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Weekend Recipe: Quesadillas for a Crowd

April 29, 2016
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Quesadillas - Cook's Illustrated

According to Cook's Country, the key to making four quesadillas in one shot lies in the timing. We discovered that it was best to bake folded tortillas on an oiled baking sheet until spotty brown (5 to 7 minutes) and then fill them with a full cup of shredded provolone mixed with mozzarella, flavored with minced jarred jalapeño chiles. A quick return to the oven finishes the browning process, without the cheese oozing out all over the baking sheet. Allowing the quesadillas to cool slightly before cutting them into wedges helps the cheese set up.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Letting the quesadillas cool before cutting them is important; straight from the oven the cheese is molten and will ooze out. Serve the quesadillas with pico de gallo, guacamole, and/or sour cream.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces provolone cheese, shredded (2 cups)
8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
1/4 cup minced jarred jalapeños
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Brush rimmed baking sheet with oil.
  2. Combine provolone, mozzarella, and jalapeños in bowl. Fold tortillas in half. Arrange folded tortillas in single layer on prepared sheet with rounded edges facing center of sheet.
  3. Bake until tortilla tops and edges begin to turn spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sheet from oven. Flip tortillas over. Using tongs, open each tortilla and fill each with equal amount cheese mixture (about 1 cup each), leaving 1-inch border. Close tortillas and press firmly with spatula to compact.
  4. Return quesadillas to oven and continue to bake until crisp around edges and golden brown on second side, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Remove from oven and press quesadillas gently with spatula to deflate any air bubbles. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice each quesadilla into 4 wedges and serve.

TEST KITCHEN DISCOVERY: WAIT ON THE CHEESE

To prevent the cheese from liquefying and running onto the baking sheet, we add it only after the first side of each quesadilla has been browned. This arrangement on the baking sheet isn’t random: It’s the best way to fit four large quesadillas at once.

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