8 bowls a day: Homesick Texan Lisa Fain's new book dedicated to queso

Tex-Mex cookbook author Lisa Fain claims that for a month she ate hundreds of bowls of chile con queso while researching her new book and somehow managed to lose 10 pounds. Hate her. But anyone who cares about the molten cheese dip that practically lines the stomach of every flag-waving Texan has to love the results of her ravenous field work. The seventh-generation Texan, who lives in New York, this month delivers the most authoritative, and perhaps only, cookbook on queso: "Queso! Regional Recipes for the World's Favorite Chile-Cheese Dip." For those who revel in the joys of queso, it's a time of celebration. It might be time to look at the queso at your favorite restaurant or your own homemade pot of gold with new eyes, and an appreciative palate. Queso, it seems, is enjoying a culinary moment in the spotlight. "I think it's one of those things - there's just some sort of weird moment that we're all on the same page," Fain said. "Chipotle decided to do queso, and that's part of it. But in the past couple of years, queso has been appearing on menus in New York, so if it's happening in New York, then queso suddenly matters." But as Fain points out in her cookbook, it's mattered for quite a long time in Texas. In her research to find the origins of queso, she traveled from El Paso, where queso is made with green New Mexican chiles and white melting cheeses (like those used in the Mexican state of Chihuahua), following the path of the Rio Grande toward the Gulf. Along the way, she encountered numerous regional variations - including fundido or skillet queso, queso flameado and chorizo queso or "choriqueso," especially in Laredo - that finally segued into the familiar queso made with processed American cheese swirled with chiles, tomatoes and onion once she drove up to Corpus Christi. Chile con queso, though most likely originating in Mexico, has been the product of a distinctly Texas evolution since the early 1900s. It appeared in restaurants as early as 1910, when it was offered at San Antonio's Gunter Hotel, Fain writes. In the 1920s, a recipe called Chile con Queso appeared in a woman's club cookbook in San Antonio. By the 1930s, chile con queso appeared frequently in community cookbooks. And in the 1940s, when Ro-Tel tomatoes with chiles came on the scene, queso made significant inroads into the American diet. It is that familiar golden bowl of Tex-Mex queso that Fain grew up eating. When she moved to New York for work at the age of 25, her queso cravings were so strong she began cooking and improvising as a way to feed her Tex-Mex hungers. That led to the Homesick Texan blog that won her a James Beard Foundation award. Although for her new book Fain created elegant queso recipes without a hint of brick processed cheese, she is hardly a queso snob. She even feels sorry for those who turn their noses up at Velveeta, which for many is the definitive queso cheese. That spongy brick, in fact, might be responsible for queso's current trendiness. "Processed cheese kind of goes in and out, and now there's so much chaos in the world that people are returning to comfort foods," Fain said. "Processed cheese is very nostalgic. It's kind of cool to like processed cheese again. It'sOK to like Velveeta." And she does. "Yes, processed cheese, American or Velveeta, is authentic," she said. "Yes, Velveeta is part of the authentic queso experience." She should know. She estimates that she ate seven to eight bowls of queso a day for cookbook research. "Not every day, but I'd have queso for breakfast, several for lunch and then the same thing for dinner." Not wanting to offend restaurants where she ordered all the queso variations on the menu, she took queso home with her; her car smelled like someone who was violently addicted to melted cheese. "Queso" offers 55 recipes for dips that are familiar, historical and even progressive. Our cultural melting pot has happily made room for Greek queso, Indian queso with chutney and even an Asian queso kicked with kimchi. Those fusions are part of queso's journey, too, Fain said. Still, she comes back to the familiar - that velvety salve that she never tires of, even after consuming thousands of bowls. "I'm not eating eight bowls a day anymore, but I'm always going to have Monterey Jack and American cheese in my fridge," she said. "I still probably eat it twice a week." Austin Diner-Style Queso Makes 4 to 6 servings 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup diced yellow onion 4 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely diced 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup whole milk 1 cup water 1 pound white or yellow American cheese, shredded 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon cayenne ½ teaspoon kosher salt Guacamole for topping Pico de gallo for topping Tortilla chips Instructions: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and cook over medium-low heat. Add the onion and jalapeños and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Anaheims and cook for 30 seconds longer. Whisk together the cornstarch, milk and water until well combined then pour into the pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook for a couple of minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cheese, turn down the heat to low, and cook, stirring until the cheese has melted. Stir in the cilantro, cumin, cayenne and salt, then taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer the queso to a serving bowl, small slow cooker or a chafing dish. Spoon guacamole and pico de gallo into the center of the queso. Serve warm with tortilla chips. Damn Good Queso Makes 6 to 8 servings Fiery Red Salsa: 1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded 4 habanero chiles, preferably red, halved lengthwise and seeded ¼ medium yellow onion 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce ½ cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon white vinegar ¼ teaspoon ground cumin Kosher salt Queso: 1 cup Green Chile Salsa Verde (recipe in book, but use your favorite) 1 pound brick processed cheese, cubed Kosher salt Toppings: Guacamole 1 ounce crumbled queso fresco Chopped fresh cilantro Instructions: To make salsa, position a rack 6 inches from the upper heating element and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the bell pepper and habaneros on the baking sheet skin-side up, then add the onion and garlic. Broil for 2 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from oven; the habaneros should be slightly darkened and fragrant. Transfer the habaneros to a blender. Return the baking sheet to the oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until everything is beginning to blacken. Place the onion, garlic, tomato sauce, oil, vinegar and cumin in the blender. When bell pepper is cool enough to handle, gently pull away the blackened skin and discard, then add the bell pepper to the blender. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste. Pour the salsa into a jar or other container. Salsa will keep, refrigerated, for 1 week. To make the queso, pour green chile salsa into a medium saucepan and add the cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the cheese has melted. Taste and add salt, if you like. Transfer queso to a serving bowl, small slow cooker or chafing dish. Spoon guacamole into the center of queso, drizzle with fiery salsa and garnish with cheese and cilantro. Serve warm with tortilla chips. Hill Country Sausage Queso Makes 6 to 8 servings 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 8 ounces smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, diced ¼ cup diced yellow onion 4 jalapeños, seeded and diced 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup water 1 cup Texas dark beer, such as Shiner Bock 8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, shredded 8 ounces yellow American cheese, shredded ½ teaspoon powdered mustard ¼ teaspoon dried dill ¼ teaspoon cayenne ¼ teaspoon kosher salt Pickled jalapeños for garnish Instructions: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and some of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and jalapeños and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes longer. Whisk together the cornstarch, water and beer until well combined, then pour into the pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Add both cheeses, turn down the heat to low, and cook, stirring until the cheeses have melted. Stir in the mustard, dill, cayenne and salt, then taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer queso to a serving bowl, a small slow cooker or a chafing dish. Garnish with pickled jalapeños. Serve warm with tortilla chips and/or soft pretzels. Felix Queso Makes 4 to 6 servings ¼ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup diced yellow onion ¾cup diced grape tomatoes 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon cayenne ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup water 8 ounces yellow American cheese, shredded Instructions: In a medium saucepan, warm the oil over low heat. Add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have almost completely disintegrated, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk together the flour and the water to make a paste, then add it to the pan. Stir a few times until the paste is well combined with the vegetables. Stirring constantly, add the cheese, which should combine quickly. As the cheese melts, the queso will become thick and almost like putty. Don't be alarmed. This is the proper texture as it is not a creamy queso. Taste and adjust the seasonings if you like. Transfer the queso to a serving bowl, a small slow cooker or a chafing dish. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

8 bowls a day: Homesick Texan Lisa Fain's new book dedicated to queso

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