Jen's Enchilada Suiza Surprise

I purchased some Gruyere cheese without really having a clear plan on what I was going to do with it. Well, there is always the option of eating it straight...but sitting on the couch nibbling on a hunk of cheese does not seem all that attractive. I do have a little more self control than that...barely. Gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses, but one that I don't get to have all that often due to it's expensive nature. I only buy it when my Gruyere hankerin' gets out of control, as it did this week. So, to justify my pricey cheese purchase, I decided to make some cheese enchiladas with it.
I did a few recipe searches, but I could not find exactly what I wanted. I remember having an Enchilada Suiza dish out at a Mexican restaurant one time, which used Swiss cheese and a spicy, creamy white sauce. While I found plenty of Chicken enchilada recipes with a creamy white sauces, I could not find a cheese-only Suiza recipe that had all the components of what I wanted exactly. That means I am free to wing it! So, I am going to piece together a recipe and see how it all comes together.

I think I will serve my enchiladas with some of my pinto beans and a side of steamed green beans. Normally, I would tag this as a vegetarian dish but I have to use a 'cream of' soup, and the only one I have is the 'cream of chicken' variety. That kinda negates the vegetarian quality of this dish. Oh well, I will just close my eyes and try to ignore the little chicken chunks when I eat this dish.

Here is the link to my pinto beans recipe:

Jen's Pinto Beans

Okay, on to my recipe...

Jen's Enchilada Suiza Surprise
1 onion, diced
6-8 oz. of shredded Gruyere cheese
4-6 oz. of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
4 oz. of canned green chiles, diced
2 oz. of canned jalapenos, diced
1 (15 oz) can of cream of chicken soup, undiluted
8 oz. of low-fat sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt
2 oz. of low fat cream cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk (depending on how thick you want your sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
cumin to taste
coriander to taste
Adobo seasoning to taste
Ancho chile powder to taste
corn tortillas (preferably homemade)
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease with cooking spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, combine soup, cream cheese, sour cream, green chiles, jalapenos, garlic, cumin, coriander, Adobo seasoning, Ancho chile powder, salt, and pepper. Add milk and stir thoroughly to combine. Heat sauce through over medium heat, to a simmer; sauce should be warm throughout. Pour about 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the 9 x 13 dish and set the rest aside.

Separate 2 ounces of each type of cheese out into a small bowl; this will be for topping. Combine the remaining Gruyere and Jack cheese in a separate bowl. Place shredded cheese mixture and onions in middle of corn tortillas and roll. Place filled tortillas in casserole dish, seam side down. Once all tortillas are rolled and placed in the dish, pour the rest of the cream sauce over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes is up, remove foil and sprinkle rest of cheese over top of the enchiladas. Cook uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!

Jen's Notes:
All measurements are approximate. Since I am not sure exactly how much I am going to use, this is just a rough guideline of my game plan. I will post any changes I make in my results. As mentioned in the ingredients, I need corn tortillas. I don't have any on hand, but I have a fantastically easy and delicious recipe to make them from scratch. I will probably make a batch while my son is napping today.

Here is the link to the Corn Tortilla recipe that I use:

Rick Bayless Easy Corn Tortillas

Wish me luck!



The Result:
This was awesome! A total keeper. This turned out to be exactly what I had in mind. I love it when I have a taste for something specific, and then I am able to recreate it! (That little talent came in handy when I was pregnant and having strange cravings.) The sauce was spicy and creamy. The Gruyere itself melted beautifully and complimented the sauce and tortillas nicely. This was really decadent and delicious. It certainly satisfied my Gruyere craving for awhile. I loved every bite of this dish!