Queso dip

Grate about half a pound of cheese.

Toss the grated cheese with 1 tbsp cornstarch and set it aside.

Melt about 1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat and add the minced garlic and sliced green onion whites, a big pinch of salt, ground chipotle and cumin.

Cook, stirring, on medium high for just 2 minutes, not browning or caramelizing anything, only taking off the raw edge.

Add 1/2 cup canned fire-roasted chilies and the diced seeded tomatoes and cook about 2 minutes.

Stir in one can of evaporated milk and bring it to a boil.

Stir in the starched cheese. The melting cheese plus the cornstarch swelling in the hot liquid thickens the dip.

Turn the heat off the moment the cheese has melted. A boiled cheese sauce goes grainy and separated.

Stir in a handful of chopped cilantro.

Taste on a salted chip rather than a spoon, which gives a truer read on the seasoning, and adjust with salt and cayenne.

Serve with corn chips, topped with more diced tomato, a scattering of green onion and a shake of cayenne.

It thickens as it cools but only so far, and stays creamy and smooth even cold. Variations: pickled vegetables, roasted corn, or crispy bacon.