrant. This is the real (Tex-Mex) deal.

real cheese queso, adapted from Gourmet Veggie Mama and Homesick Texan

ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (whole milk or a mixture of any with half and half is best)
1/2 medium white onion (mine measured 1 cup)
2 finely diced jalapenos
4-5 cloves garlic, minced (i use a cheese grater to do this)
2-3 tomatoes, diced
5 cups cheese in total -- i used mexican queso fresco (asadero) - you can use monterrey jack or cheddar
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (to taste)
1/2 cup crema or sour cream

steps 

1. melt the butter n a large saucepan over medium or medium-low heat (my burners are HOT so i used medium-low)
2. saute the onion and jalapenos until fragrant (3 minutes) + add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute
3. add flour and mix until it bubbles (it may seem too dry, but get the flour completely mixed in, it will even out)
4. stir in the milk a little at a time, breaking up lumps as you go. keep stirring until the mixture thickens (this won't take very long) 
5. add the tomatoes and stir well
6. lower the heat to very low 
7. add the cheese 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, stirring until it is completely melted each time before adding the next batch. 
8. once all the cheese has been mixed in, mix in the crema
9. serve!