Queso Flameado

Gooey Fiery Fun

For those who know me I’m an avid cook which is why the Home Style Austin blog is filled with more than 60 of my favorite homemade recipes!

This time of year the appetite is in overdrive with a keen eye toward the holidays. For New Year’s Eve my family usually enjoys handmade tamales, lucky black-eyed peas, sautéed greens, and our loaded queso. After recently enjoying queso flameado from a local restaurant, Tequila Bar & Grill, we crafted our own version below, which is dy-no-mite!

While we love our usual Velveeta dip fortified with diced tomatoes, sour cream, and scoops of ground beef and homemade guacamole, this queso flameado is 100% authentic. This is so gooey and how could it not be with 4 cups of cheese? Plus when you set it aflame your friends and family will give you a high five and a “standing O.” Let’s dive in!

Time To Prepare:

About 30 minutes.

Foodie Tips:

❤  Need a good margarita recipe? Margs make a great sidekick to this fiery queso. Try our Home Style Austin Margarita recipe – it’s packed with delightful warm heat, compliments of a 3 slices of jalapeño.

❤  Queso menonita? You can find yours at HEB.

❤  There are many tequilas on the market. When we feel special we buy Patrón – it’s so good and their packaging is tops.

Ingredients:

1  |  Poblano Chili
½ Pound  |  Chorizo, Removed From The Casing
3 Cups  |  Queso Menonita, Shredded
1 Cup  |  Monterey Jack Cheese, Shredded
To Serve  |  Flour Tortillas
Accessories  |  10 Inch Iron Skillet, Paper Bag, Tongs
To Ignite The Party  |  Tequila, Candle Stick Lighter, Texas Margaritas (All Optional But Wildly Recommended)

What To Do:

1. Prepare the poblano: We used our gas stove top and cooked the poblano for about 5-7 minutes, turning every couple of minutes with tongs until it was blackened. Turn off the heat and transfer the poblano to a paper bag and let it steam for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile…

2. Heat things up: Preheat your oven to 350°F.

3. Prepare the chorizo: In an iron skillet cook the chorizo over a medium-high flame, stirring often until it’s done (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from heat and drain any grease. Return the chorizo to the skillet and set on stovetop.

4. Finish the poblano: Cut off the stem end of the poblano and can rub off (remove) the skin. Cut the poblano into strips and set aside.

5. Assemble the queso: Place the shredded cheeses on top of the chorizo and top with the poblano strips.

6. Bake the queso: Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Turn up the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to create a nicely browned top. Remove from oven and set the skillet on your stove top or a trivet to rest a minute or two.

7. To serve: Place 2-3 tablespoons of tequila in a measuring cup and warm it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Do not overcook! Using a candle lighter ignite the tequila and pour it on top of the queso. This is fun but the best part is diving into the queso – spoon it into warm tortillas and enjoy! #TossesSombrero

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaulReider.KW.com

Avocado and Chicken Enchiladas

Avocado Creamy Good!

When our friend Penny shared this recipe we knew we had to make this dish.

Sour cream, avocado, chicken and cheese can only mean one thing – we’re having seconds.

Foodie Tips:

❤  I like the tasty heat of jalapeño combined with the creamy sour cream sauce. If you’re a little heat-shy you can omit the jalapeño.

❤  We found our Mexican cheese mixture at our neighborhood HEB which was a blend of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero and Quesadilla Cheeses. You can substitute your favorite cheese – Pepper Jack would work well.

❤  Great sidekicks for this dish can include my spicy stuffed cornbread, chicken tortilla soup or a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients: 

For The Sauce:

1 Tablespoon  |  Unsalted Butter (I suggest Falfurrias)
1  |  Jalapeño, Chopped With Or Without Seeds (optional)
1 Clove  |  Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon  |  Flour
1 Cup  |  Chicken Stock
2 Teaspoons  |  Cumin
¼ Teaspoon  |  Salt
½ Teaspoon  |  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
½ Cup  |  Cilantro, Chopped
1 Cup  |  Your Favorite Salsa Verde (we used Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde)
½ Cup  |  Sour Cream

For The Enchiladas:

4 Cups  |  Rotisserie Chicken Breast, Shredded
4 Cups  |  Mexican Blend Cheese, Shredded And Divided Into Two 2-Cup Piles
3  |  Avocados, Peeled And Chopped
8  |  Flour Tortillas

Directions:

1. Make The Sauce: In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat sauté the garlic and jalapeño in butter for about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Add the stock, cumin, salt, pepper and stir until everything comes to a boil. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the sour cream and cilantro; combine well and set aside.

2.  Prep Your Baking Dish: Coat the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour ½ cup of your sour cream sauce and spread it to evenly coat the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 375°F.

3. Make Your Enchiladas: [Note: For this step only work from 2 cups of cheese for your enchilada filling so you will have 2 cups to sprinkle on top.] Top a tortilla with the chicken, cheese, avocado and a spoonful of the sour cream sauce. Roll up the enchilada and place it seam side down in your baking dish. Repeat this process until all your enchiladas are made. If you have any extra chicken or avocado no worries – you can sprinkle this on top of your enchiladas. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas, cover with the last 2 cups of the Mexican cheese mixture.

4. Bake Away: Place in your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly-gooey. Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes. You can garnish with a little more chopped cilantro or chopped avocado.

Hope you enjoy this dish!

 

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!

Tortilla Roll-ups Recipe

Tortilla Magic

When life brings us tortillas, we love to make tortilla roll-ups!

With no baking and just 3 ingredients, it doesn’t get any easier to make this time-honored family appetizer favorite that’s perfect for summertime gatherings.

Foodie Tips:

• If you’re slicing your kalamata olives by hand be careful as they could have pit fragments – even if using pitted olives.
• You can substitute kalamata olives with black olives if you prefer a milder taste.
• We added 1-2 leaves of hand-torn basil onto the tortilla before rolling (shown below) and it was delicious! You can introduce a few ingredients of your choosing (shaved ham or sliced shrimp and avocado, etc.) to create your own signature roll-up.

Ingredients: 

8 Ounce Block  |  Cream Cheese, Softened
½ Cup  |  Kalamata Olives, Chopped
5-6  |  Flour Tortillas

Directions: 

1. In a medium-sized bowl, let your cream cheese rest at room temperature until softened (at least 30 minutes). You can slice it into 1-inch chunks to help expedite the softening process.

2. Add the olives to the cheese and fold well with a rubber spatula.

3. Place a schmear of the cream cheese mixture onto a single tortilla and spread evenly, leaving about ½-inch gap between the cheese and the edge of the tortilla to prevent a cream cheese blow-out during rolling. You can adjust the amount of cheese mixture to your preference; we like to use enough to yield at least ¼-inch – ½-inch of cheese mixture.

4. Roll-up your tortilla. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into ½ inch wheels; the two ends of the tortilla are usually not as pretty as the middle and make great treats for the chef and nearby foodies. Transfer the roll-ups to a serving dish.

5. You can serve the roll-ups right away or cover and chill them for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.

Yields: 25-30 roll-ups. 

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!