Torchy's, an Austin, TX-based regional taco chain, makes a damn good queso – or so the restaurant self-proclaims. Before I tried Torchy's, I was skeptical that their queso could be that good. I mean, a good queso is a good queso right? And while you can definitely tell a bad queso from a good queso, I have to admit that I didn't really believe one could find nuance among good quesos.
Of course, how this story ends is that I finally tried Torchy's queso and realized that it really is quite good. Lots of different spice flavors from multiple types of chiles, and the toppings they put on – "diablo" sauce, cotija, and guacamole – really add to the cheese dip instead of distracting from it. Now whenever I visit Texas, at least one Torchy's visit is required. Both so I can eat queso for a full meal, and then have the leftovers for breakfast the next morning (can't let it go to waste!).
Well now, I can produce a fairly close approximation to Torchy's queso from the Homesick Texan's QUESO book.
I made some modifications to the recipe, which probably accounts for why it didn't fully turn out like Torchy's. Well, let me be more specific, I made the modifications to the most critical component of the queso – the fiery red salsa which approximates the Torchy's diablo sauce. Instead of using actual red chiles, habaneros, I substituted 2 jalapenos instead. So far less spicier and a much different flavor profile as well.
It was still a really good queso though, so much so that I ate the full portion that I made in a few days. While my better judgment says that I should halve the recipe moving forward, it's complicated enough that making a full portion makes more sense – but so does inviting friends over to share it with me.
You start by preparing the two salsas – the red salsa is from roasting vegetables and the green salsa is from boiling vegetables. Each are then blended separately.
To get to the queso component of the recipe, pour all of the blended green salsa into a saucepan, add Velveeta to it, and stir occasionally until the mixture completely melts.
Then the final serving of the queso includes a healthy drizzle of the fiery red salsa, and if you have it, cilantro, cotija and guacamole. Yum!
Leave a Reply