The Lost Art of the Cheese Taco....

  
 The Lost Art of the Cheese Taco…..

Okay, I admit. Mexican food is a big part of my life. Correction, Tex-Mex (but I still say Mexican) is a big part of my life. When it comes to Mexican food, I didn't realize that growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, was a luxury until my first trip to Colorado to see my Uncle perform at the Bar D.

Tomato Sauce only and Mozzarella cheese on an enchilada, “these taste like ketchup”?!!  My little 8 year old palate was so confused. (Heck, at the time I didn’t know what a palate was, but I knew something was wrong) Mom, Dad, Jenni, HELP!

* I have grown to love Colorado cuisine by the way, so please no hate emails. I fantasize about the Green Chili dishes I have eaten in Durango with my cousins, Velvet and Tawni. Even after a couple trips to Denver, I realized that the Green Chile Beer I had last year in Denver is my happy place. After all, anything with green chiles rocks my world! One of the best dishes I have ever eaten was in Denver at Biker Jim's.( Thank you Anthony Bourdain for the recommendation. ) A burger at the Cherry Cricket? Hello Lover!                                                                                    I want to move to Colorado someday.

My green chile beer drinking face. I miss you Denver!

Denver 2011,  in front of Jax Seafood House for Happy Hour

So, back to Mexican food, going to eat at our favorite restaurant was quite a production. My sister and I…brace yourselves for laughter…would dress up in MEXICAN DRESSES every time we would go eat Tex-Mex.  (sorry Jenni, the secret is out) Yep, you heard me, bright yellow and bright pink dresses with embroidered flowers all over them.  You know, we rocked that look with pride! (too bad we aren't really Mexican, we looked the part:)

Replica of my Mexican dress

 Who would like to meet me at Joe T’s sometime wearing Mexican dresses? I say we bring the “dressing up for food” idea back! Boots Jeans and BBQ anyone? Toga’s at our favorite Greek restaurant? Crawfish costumes for a crawfish boil; you know I have no fear of that!

Last year at Julie A's Birthday Party at the Crawfish Boil. I am dying to wear this costume again. 

So I thought I would begin with a dish that has confused me all my life, and still does. What exactly is a cheese taco? I feel freaky even ordering one. So it’s a cheese enchilada with queso?  Why do I mainly see these on the menu in North Texas?  Onions or no onions, that is the question!

----Culinary School Tips

* read through your entire recipe several times until you know exactly what you are doing, this can save so much time in the kitchen.

* get all ingredients out at the beginning of your recipe. This can save you from losing your mind if you are halfway through a recipe and are missing a key ingredient.

 *knife cuts are very important, everything will cook even and look better when you apply your ninja knife skills
**If you are new to cayenne, be VERY CAREFUL! Cayenne is the Chuck Norris of spices, go easy if you aren’t used to using cayenne.

 So here is my Cheese taco journey…

                                         Grab this crew of ingredients to make the queso

1 block (16 oz) American cheese grated

1 onion; small diced (RESERVE ½ for enchiladas)

1 or 2 jalapenos deveined, deseeded, and minced

1 Serrano chile deveined, deseeded, and minced (omit this if you like medium spicy, versus hot)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tomatoes; small diced

1 cup chicken broth (vegetable broth, or beer if you want extra cool points)

 2 tablespoons Butter (I only use unsalted)

** 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less to taste)

½ teaspoon cumin (or less to taste)

Salt

¼ cup milk

( speaking of green chiles, I have a tendency to swirl in few tablespoons of my roasted green chiles to queso)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, on medium heat sauté onions, and chiles with cumin, salt, and cayenne, in butter until the onions are soft (but not mushy, they should still have a bit of crisp).

Add Garlic, sauté for another minute, add tomatoes and cook for another minute or two, until you see this delicious scenery………..

TURN DOWN YOUR HEAT TO LOW, Stir in chicken broth, and then add American cheese ( I added around 4 cups, and a small…maybe ¼ cup of some extra cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese for some extra pizazz) Simmer and stir on very low temp and watch the cheesy  melting  magic. Charge admission fees for others to watch this amazing queso happening. When cheese is melted, add your milk.

Everybody get your roll on…

For the enchiladas

1 16 ounce block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I added a tiny bit of cheddar, for fun)

Other half of onion, sautéed in butter until translucent (okay fine, maybe true cheese tacos don’t have onions, but I’m adding them)

12 corn tortillas (could be more or less depending on how big you like to roll your enchiladas)

*tip* I either stack them up and cover them in damp paper towels and microwave them for 90 seconds OR soften them in a skillet one at a time with a little bit of butter or oil (don’t use olive or any other strong flavored oil)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grab your favorite enchilada pan (9x13) and cover the bottom with queso sauce.

Place a tablespoon or two of cheese and a few onions to taste, roll and place seam side down in pan. (Try not to crowd the enchiladas too close to each other, give them their own personal space). Cover with remaining cheese sauce, and sprinkle a line of Monterey Jack over the middle of the pan, this shows your diners you really care.

Pop it in the oven and bake until bubbly and sexy.

I’m warning you, this recipe is pretty killer. I topped my enchiladas with some finely minced jalapeno to give some color and crunch.

Love, Kisses, and Cheesy Dishes,

Julie