Queso Blanco....Attempt #1 and #2

Queso Attempt #1:

So I was craving some white queso like you get at Mexican restaurants and a lot of recipes online used either Velveeta, white American cheese and Monterey Jack which seems odd, like wouldn't the Mexican restaurants use a Mexican cheese?

Well I figured while I was getting my On the Border Tortilla Chips from Sam's club that I would see if they had any cheeses that may work for the sauce.  

I made the mistake of finding a cheese named Queso Blanco which is a semi-soft fresh cheese, well of course it did not say much else and it was a huge block being Sam’s club.  Maybe I should have just waited and researched it but I thought it was probably one of the cheese used at the restaurants.  

Boy was I wrong.  Well I taste tested the cheese it really has no flavor besides a mild salty flavor.  So I chopped up a good portion of that and then some Monterey Jack that I had purchased to add some flavor.  Well that cheese did not melt.   Upon further research I found out it’s not a melting cheese nor is it a Mexican cheese it’s similar to queso fresco though.  

It just warmed to a curd like texture with the other cheese and I even put it through the food processor in hopes of maybe breaking it down, since it actually tasted good with the tomatoes, jalapeño’s and serrano peppers in it.  Although it was just not texturally appealing, because it was not smooth but it may be good on some crostini as an appetizer.  I guess I’ve learned that cheeses are a little more complicated than I thought, and semi-soft does not necessarily mean that it’s a melting cheese!

Queso Attempt #2:

So for attempt #2 I was not messing around I was sticking to what I the majority of the recipes called for cheese wise.

The recipe I found had said to get 3 slices on 10 from the deli for around 12oz but the deli only got just over half a pound so I had to get 4 slices.

So I got just under 12oz Land O' Lakes White American Cheese

then I got some Monterey Pepper Jack cheese to combine with it.

~12oz  White American Cheese

~10oz  Monterey Pepper Jack

~2 Jalepenos (Ribs and seeds removed)

~1 Roma Tomato

~1/2 of Orange and Red pepper (I had charbroiled some on my charcoal grill)

~2 Serrano Peppers (Ribs and seeds removed)

~2% milk to thin to desired consistency

~Cilantro to garnish (I forgot to Garnish)

~1/4 cup onion chopped finely

I decided to put it all in the crock pot.  The american cheese was not really firm enough to shred so I just chopped it into 1" squares and put it in the crock pot lined with a crock pot liner. (Easy cleanup)

I shredded the pepper jack cheese and mixed it in.  I then chopped and added all the rest of the ingredients and let it all melt together.  Then I added milk to make it the desired consistency.  Then it was ready to eat!