We used to make this at the steakhouse I worked at in college and it was a huge hit, so I copied the recipe (ish. It’s sometimes hard to copy recipes when they’re made in huge batches). They used processed cheese in the recipe, but I decided to try something a little different.
I had heard about this fancy gastronomy thing…Sodium Citrate. It’s an emulsifier that basically allows you to use any kind of liquid (the possibilities are endless) a very small amount of sodium citrate, and melt cheese in it. What’s the advantage of doing it that way versus a traditional Bechamel sauce for emulsifying cheese? The sodium citrate is more stable and the end result more cheesy.
If you’re not a fan of additives, I get that. But if you compare the ingredients here you’ll find that they’re *much* simpler and more straightforward than processed cheese. This allows you to basically make processed cheese out of any type of cheese (I used a very sharp cheddar for flavor). This recipe is SO easy! If you like to try new things I’d encourage you to give this a whirl.
Ingredients:
- Cheese of your liking- I used sharp cheddar
- Sodium Citrate
- Beer (you could use water)
- Spinach
- Dried bell peppers (could also use fresh)
- Dried Jalapeno peppers (could also use fresh)
- Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin
- Fresh diced onions
Instructions:
Over medium high heat, bring a cup of beer to a boil with onions, peppers and spices and cook until onions are translucent.
Add spinach and cook until spinach is cooked through. Reduce heat to medium and add sodium citrate and shredded cheese and stir and cook until cheese is melted. Adjust seasoning/salt to your liking.
And serve with chips and whatever garnish you wish (here, avocados, guacamole, lime, and Cholula sauce).
This is intensely, ridiculously easy.
If you like this recipe you will also like:
- Dirty Blue Martini Dip
- Instant Pot Reuben Dip
- Hot Crab Dip
- Instant Pot Buffalo Beer-Cooked Chicken Dip
- Beer Cheese Dip
Beer-Y Spinach Con Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup beer
- 1 teaspoon sodium citrate
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 16 ounces cheese shredded
- 1 ½ cups fresh spinach chopped
- 2 tablespoons dried jalapeno peppers to taste
- 2 tablespoons dried bell peppers
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add beer to pot with onion, peppers and spices and cook on medium high heat until onion is translucent. Add spinach and cook until spinach is soft. Reduce heat to medium and add sodium citrate and shredded cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and adjust salt to taste.
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