!Hola! Jalapeño (w/queso fundido recipe)

One of the books that we were given at the baby shower was "Hola! Jalapeno," by Amy Wilson Sanger (who wrote a bunch of foodie kids books). We got such a kick out of reading it, that I decided to post the words here. Also, I'm going to include a little report back on a couple of the latin flavored dips I served at the party (and I'll include a recipe and a recommendation).

Hola Jalapeno!
I say, hello my chile friend.
Seniorita Quesadilla,
cheese is melting out your end.

Here's la cocina en mi casa
(that's the kitchen in my house),
where I eat a big burrito,
almost wider than my mouth.

Corn tortillas make my tacos,
my tostada,… and my chips.
Tomato salsa, por favor,
and guacamole dip!

Gracias, tamales, for your
masa dough surprise
wrapped up tight in leaves of corn
a present in disguise.

Dance frijoles negros,
with rice we call arroz.
Roll on, enchiladas
in your bed of cheese and sauce!

Chicken in a mole bath
is my special dinner treat.
Then flan! a caramel custard
that's silky smooth and sweet.

Stir a cup of cold horchata
with a stick of cinnamon spice.
Adios! my green amigo
I can't eat another bite.

Reading this little book makes me hungry. In fact, right now, I could go for some handmade tortilla temptations from Taqueria del Sol along with some horchata. Which brings me to my baby shower dips. As usual, the jalapeño pesto continues to impress (and I'm as surprised as anybody, cuz I invented the stuff). Karen is now saying it's her favorite dip on the planet. There's never any left when I put it out. The recipe is on this blog, but I think I added a bit of lemon juice and tamari as I tinkered with it.

My mole flavored cheese dip got altered a bit when I started looking for a recipe that would help me get the technique down for making the cheese dip creamy and smooth. The answer, I think, is to start with a roux and whisk in some milk before adding the cheese. Here's Bobby Flay's famous queso fundido from Mesa Grill (a chi-chi Mannhattan restaurant that I gave a mixed review). Oh, by the way, I wouldn't put mole in my cheese dip again. Try roasted poblano vinaigrette instead.

Queso Fundido
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1 tbls unsalted butter
1 tbls flour
1 cup milk
3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (12 oz)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 ounces goat cheese cut into 8 slices

1. Preheat the broiler

2. Melt the butter in an over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Jack cheese and salt and pepper.

3. Scrape the mixture into an 8 inch cast iron pan (or whatever) and lay the goat cheese slices on top. Broil until the cheese is golden brown on top.

This is where I added some mole sauce, but I think you're better off sticking with Bobby Flay's directions. So, make this sauce and drizzle it on top of the cheese (and maybe drop some chopped cilantro on top too).

Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette
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2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tbls red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspon honey
1/4 cup veg oil
salt and pepper

Combine and blend in the food processor, blender, or using a hand blender.