Chef John's Queso Dip

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar cheese
• tablespoon cornstarch
• tablespoon butter
• garlic clove s, minced
• bunch scallions, thinly slice d, dark green parts set aside
• teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• (4 ounce) can fire-roasted diced green chiles
• 1/2 cup seeded and diced Roma tomatoes
• (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste (Optional)
• tablespoon diced Roma tomato

Instructions

1. Grate Cheddar cheese into a bowl. Sprinkle in cornstarch and toss to coat.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and light parts of the scallions. Sprinkle in salt, chipotle, and cumin. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add green chiles and 1/2 cup tomatoes; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Pour in evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Add the Cheddar cheese and stir just until melted; immediately remove from heat.
3. Stir in cilantro. Season to taste, adding cayenne if desired. Garnish with reserved green onion parts and 1 tablespoon diced tomato. Chef John

Tips

Any melted cheese, or a combination, goes great in this. Make sure you use a tortilla chip to taste for seasoning, as it already has salt on it. This doesn't get completely firm even after it cools down, so you can make it ahead of time and just leave it out until ready to serve. However, that can be a risky maneuver, as there may not be a lot left when your guests arrive.