If you love dips, then the chances are high that you have come across the torchy tacos queso. If not, you are missing out on a lot, and I’m not just saying this. The truth is that I am yet to come across a person who frowns upon this dip and I too am quite the fan.
My kids cannot get enough of it, and I can always count on it to turn a simple snack into a food-fest. For this reason and owing to the number of requests I have gotten over the past few months, I have decided to share my torchy tacos queso recipe here.
There are many reasons why this recipe has become so popular, and I will get into the main one, especially for someone who is yet to taste this dip. To start with, of all the queso recipes that I have come across, this one remains to be my best. Not only is it tantalizing, but it is also easy to whip up, even for beginners. For people living in Texas, I find it hard to believe that you have not sampled this delicacy.
I tried a few of the methods that I saw online, and none seemed to result in the same consistency and flavorful nature of the queso I had eaten at Torchy’s. I convinced a friend that we should pass by Texas during one of our trips. But little did she know that I had a detour in mind.
What’s Torchy’s?
For people who do not live in an area with a Torchy’s, you may be wondering what I have been going on about all this time. Torchy’s is a gourmet taco shop. It started small but once people had a taste of what it had to offer, the following increased. A quick tour of the shops online will reveal that they have slogans such as ‘damn good’ and other sayings that are indicative of their high-quality. I must admit that they live up to their promises.
Hacking the recipe
Back to my story now. It was a slow afternoon, and a friend and I had just finished running some errands, and I suggested that we should pass by a Torchy’s for a quick bite. Unsuspectingly, she followed me to the shop, and it is there that I got inspiration for this recipe. (Let’s all take a moment to thank Joanna for her never-ending patience. I know that I can be a bit much when it comes to food.)
They have quite a large selection when it comes to food, drinks and some light snacks. It was quite easy to pinpoint which foods would help me get the right combination. I ordered many quesos and ensured that they packed them all separately. Little did they know that I was about to embark on an analysis once I was back in the kitchen.
The Analysis
I will get into detail to enable anyone who has not sampled this Torchy’s queso dip to get an idea of what they would get were they to walk into a Torchy’s. Have you ever made the basic guacamole? Well, that is how this entire process begins. It is important to note that fresh ingredients bring out the best in foods and it is for this reason that my recipe as well as that used in Torchy’s calls for fresh guacamole.
One scoop of this should do, and you can proceed to set it in a bowl.
From this point, they roast some green chile queso which they place at the top of the guacamole. This roasted queso has Verde sauce in it, and it tastes great as a result. You will notice that there are some black specks on the queso owing to the components in play.
The next step involves cotija cheese, dripping minced cilantro and some Diablo sauce on the queso and the results will have your stomach rumbling in no time. Not only does the queso look good but it also has tastes that are out of this world. Seriously, if you are looking to wow someone with your cooking skills, here is one way that you can do this. The Diablo sauce in play is homemade, and thus, the results are flavorful.
It took a while to examine the different quesos, but I finally got the procedure right. Now, onto my dip!
Torchy’s queso recipe – Best way to prepare
One of the things that I realized during my first attempts was that you need to give the queso time to infuse with the green chiles. If you rush the process, you will not get to enjoy all the flavors and it could end up tasting a tad bland: the more time, the better for you.
Please keep this in mind.
As for the cheese, I used American cheese. Sure, there are other types that you can use, with some being considerably cheaper than this one. However, I find that I get the best results using this. The queso I achieve is much like what you would get at a restaurant.
Every queso needs a base, and there are many ways in which you can go about this. Roasted salsa veggies should do the trick. Additionally, you should have chiles, tomatillos, garlic, serranos and roma tomatoes. Having these ingredients does a lot to add flavour to the queso in both taste and aroma. Below, you will find a detailed recipe as to how you should handle each ingredient so at this stage I will rush over each step.
Start by roasting the tomatoes and other ingredients as per the instructions listed in the recipe. This process aids a lot in bringing out the flavours and you will enjoy better queso as a result. Remember to clean the chiles before using them. Many a time I have seen someone start working with ingredients before washing them and though it will not affect the taste, you might expose your guests to contaminated food. The same goes for all the vegetables that you will use for this dip.
From here, you can move to chop the chiles once they have roasted as per the given timeline. You will notice that most quesos contain veggies in the sizes of about half an inch. You can work with these measurements, or you can alter them to best suit your preferences. However, note that flavour infusion relies a lot on the exposed surface area and as such, big pieces will not result in the best queso.
For the tomatoes, you should start by cleaning them before chopping them to the desired sizes. Garlic tastes best when minced so be sure to do this after peeling off the skin. Take the tomatillo, roasted garlic and serranos and place them in a blender to make a sauce which you will use in the queso. You can also use a food processor at this stage. The result should be a tad runny.
Now we can get to the central part of the process.
You will need a large stock pot for this or something which can hold in all the ingredients. Start by melting the butter in the pan before adding the minced garlic and the chopped vegetables. As they cook, add in the American cheese to allow it to melt in the heat.
Once these ingredients have evenly combined, you can now add half a cup of cheddar cheese to the mix. Allow for this cheese to also melt before adding the Verde sauce. Evenly combine the ingredients before adding some salt and lemon for the finish.
As you cook, you may notice that the queso gets thick fast, especially after being on the stove for long. In this case, you can add some water to it for thinning purposes. Do not worry about losing flavor in the process as the water will not affect the taste. You may find that you will have to add water quite often as you cook and if this is the case, feel free to add liquid to the mix. You can also opt to reduce the heat to a level that is manageable.
It is now time to let the queso soak in the flavors and you can move on to work on other components. After several attempts, I realized that the queso could take up to six hours to infuse the green chile flavors. For this reason, I prefer to start making the dip a day or two before. Once it is ready, I chill it and reheat it when I want to serve it. It tends to thicken fast when infused.
For the guacamole, the process is pretty straightforward. You can opt to make the usual guacamole that you serve your guests on ordinary occasions, or you can go all out with the Torchy’s version which is also quite simple.
A few HAAS avocados, a white onion, some cilantro, salt, and garlic powder is all you need to hack this guacamole. If you want to make it all the more special, add some lemon juice to the recipe, and you will have your guests beaming with joy.
We can now get started on putting everything together.
You will start with the guacamole which you will place at the bottom of the bowl. One or two scoops will do. The ideal amount of guacamole should be in the range of one to two ounces. Heat the queso and ladle it on top of the guacamole when hot. As for the Diablo sauce, you can opt to make your own or can find one that is equally as good on the market. Any high-quality hot sauce will do. Drizzle some on top of the queso.
You can now top the queso with some fresh cilantro and some shredded cotija for that perfect finish. Dip some tacos and start enjoying the fruits of your hard work. And the icing on the cake is that the Torchy’s queso calories are quite low.
If you find the explanation quite hasty, here is a detailed description of what you need to make this dip as well as the directions you need to follow.
Torchy’s queso ingredients
- Four tablespoons of butter
- Five green chiles
- Three Roma tomatoes
For the sauce, you will require:
- Two Serrano peppers
- Four large tomatillos
- Four cloves of garlic
- Half a teaspoon of salt
For the queso base, you will need:
- One minced clove of garlic
- A pound of cheese (American)
- A tablespoon of lemon juice
- Half a cup of cheddar
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- Guacamole
For the garnish, you will require:
- Hot sauce
- Cilantro
- Cotija cheese
- Additional water is necessary so be sure to have it nearby in case you need it.
Directions
You will start by roasting the chiles and for this; you will require to set the heat on high in your oven. Next, place the tomatillos, tomatoes, green chiles, serranos and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Note that the garlic should still be in the cloves at this point. Place the baking sheet in the oven for about eight minutes.
You will know that the veggies are ready when the skin of the tomatoes comes off with ease and the green chiles have char in some parts. Take the garlic out at this point. As for the other ingredients, flip them on the other side and let them cook for another eight minutes. Remove the sheet and let the veggies sit.
Place the half teaspoon of salt, the serranos, the garlic and the tomatillos in a blender and blend them till they evenly combine. Set the sauce aside.
Next, clean the chiles by removing their seeds and getting rid of the charred parts under warm running water. Take the roasted flesh and cut it into half-inch pieces. Next, chop the roasted tomatoes into small pieces and set them aside.
For the queso; start by melting the butter, before you add the minced garlic. Let the mixture cook for thirty seconds before adding the chiles, salt and tomatoes. Add the American cheese and let it melt before adding cheddar. Once the cheese has all melted, add the sauce before adding the lemon juice.
This queso goes down well with some chips. If you have been looking for the perfect dip, then this torchy tacos queso recipe will wow you. Thank you for reading this!
