Throughout much of the southwest, queso is a prerequisite to any party. As with all venerated dishes—and especially hot cheese—variations abound. Lisa Fain had an original recipe list of 250 quesos for her book, *Queso* (yes, there’s a whole book on the topic). During her road trip around queso country, she found versions with everything from Indian chutney to plant-based cheese. Even so, Fain writes in her book “although this Tex-Mex bowl of gold, as it’s often called, is widespread throughout the rest of the state and beyond, there is still much room for innovation.” <br /> <br />We took that as a challenge: Find a master queso recipe that’s endlessly riffable. It was an easy job, and we did it. You can thank us later. Here are the basics of our queso recipe, plus three variations—a zesty, spicy, jalapeño-ranch version using chopped jalapeños, white cheddar, and <a href="http://f52.co/2ouISp2">Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning</a>; a pimento cheese version featuring pimento cheese, orange cheddar, and chopped roasted red peppers; and a French onion version with caramelized onions and Gruyére—all below.

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