Helping a friend plan the menu for a family shindig coming up late next week, he asked about a cheese dip that we’d first served him over two decades ago (dammit RJ, that seems simply inconceivable) at a Thanksgiving with a house full of friends back in Salt Lake City.
RJ was asking about what we’ve come to call Beer Cheese No. 1, an irresistible cheese dip consisting of – you guessed it – good cheese, good beer, and a handful of simple spices.
Having grown up in queso country in Texas, my lovely bride and I had never really savored beer cheese before a residency mate from Kentucky shared his family recipe at a superbowl party way back in the day. I don’t remember much of the backstory at all, other than the fact that beer cheese was first served at a long-standing restaurant somewhere in Kentucky, of a point of notable pride for culinary-focused denizens of the Bluegrass State.
There are a host of recipes for it that use various forms of processed American cheese, but the depth and bite of a good sharp cheddar just can’t be beat. And our bias is to use a good brown ale, something like Moose Drool, but you make the call.
A recipe or two of this might just get you through that holiday get-together with the in-laws next week…
16 ounces sharp cheddar block, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temp, cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp good smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cayenne (use less if you’re timid)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
8-12 ounces (lager or pilsner) beer of your choice, but dammit – no “lite” beer
Grate the cheese using a box grater; no pre-shredded cheese as it’s most often coated with stuff (cellulose) to prevent clumping and it thwarts a smooth mix with the beer.
Drop the garlic into your trusty food processor and pulse a few times until minced but not obliterated into a paste.
Now add the cheeses, Worcestershire, paprika, salt, cayenne, and optional Dijon mustard; pulse 2-3 times until just combined.
Finally, with the processor running, pour the beer slowly through the opening until the mixture is smooth and creamy (a dry, aged cheddar needs more beer, a moist cheese less). And don’t over-process or the mix may separate.
Scrape into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap to make it airtight, and rest in the fridge for an hour, if you can wait that long.
Beer cheese was of course invented to dip bar pretzels in (try making up a batch from scratch), but good crackers and raw vegetables are damn good here too.
Enjoy.
