Animal–Style Queso

This is NOT a healthy recipe. It may not be a secret to those who know me, but I love California even though I’m a born and raised Long Islander. On my first trip to California, we obviously needed to try In n Out to see if it was worth the hype. I am a vegetarian, so while I wasn’t trying the burger itself I was told to order the veggie burger on the “secret menu“. Thinking I was going to get something similar to the Shroom Burger from Shake Shack or an Impossible Burger from Bareburger like I’m accustomed to my expectations were decently high. I soon learned that - spoiler alert - In n Out’s “veggie” burger is literally a piece of lettuce and a piece of tomato on a bun. I. died.

Luckily I was also told by a -more trustworthy source- to order the fries Animal Style. After tasting this cheesy, sort of sweet & totally salty topping I knew I wanted this absolutely addicting sauce even after I left the West coast, but it wasn’t until recently that I had an epiphany to turn it into a Queso. I was sitting in my kitchen thinking about Queso, as one does, and was looking at an onion. It hit me, the seemingly obvious mash-up I never knew I needed, and I hope you need it too.

At it’s core this recipe is a play off of a Queso Blanco, but you can definitely change up and use a Yellow American or a Sharp (or even smoked) Cheddar Cheese, but I found that starting with this Queso Blanco base really allowed the Animal–Style flavors and classic coloring to shine.

Especially if you’re making this on a Sunday – it’s a great addition to a game day spread.

the animal style sauce is made with ketchup, but I’m using tomato paste and sugar to gourmet it up a bit - health it up a bit - if you will. I also think it ends up with a much less “processed” taste at the end.

Ingredients:

For the Animal Style Sauce:
1 diced Yellow onion
2 tbs Butter
3 tbs diced Sweet Gherkins
3 tbs Mayo (I use Vegenaise because I don’t like regular Mayo)
1 tsp Tomato Paste
1/2 tsp White Vinegar
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

For the Queso:
12 oz Evaporated Milk (make sure it is NOT sweetened)
1/2 tbs Cornstarch
16 oz Cheese*
I used a mixture of equal parts
- Oaxaca cheese
- White American Cheese
- Monterey Jack Cheese

*Make sure to not buy shredded cheese you either want cheese from your deli that they slice for you or full blocks of cheese. Shredded cheese typically has additives that are used as anti-coagulants and you want everything to melt nicely together. Also, this dish is literally all about the cheese, so buy good stuff.

For the Animal Sauce

Start by caramelizing 1 diced Yellow onion with 2 tbs Butter. I season with only Pepper at this stage because we’re adding a lot of salt elsewhere in this dish. But it’s important that you draw out as much water from the onions as possible during this step. (Water is a Queso’s worst enemy)

In a separate bowl combine 3 tbs diced Sweet Gherkins,
3 tbs Mayo, 1 tsp Tomato Paste, 1/2 tsp White Vinegar, 1/4 tsp Sugar, 1/2 tsp Sea Salt, 1/2 tsp Black Pepper. Once the onions are caramelized, add half of the onions to this mixture and set aside.

You can always keep this sauce and use it as a spread, but if you do I would recommend adding additional Mayo.

For the queso

If needed, chop your Cheeses into equal-sized cubes (this allows them to melt at a similar pace) toss the Cheeses in 1/2 tbs Cornstach (this step is essentially a cheat code to making a Roux.

To a sauce pan (or a cast iron pan that you can both cook and serve in as seen below) add 12 oz Evaporated Milk. Bring to a simmer, bubbles are okay here, but the liquid should not come to a boil. Once the Evaporated Milk is warm, add in all of your Cheese. Stirring occasionally to avoid a film forming at the top and sides of your pan.

Once your Cheese is completely melted and the mixture has thickened (it should look like the consistency of the Queso you know and love at this stage). Add in the Animal Sauce you made earlier & mix slowly to combine.

Once everything is combined it’s time to serve! Pour your Queso into your serving bowl or place your skillet on a hot plate top with remaining Caramelized Onions and enjoy! I served mine with my homemade flour tortilla chips that I use for my Hummus Recipe as well.

Yields: 8 Servings