Leyden Cheese Sauce for Burritos

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This Leyden Cheese Sauce for Burritos is creamy, smooth and crazy delicious! These burritos with cheese sauce can be made with any protein you like!

This post is a revision of a post that was published in the early days of Binky’s Culinary Carnival! It was is in dire need of updating! Enjoy!

I saw Rachael Ray use Leyden Cheese on her show a few weeks ago. I had never heard of it but when I heard cumin, I was in! Cumin is one of my all time favorite spices!

What is Cumin?

Cumin is a plant, whose seeds are used a lot in Spanish, Mexican, and Middle Eastern dishes! It is native to the Middle East and east to India.

It has a unique. smoky fragrance and taste. It is not spicy hot just adds a fantastic flavor!

In the eighties, my boyfriend and I used to go to a little Mexican restaurant in Penfield, NY called Fiesta Cantina. Fiesta Cantina isn’t there anymore but I still remember their Burritos with cheese sauce.

I married those two thoughts together and came up with Burritos with Leyden Cheese Sauce! It was fantastic!!!

The burritos can be made with any protein you like, including; beef, chicken, pork, venison, or even beans if you want them vegetarian!

What is Cheese Sauce?

Cheese Sauce is just a white sauce (béchamel) with cheese melted in it. The white sauce is one of the sauces that the French consider one of the “Mother Sauces“.

It is believed, however, that the white sauce was actually adapted from Tuscany, in Italy. It is said that the chefs of Catherine de Medici (Queen of France and Mother-in-law of Mary, Queen of Scots) brought it to France.

How to make a Cheese Sauce for Burritos

So many people I know are intimidated by white sauces. White sauces get a bad rap. They are so easy! They can be made with any of the new nut milks to make the sauce vegan (if you don’t add the cheese, obviously!). It can also be made milk, cream and any stock.

1. Grate cheese.
2. Melt the butter in a medium, heavy bottom saucepan.
   Heat the milk in a separate saucepan over medium high heat, or in the microwave. This step saves you time stirring.
3. Once the butter is melted and is frothy and bubbly, add an equal amount of flour (or cornstarch or GF flour to make it gluten free). In other words if you use 2 tablespoons of butter, whisk in 2 tablespoons flour.
4. Keep whisking for about 4-5 minutes, until the butter and flour are bubbly.
5. Add warm milk.



6. Once the sauce is smooth and thickened, it will coat the back of the spoon, (usually takes about 10 minutes) add cheese one large handful at a time.
7. Melt cheese and stir a few more minutes until bubbly. Taste now and add salt and white pepper to taste. The reason you wait until the end to salt is because different cheeses have different salt content. You don’t want your sauce to become too salty.
8. See how smooth and creamy the sauce is? Prima!
9. Dice onion and garlic

How to Make Burritos & Filling



10. Brown ground meat in large skillet. Add onions and garlic to soften. Season with spices.
11. Cut up tomato, lettuce and any other vegetable you like.
12. Build burritos with refried beans, meat and vegetables. Put a few tablespoons cheese sauce inside. Tuck ends in and roll.

Arrange on plate with seam side down and then top with the cheese sauce and your favorite toppings.

Set up a fixings bar with anything you like. Some great fixings are diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sliced hot peppers (either fresh or pickled), sliced green onions, sliced black olives, avocado slices, and your favorite salsa.

Burritos can also be made with any leftover protein you have. Chicken, pork, venison, can be used. Just use the same technique to cook them

I hope you like the recipe today for Leyden Cheese Sauce for Burritos!

Other delicious Mexican Inspired Recipes

• Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole
• Frijoles, Refried Beans
• Venison Carnitas Enchiladas
• Baked Chilaquiles

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Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

Xoxo,

Tools I Use to Make Burritos with Leyden Cheese Sauce

• cast iron frying pan
• saucepans
• spoons

Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Print

Burritos with Leyden Cheese Sauce

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

12 hrs

 

Cumin spiced Leyden Cheese makes these burritos extra special!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: cheese sauce,, how to make bechamel,, how to make cheese sauce,

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 460 kcal

Author: Beth Neels

Ingredients

For the Marinade and Meat

• 1/3 c white vinegar
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1/3 c ime juice
• 1 juiced lemon
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 2 lb venison leg roast

For the Cheese Sauce

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 3 c cashew milk (can substitute cow's milk)
• 3 c Leyden Cheese
• about 1/2 tsp. salt (see notes below)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

To finish Venison

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• marinated venison
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 c water

To Assemble

• Flour tortillas , I like 10"
• Frijoles (refried beans)
• Toppings of your choice; such as; diced tomatoes , shredded lettuce, sliced black olives, sliced green onion, sliced avocado, sliced fresh or pickled jalepenos, sour cream or creme fraiche, salsa

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For Marinade and Meat

1. Mix all ingredients together except venison.
2. Slice venison roast very thin. It will slice more easily if it is pretty frozen
3. Add venison to marinade, stir to coat. Refrigerate at least overnight or up to 2 days.

For Cheese Sauce

1. Heat cashew milk over medium high heat.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Don't let the butter brown.
3. Cook flour and butter for 3-4 minutes to remove the floury taste.
4. Whisking constantly, stream in heated cashew milk.
5. Whisk often to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan. Let sauce cook and thicken, usually about 10 minutes, until sauce coats the back of a spoon.
6. Add cheese, large handfuls at a time, melting the cheese between additions.
7. Cook along for another few minutes until nice and thick.
8. Taste the sauce for salt. Always taste first because different cheeses have different salt content.
9. Add pepper to taste.

To Finish Venison

1. Add olive oil to a large frying pan over high heat.
2. Add venison pieces a few at a time and brown. flip meat over and brown briefly, some of the smaller pieces may not need to be flipped. Don't overcook.
3. Remove venison to a bowl. Continue to brown the rest of the venison.
4. After all of the venison is browned, reduce heat to medium low. Add the remaining marinade to the pan. Scrape all of the browned bits to the bottom of the pan. Add water, if necessary.
5. Mix cornstarch and water into a slurry and whisk into the sauce in the pan.
6. When thickened to desired consistency, add meat back to pan, briefly. Stir to coat all of the meat in the sauce.

To Assemble

1. Heat tortillas, one at a time in a dry pan over high heat. If you have a gas stove, tortillas can be heated directly over open flame for a few seconds.
2. Spread a few tablespoons frijoles in the center of the tortillas shell. Add as much meat as you like.
3. Roll tortilla and place seam side down on serving plate. Top with cheese sauce and any toppings that you like.

Nutrition Facts

Burritos with Leyden Cheese Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 460 Calories from Fat 279

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 31g 48%

Saturated Fat 13g 65%

Cholesterol 148mg 49%

Sodium 990mg 41%

Potassium 448mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%

Protein 37g 74%

Vitamin A 11.5%

Vitamin C 6.2%

Calcium 33.4%

Iron 28.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Originally Published 2/8/2015