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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
5 minutes
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Makes
about 2 cups
Author Notes
"Before moving to New York, I ran the kitchen at Francis Mallmann’s summer restaurant Patagonia West in the Hamptons. Late at night after my shifts, I’d go to the only place in town that was open: a 7-Eleven. I’d almost always grab one of those taquitos and pump Cheez Whiz all over it. One night toward the end of the season, the clerk, who had seen me perform this ritual many times, smiled at me and said, “My friend, you really love America.”That is the inspiration for this sauce that we love on steak. It’s also good on any vegetable with a snap to it, like green beans with shaved almonds. Drizzle it over fries, roasted potatoes, or a hot dog."
Excerpted from Estela by Ignacio Mattos (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2018. —Food52
Test Kitchen Notes
Can't find Taleggio? In the test kitchen, we also tried this recipe with Brie cheese instead—and it worked beautifully. The flavor is more mild, but it's still very cheesy and very good. —The Editors
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Ingredients
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8 ounces
(about 225 g) Taleggio, cold
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1/2 cup
(120 ml) heavy cream, plus more if needed
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Kosher salt
Directions
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Remove the rind from the Taleggio. Cut the cheese into ½-inch cubes and place them in a heatproof bowl.
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Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer, then pour it over the cheese and immediately cover the bowl with plastic wrap. As you need a good seal to trap the heat so the cheese melts, it’s actually best to wrap the plastic around the bowl a few times. Let stand for 20 minutes.
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Remove the plastic wrap and, using an immersion blender, blend the cheese and cream until smooth. Taste and add salt. If the sauce seems too thick, add an additional tablespoon or so of hot cream. You want it to be loose enough that you can spread it onto a plate without it clumping.
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You can make this a few days ahead of time and refrigerate it. To reheat it, bring to room temperature first, then place the container in a bowl of hot tap water and stir occasionally until the sauce warms and softens; a bain-marie would be the best way of doing this. You may need to add more hot cream.
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