Asadero (Cheese for Mexican Queso)

[wharris]

Wife loves the cheese dip at the local Mexican restaurant.

A bit of Googling tells me that the base cheese for this is "Asadero".

Anyone have a recipe?

[Cheese Head]

Bump, sorry Wayne but I have no idea, I did take this picture in a grocery store here in Houston, of an Asadero that's made in Wisconsin, USA!

[wharris]

Thanks,  i will keep looking.

[Cheese Head]

Talked to a American born Mexican descent friend of mine, he says:

• Queso Asadero translated is Cooking or Grilling Cheese.
• Is white and normally comes in round or square blocks.
• Is not normally used for dipping cheese, maybe your restaurant/info is different.

Cheers, John.

[wharris]

Good information.  Thanks for the update.

[LadyLiberty]

Talked to a American born Mexican descent friend of mine, he says:

• Queso Asadero translated is Cooking or Grilling Cheese.
• Is white and normally comes in round or square blocks.
• Is not normally used for dipping cheese, maybe your restaurant/info is different.

Cheers, John.

Depends on the recipe, I'm finding a number of "dip" recipes that call for either monterey jack or asadero.  Then again, they mean a "wet" dip, like a fondue, since it is meltable.  It's frequently listed in authentic chile con queso dips.

Asadero technically means "roaster" or "broiler" and is a melting cheese that is similar to mozzarella in that it is stretchy and meltable.  It's similar to Oaxaca cheese, and Oaxaca would probably substitute readily enough.

This is from Gourmetsleuth.com:

Asadero: Also called queso quesadilla because of its usefulness in that dish. Usually sold sliced, asadero melts well and can be used for nachos or burgers. You can substitute Teleme (referred to as a "poor man's brie from California) or Muenster cheese.

They also list Monterey Jack and Fontina as a substitute as well.

Ah, I found this!  from: http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/recipes/puebla/kgqueso1.html:

This is specifically a melting cheese, used to make the Mexican fondue called queso fundido, a dish which adapts well to the inclusion of a variety of ingredients and is usually eaten as a late-night supper. Fontina and Monterrey Jack are fine substitutes.

I guess we would have to find a Mexican Cheese expert who also makes it to get a recipe!

[wharris]

Thank you for the research

[Cheese Head]

I have an Asadero Cheee Making Recipe , just need to post and no time tonight as Daughter #1's 17th birthday.

[LadyLiberty]

I have an Asadero Cheee Making Recipe , just need to post and no time tonight as Daughter #1's 17th birthday.

Great!  I will be very interested in this as I do a LOT of Mexican cuisine!

[saycheese]

Yes, I'm interested too-- Mexican food is one of my favorites.

[Cheese Head]

OK all, couldn't sleep so finally just built an Asadero Cheese Making Recipe webpage.

Sorry it's not very detailed but that's all the information I have .

[wharris]

Do you have a feel for how long this needs to age?

[Cheese Head]

Wayne, sorry no information on how long to age.

I'll also ask friends here, I'm assuming none (other than tim to absorb the salt), as similar to mozzarella, which is why I just moved this Topic to this Board.

[LadyLiberty]

Thanks John!  I'll put this in my notebook!

[coco]

I would like to try this recipe. Is pasteurizing necessary? Or can I just skip to step #4?