First of all, in the endeavor for full disclosure, I must inform you that I actually made Chiles Poblano two weeks ago – it just took me a little while to get other aspects of my site set up before I wanted to post about the recipe. (Hooray for my own “.com”!) But, since I also made the 2nd recipe yesterday and will post that this week as well, I’m hoping you’ll forgive the delay as I’m technically still on track for my one-a-week queso!

Circumstance in which I made the Chiles Poblano

This was on a Tuesday when I had meal-planned for the week on my lunch break, and then went grocery shopping on my way home from work. I’d bought the ingredients for making a large batch of pasta salad to have for pre-made lunches, two dinners that would make enough for leftovers, and of course the queso. After shopping and getting home shortly after 6, Reid and I didn’t have much time before we would have a couple of friends arriving at 6:30pm to play my new favorite board game, Wasteland Express.

We decided to wait until after playing to figure out dinner, and while we played I enjoyed my liquid appetizers of a beer and a Dirty Shirley. When we finished playing around 8-8:30, neither one of us felt like waiting as long as it would be to make either one of the actual dinners I had ingredients for. So what better decision than to make queso for dinner?!

Process of making the Chiles

This recipe calls for roasting the chiles on a baking sheet 6 inches from the broiler then peeling before using, marking the first time I’ve ever made chiles this way. Just from the smell while steaming, I could tell roasted chiles will become a cornerstone ingredient in every preferred way of mine to make queso to come. And, the peeling process of this method adds extra bonus enjoyment to the overall prep experience. Sorry if this is super gross, but as someone with a compulsive tendency to feel some level of satisfaction from pimple popping videos or peeling a sunburn, I found the act of peeling the skin off the chiles so pleasant I would call it therapeutic.

Recipe Review

Substitutions and changes

Before I officially give my impressions of the recipe, I feel it’s only fair that I disclose how my way of doing it may have differed from Lisa’s. First of all was the cheese, as it called for either Asadero or Gruyère, however I (being cheap), looked in the handy-dandy introduction to types of cheese Lisa includes at the front of the book and substituted Monterey Jack.

Also important to note is how in most recipes, I regularly ignore when it says to use whole milk and just use whatever 1% or 2% we have on hand. However, for this I saw Lisa said to use whole milk specifically so I used whole milk dagnabbit. For the tortillas for serving, I got just standard Mission flour tortillas, and I think it would be even better with my favorite tortillas.

Impressions and Suggestions

First of all, delicious. The poblano chiles are without doubt the flavor star of this recipe. I would maybe slice them a little thinner next time to be less chunky and stick out as much, on which I blame my own hastiness as the culprit since I became more and more anxious to throw everything together and eat already.

Also, I do want to try it with the Asadero cheese at some point actually, as I’m not sure if the Monterey caused this, but the mixture’s texture left a little to be desired. The cheese semi-disappeared into the milk/butter mixture, so maybe I should add more cheese next time too? The liquid dripped out of the tortillas, but the tasty flavors more than made up for the mess. Overall, Reid and I considered it a successful first attempt, especially since this recipe came from the early 1800s as the earliest recipe Lisa found that combined chiles and cheese – oh and not to mention, we ate the whole thing between the two of us in the one sitting when the serving size says feeds 4!