The combination of sweet shrimp, rich melted cheese, and spicy peppers is fantastic and this recipe combines them all into one great cheese dip. You can serve it with tortilla chips, bread chunks, or you can even use it as a decadent sauce on fajitas or tacos.
If you don't want to sous vide the shrimp you can quickly sauté them, or even use pre-cooked shrimp if you're in a rush. I call for cascabel and guajillo peppers but you can use any dried peppers you like.
If you like this recipe you can get it and more than 100 other recipes that will help you create remarkable cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and small plates that will amaze your friends. It's all in my book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Party Foods - Get Your Copy Today!
Also, if you are just getting started experimenting with molecular gastronomy and modernist cuisine then I highly recommend one of these molecular gastronomy kits. They have everything you need to do many different dishes.
Because they use modernist ingredients, these amounts are given in metric by weight. For more information on how to measure modernist ingredients check out this article.
Preheat a sous vide bath to 132°F (55.6°C).
Salt and pepper the shrimp, seal in a sous vide pouch, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the bath and set aside until after the cheese sauce is made.
Preheat an oven to 450°F (232°C).
Place the dried peppers in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Let sit for 30 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the water, cut off the stem, and remove the seeds.
Coat the onion, poblano pepper, garlic, and tomatoes with oil then salt and pepper them. Place on a roasting sheet and cook until just starting to blacken, about 15 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest until cool enough to handle.
Dice the roasted vegetables and rehydrated chile peppers and set aside until the cheese sauce is done.
Add the beer and milk to the pot and whisk in the sodium citrate. Bring to a simmer then slowly add in the cheese while pureeing with an immersion blender.
Once all the cheese is incorporated and the queso is smooth, stir in the shrimp and diced vegetables. Serve with chips or bread for dipping, or use as a sauce.