ne of my favorite gut busting appetizers at Hilltop Kitchen here in Tacoma is the Queso Fundito. It's basically melted cheese with a few toppings, and while I always feel like I've made a terrible decision about two hours later, in the moment, oh man, it's delicious. At HK you can add bacon if you want, but I decided to make this Queso dip with sautéed mushrooms instead, because mushrooms are also delicious. And also make me feel a little less terrible about the caloric intake. But only just slightly. But lest you be thinking that it's a bad idea to make this, I promise that it's super delicious, but also advise that you involve a few friends in the consumption. Because eating this on your own is definitely a bad idea, but with a few friends, it's absolutely a good idea.
Ingredients:
1 small tomato diced
1 small red pepper diced
1 small serrano pepper diced
4 oz of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar
4 oz of Dubliner with Irish Stout Cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 of an onion diced
1/2 cup of lager
2 tbsp of butter
salt and pepper
1/2 avocado sliced
5 mushrooms sliced
green onion sliced
1. Mix tomato, red pepper, and serrano pepper in a bowl with salt and pepper, set aside
2. Prep the cheese blend by mixing grated cheeses in a bowl and mix in flour.
3. Saute mushroom slices with butter and salt and set aside.
4. Saute diced onion in butter until translucent on medium heat. Add lager and stir. Add cheese mix a handful at a time, stirring each time until fully melted. To get your perfect consistency, adjust the amount of flour and beer until you get it where you want it. If it's too watery add more flour, if it’s too thick, add more beer. Stir in the tomato/red pepper/serrano pepper mixture well and top with a few diced peppers, avocado slices, mushrooms and green onions sliced.
Eat bubbling hot with chips!