Queso flameado, an intoxicating delight

Javier A Flores - Conexión

Web Posted: 01/21/2010 12:00 CST

Queso flameado is traditionally finished with an alcohol such as tequila or brandy so it can be flamed. San Antonio Express-News archive photo

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Recipe: Queso Flameado

Ingredients
12 ounces Mexican chorizo (beef or pork)
1 (12-ounce) round asadero cheese (or other white melting cheese)
2 tablespoons brandy
Crumbled pasilla chiles
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh corn or flour tortillas, as needed

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat chorizo in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink for about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly and spoon off most of the fat. Cut cheese into 1-inch cubes; place half in a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with half the chorizo and remaining cheese. Top with remaining chorizo. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until creamy and bubbly. Remove from oven and drizzle with brandy. Carefully light with a long match. Brandy will flame up and burn out quickly. Top mixture with crumbled chiles, green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately with tortillas. Serves 4 to 6.

Source: www.relishmag.com

It's difficult to imagine a more mouthwatering culinary delight than spicy Mexican chorizo clinging to strings of sizzling, melted cheese and folded inside a warm tortilla.

If the intoxicating smell of the spices, peppers, and the bubbly, slightly-crisped cheese doesn't satisfy, then the pure bliss of taking that first bite and tasting all the flavors fuse together is enough to make you forget about your main course and enjoy queso flameado all on its own.

This tasty appetizer is a customary item on many Mexican restaurant menus and is popular beyond San Antonio. Believed to have originated as a campfire dish, queso flameado also satisfies tastebuds along much of the borderlands of northern Mexico and the American Southwest.

Although many variations to the traditional recipe exist, the defining elements of queso flameado are the melted cheese and the preparation.

Queso flameado is characterized by the stringiness of the melted cheese as opposed to a fondue-like queso used for dipping, sometimes referred to as queso fundido — although both names are used interchangeably. The elasticity of certain white asadero cheeses when melted, such as Oaxaca and Chihuahua, make them ideal for this recipe. But whole milk mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheeses can also be used.

Preparation of the dish is also key. An oven-proof cooking dish, such as one made of ceramic, should be used to ensure the heat from the oven melts the cheese thoroughly during baking. Queso flameado is typically finished, just before serving, with a flambé induced by liquor such as brandy, rum or tequila. An alternative to the flambé finish is to lightly broil the dish in the oven to achieve the crisp, bubbly top.