Mom wasn't an experimental cook when we were younger; she couldn't have been--we were too picky. And so was my dad. (He still is.) One simple meal Mom made on a lazy (or busy) Saturday afternoon that appealed to and satisfied all of us was cheese crisp. In Arizona, these are basically open-faced quesadillas (read more about them here), although Mom would usually ask whether we wanted ours folded in half or flat; they were cheese crisps to us either way. And we loved them. When I was little, I liked the folded kind because the cheese and the tortilla were soft and it seemed like the "hot sauce," or salsa, clung to them a little better.
Now, I prefer my cheese crisps open-faced on whole wheat or multi-grain tortillas, with not too much cheese, barely golden brown on the bottom with crispy bits of cheese around the edges and topped with avocados and tomatoes. Kind of like Mom made.
Arizona Cheese Crisps
1/2 tablespoon butter
4 small multi-grain or whole wheat tortillas
1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese (the one I prefer contains cheddar, asadero, queso quesadilla, and monterey jack)
1 avocado, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced or diced
salt
Melt the butter in a medium non-stick pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, place one tortilla on the pan and immediately top with a thin layer of cheese, covering the tortilla all the way to the edges. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese is just melted and crispy at the edges. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining three tortillas. If the tortillas start browning too fast, take the pan off the heat, wipe the butter off with a paper towel, and put the pan back on the heat with another pat of butter. When melted, add another tortilla and cheese on top.
When all the tortillas are cheesed and crisped, top with sliced avocado and tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor of the avocados and cut into wedges, if desired. I like to pick the whole thing up and eat it bite by bite myself.
Serves 2-4.
4 comments:
Kim this looked so good that I made quesadillas for myself yesterday. I didn't have all the ingredients to make your version, so instead I did sharp cheddar cheese, olive slices, sour cream and pre-made guacamole. It was tasty, thanks for the inspiration!
Brittany, glad I could inspire you with such a simple recipe! How are you feeling?
I feel pretty well. Just getting a little anxious that baby will be here soon...I've had almost eight months to prepare and I still don't feel ready! How are you doing?
I love cheese crisps. They are a staple at our house, especially with two picky little boys. I laughed at the whole "cheese crisp" definition, because I thought everyone called them that. My California family had no clue what I was talking about when I called a quesadilla a cheese crisp the first time.
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