Homemade Queso Blanco Cheese Food

QUESO BLANCO (WHITE CHEESE DIP)

Steps:

• Toss all ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. The mixture might seem watery during the first few stirs, but should come together as a nice runny dip after all the cheese is melted.
• Serve immediately as a dip with tortilla chips or as a sauce over your favorite Mexican dish.

QUESO

Steps:

• Add the processed cheese, Monterey Jack, Cheddar and canned tomatoes (along with the juice) to a medium saucepan or 10-inch cast-iron skillet (see Cook's Note) and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until all the cheese has melted and the queso is smooth, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
• To make the queso spicy, use hot diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as RoTel Hot, instead of the Original.
• Processed block cheese is crucial due to its meltability and what it adds to the queso's texture. Do not try to substitute other cheeses.

HOMEMADE QUESO BLANCO CHEESE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large pot, combine the milk, whipping cream, buttermilk, and salt. Stir over medium heat until the temperature reaches 190 F (or nearly a boil). Remove from heat.
• Stir in the vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Small curds will begin to form. Stir gently for 5 minutes or so, then let the mixture cool for 10 more minutes.
• Line a large colander with 2 to 3 layers of cheesecloth. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the colander, letting the whey (the clear liquid) drain away into a bowl.
• When most of the whey has drained off and the cheese is cool enough to handle, lift the edges of the cheesecloth up and twist, wrapping the cheese securely inside the cheesecloth. Squeeze off excess whey.
• Hang the cheesecloth "bag" over the sink (use a clip to hang it from the faucet, for example) and let the whey drain for about an hour.
• Once the cheese is well-drained, store the cheese in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Alternatively, you can press the curds by following the instructions below.
• Once the cheese curds are well drained, place a ring mold (or clean, empty metal can with both lids removed) on a baking sheet or flat dish. Spoon curds inside of the ring.
• Cover the curds with a piece of wax paper, then use another can or something heavy to press down on them. Place the cheese in the refrigerator and press for 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
• Remove from the mold and wrap cheese with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container.

QUESO BLANCO CHEESE

Steps:

• Over a direct source of heat warm 1 gallon of milk to 180 degrees F., stirring often to keep it from scorching. Maintain this temperature for several minutes. Slowly add vinegar until the curds separate from the whey. Usually 1/4 cup of vinegar will precipitate 1 gallon of milk.
• Pour the curds and whey into a cheesecloth-lined colander. Tie the four corners of the cheesecloth into a knot and hang to drain for several hours or until the bag of curds stops dripping. Take the mass of curds out of the cheesecloth. It will be a solid bag of curd. It may be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator until needed. It will keep up to 1 week.

QUESO BLANCO

Steps:

• Roast the poblano chiles individually over the flame of your stovetop, using metal tongs to hold them, until the skins are totally charred. (If you don't have a gas stove, you can use an outdoor grill OR place them on a baking sheet directly under your oven's broiler.) Place the blackened chiles in a large resealable plastic bag and seal the bag to allow the chiles to sweat for a good 20 minutes.
• Use a knife to scrape off most of the blackened skins. Slice the chiles in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and membranes and chop into small dice.
• Add the butter to a very large pot and saute the onions, jalapenos and garlic over medium heat. Add the milk, cream, chili powder and some salt and pepper and heat. Add the processed cheese and stir to melt. Then add the Cheddar, Monterey Jack, tomatoes and diced poblanos. Slowly melt and keep warm.

QUESO BLANCO

Steps:

• Add the spices: Once all of the milk has been whisked into the pot, add the cumin, garlic, salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Whisk the spices in completely while bringing the milk up to a simmer.
• Gradually whisk in the shredded cheese: Once the milk sauce has thickened, decrease the heat to the lowest setting. Whisk in the shredded cheese a heavy pinch at a time, adding the next batch of cheese only when the previous batch has melted completely.
• Adjust the consistency: When first prepared, the sauce will be slightly thin. This is to allow the queso to thicken properly as it cools. If you find your queso is too thick, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Keep warm over very low heat: If you plan to serve the queso blanco over the span of a couple of hours, keep the dip warm over very low heat. Stir every 10 minutes to keep it smooth. If the top of the dip starts to firm up, simply stir to replenish its creamy consistency.
• Serve with pita or chips: and a glass of real milk!

QUESO BLANCO

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a non-aluminum pot on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until it looks like it's just about to boil (but don't let it boil!). If you're using a thermometer, the temperature should be 185° F.
• Add the lime juice. The curds will separate from the whey and the mixture will look grainy, kind of like you've just thrown a bunch of corn meal into a pot of skim milk. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
• Pour the pot's contents into a cheesecloth-lined colander and let it drain for a couple of minutes. (If you want to save the whey so you can use it to make ricotta, feed your plants or add a bit of protein to your morning oatmeal, place the colander over a pot.)
• Sprinkle the curds with salt (you can go saltier than you normally would as a lot of the salt will drain from the cheese as it dries). Now is the time to add any herbs, spices and/or chopped chiles if you like. Anything goes!
• Gather the curds in the center, tie the cheesecloth's ends and hang the cloth on the faucet so it can drain for a few hours. I like to drain it for at least 4 hours, overnight if I'm patient.
• Untie the cheesecloth, and look at that gorgeous white ball. You've made about 16 ounces of cheese! It keeps in the refrigerator for as long as the milk would have kept, so please check your expiration date.

THREE CHEESE QUESO BLANCO

Steps:

• Place water, cumin, and bouillon cube in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• As soon as the bouillon cube is dissolved turn the burner to medium and slowly whisk in about 4 ounces of the heavy cream.
• When the mixture begins to bubble add in the cubed American cheese. You will have to whisk quite a while until the cheese is almost melted.
• Add in 4 more ounces of the heavy cream and bring back to a bubble. When bubbling add in the cream cheese and whisk until fully incorporated.
• Add remainder of the heavy cream and shredded Monterey Jack. Whisk until all the cheese is melted and remove from the heat.
• We like to add cilantro and diced tomatoes to our queso sometimes. You can garnish however you like. You can also keep this warm in a small crockpot on low.