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FRANK BRIGTSEN’S QUESO SAUCE Makes 6 cups Chef’s Note: This is a great sauce for nachos, and even better when you have peeled crawfish tails — or you can use shrimp.

of Spanish-speaking people from Mexico and Central America increased dramatically. It’s only natural that queso would show up in our grocery stores and restaurants. The beauty of food is in its diversity.” Frank would know. He continues to contribute to the evolution of what queso can be with a homemade version of what he calls “queso sauce.” His version, which you can try at home (see sidebar), includes sautéed onion and bell pepper, seasonings of garlic, jalapeño, cumin and roasted green chiles, a roux-thickened béchamel, grated sharp cheddar and the Hispanic cheese queso fresco. Frank describes this last addition as “little explosions of creaminess.” Texture, he reminds me, is so important in food. Is this queso? Queso fundido? Cheese sauce? It takes inspiration from all, combining them to create something uniquely delicious and primed for a Louisiana spin on enchiladas or nachos — Frank assures me it’s ideally served with crawfish tails in the mix. Chefs Prudhomme and Brigtsen began exploring Cajun / Creole / Mexican mashups 40 years ago. Today, they’re joined by former restaurateur Stephen Stumpf and serial entrepreneur Darren Walker of Zoeys Queso. After owning and operating a burrito restaurant franchise, Steve saw an opportunity to make better-quality queso available to the supermarket-going public. While his restaurant made fresh salsas, guacamole and queso every day, the only stuff he could find for his home fridge was loaded with additives and preserva tives. An LSU Dairy Science grant provided an opportunity for him to collaborate on the research and development of a new kind of queso. The goal for Zoeys Queso was a clean label product without gums, thickeners or stabilizers — still delivering tons of flavor — and with glorious “dip-ability” and a solid shelf life for stores. Unlike other retail quesos, Zoeys contains over 70% cheese, which drives its taste appeal. Not unlike the American restaurant scene, Zoeys began with a plain (mild) queso, with just a bit of jalapeño and tomato. It wasn’t long before customers clamored for a spicier version, and a fortuitous meeting led Steve to the Louisiana Pepper Exchange. Their intense blend of jalapeño with red and orange habaneros gave rise to Zoeys Three Pepper Spicy Blend Queso. Although queso has become a ubiquitous staple of Mexican restau rants nationwide, I wondered what would lead someone to make queso in New Orleans. Isn’t queso still, at its heart, Texas’s thing? Frank, Steve and Darren all had the same nonplussed response (like, duh lady, you may have lived here a while but you still don’t get it): New Orleans is a fun city. You want fun foods on your table for visitors. There may be no better fun, snacky party food than queso. Whether you make your own or you open a container, microwave it for a minute and stir. The next question is, what are you going to dip in it?

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cups diced yellow onion 1 cup diced green bell pepper 1 bay leaf 2½ teaspoons salt

¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground white pepper ¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried whole-leaf oregano 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh jalapeño pepper 1½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic 1½ cups finely chopped canned roasted green chiles ½ cup diced roasted red peppers (or diced pimentos)

1¼ cups milk ¾ cup cream 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose white flour 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese 1 cup crumbled queso fresco

HOW TO PREP: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and clear. Reduce heat to low. Add the salt, white pepper, cayenne, jalapeño, garlic, cumin and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes. Add the roasted green chiles and diced roasted red peppers (or pimentos). Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the milk and cream, and bring the mixture to a boil while you make a roux: In a small skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Slowly whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the finished roux to the boiling sauce mixture and whisk until fully blended. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the grated Cheddar cheese and queso fresco. Whisk until the cheese melts into the sauce. Remove from heat.

"The beauty of queso is that it’s multicultural. All the immigrants over the past 300 years have left their imprint on this fusion cuisine. Post-Katrina, New Orleans’ population of Spanish-speaking people from Mexico and Central America increased dramatically. It’s only natural that queso would show up in our grocery stores and restaurants. The beauty of food is in its diversity.” — Chef Frank Brigtsen

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