2 tablespoons butter
1/ 2 cup white onion, peeled and minced
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small jalapeño chili, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Pinch of ground cumin seed
Dash hot sauce or to taste
4-5 oz ale of your choice
4 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) finely grated aged Cheddar cheese
Salt to taste

Melt butter in large skillet, and add onion, shallot, garlic, chili spices, and cumin. Cook over low heat until onion is translucent. Add hot sauce and ale, whisk well and add cream cheese in large chunks, stirring constantly. When cream cheese is melted, stir in Cheddar cheese and remove from heat. The cheese will melt slowly, but texture is rough. You can scrape mixture into a food processor and pulse on HIGH if you want a smooth-textured dip. Taste and add salt if needed. Scrape mixture into a serving bowl and chill until ready to serve, at least 2 hours for flavors to meld. Garnish: top with chopped toasted pecans or chopped green onions.

I came up with this recipe in response to a query from the Brewing Network – always good to have some *real* cheese spread available for snacks….