Serves 2 to 4
A cross between a Mexican pizza an an open-faced quesadilla, the cheese crisp is the perfect comfort food. Southern Arizona restaurants started selling the dish more than 50 years ago and it’s become a staple of our local “Sonoran Style†cuisine. I ditched the tortilla and came up with this super-cheesy, updated version of the dish that is grain-free, and thus gluten-free and low-carb as well. Parmesan is a hard cheese that crisps when melted, replacing the flour based tortilla. Serve the chipotle ranch on the side as a dipping sauce if you don’t have a squeeze bottle available. I used a blend of jack, cheddar, and queso quesadilla for the Mexican cheese blend. See more of the recipes I’ve developed for Tastebook.com
Ingredients
- 2 Hatch or Padilla green chilies, or one of each
- Olive oil spray
- 2 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
Ingredients for the Chipotle Ranch Drizzle
- 1 cup prepared ranch dressing
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a jar of chipotles chilies
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to 475 degrees. Wash the chilies and spray them with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally until the chilies are brown and the skin is blistered; about 10-15 minutes.
- While the chilies are roasting, mix together the ranch dressing and the adobo sauce. Transfer to a plastic squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove chilies from the oven, peel off the blistered skin, remove the seeds and stems, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-1/8 inch wide strips. Set aside.
- Line a round 12-14†pizza pan with a round silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cover with a layer of shredded Parmesan cheese. You should just barely see the bottom of the pan through the cheese. Broil for 5-7 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven. Set the oven to “bake†and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.
- Sprinkle the Mexican cheese blend on top of the crisp Parmesan “crustâ€, then arrange the chili strips on top. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top with fresh cilantro leaves, then drizzle with chipotle ranch in a spiral pattern. Cut with a pizza wheel and serve.
