Creamy Beer & Black Bean Queso

We had a party last night!  The main feature was the decorate-your-own cupcake station (more on that later).  However, we did have one delicious thing from the savory side--this queso!  I highly recommend it.

This is adapted from a recipe on How Sweet It Is, one of my very favorite food blogs.  I was so excited that Jessica posted this just in time for me to make it for my party!  All the recipes I've tried from her site have been fabulous.  Plus, her blog is really fun to read.  I had to take out the chorizo because of all my vegetarian friends.  I'm sure it would be fabulous with sausage, but it's hard to imagine it being more fabulous than it already is!

This morning, I used the leftover queso to make delicious chilaquiles.  I fried up some onions and garlic, added two eggs and a handful of crushed tortilla chips, and stirred in a few big dollops of this queso.  I served it with sliced avocado, cilantro, and scallions with a squeeze of lime.  Most delicious hangover cure ever!

Ingredients (serves 8 as an appetizer):

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeños, deseeded and diced (I used 1, but the dip was not very hot.  Try 2 for more spice, or use the seeds.)
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups beer (your favorite kind--or use a Mexican beer)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces freshly grated white cheddar cheese
Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot, jalapeño and garlic and saute until fragrant.  Stir in the black beans, and raise the heat to medium.  Add the beer and cumin and stir to combine.  Cook for five more minutes, until some of the beer has bubbled away.

Add the cream cheese, and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add the cheddar and stir until smooth and creamy.

Serve with scallions and cilantro on top, and a big basket of chips for dipping.

If the queso hardens up, you can microwave it for a minute or so with a bit of water and stir until it's creamy again.