Some Kind of Queso...

We had a potluck at work today and I decided to sign up for queso and chips. I decided not to lay up and buy queso in a jar and instead made a homemade queso for all to enjoy. The queso wasn't hard to make, but it was time consuming. It turned out with a great flavor, but is a little on the thick side.

Wine is a "must" when cooking!!

Below is the recipe I used. I quadrupled it so I had enough to feed everyone at work. The recipe came from www.FoodNetwork.com. All in all I think I'd make it again, but add sour cream to thin it out.

Some Kind of Queso

4 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed, crumbled (I used Jimmy Dean's HOT sausage)
Olive oil, as needed
1 small red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
5 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/2c. Mexican lager-style beer (I used Mich Light as that's what we had in the house)
1/4c. chopped pickled jalapeno, plus 1T. pickling juice
3/4c. milk
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, finely diced (about 1c.)
4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella, finely diced (about 1c.)
2T. chopped cilantro

Cook the chorizo. Strain the meat and if possible, reserve about 1T. of the oil in the pan. If there is less than 1T., add enough olive oil to make 1T. Place heat on medium and add the onions to the oil, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 5-6 minutes). Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is golden, 1 minute. Pour in the beer and bring to a boil. Stir in the chopped jalapenos and pickling juice and cook 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking, and bring to a gentle boil until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the cheeses and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese fully melts, about 3 minutes. Stir in the meat. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the cilantro.