Ed Rasimus wrote:

> The cheese could have been mozzarella, but more often in SW cuisine
> (New Mexican or Tex-Mex), the cheese is jack. There is an authentic
> Mexican cheese, but the name escapes me at the moment. It's a bit more
> tart than jack, but the same consistency as mozzarella (except for the
> fresh curd style of mozz.)

Ed,
Since Jalapeño poppers are an item unknown in Mexico (aside from
swanky bars in Mexico City probably), one can speculate endelessly on
what or might not be appropriate (apropos of another thread, poppers
would almost certainly qualify -- arguably with the burrito -- as
another quintessentially American dish). Taking our cue from chile
rellenos, though, the cheese would be asadero (aka "Chihuahua"), a white
cows' milk cheese very similar to unaged Monterey jack.

Mark Lipton

p.s. Not to start another food-related argument, but I actually find
the chile selection in the SW to be a bit limited: in New Mexico, the
New Mexico chile, both fresh and dried, is ubiquitous IME. It's not so
easy to find the "holy trinity" of dried chiles (for a good mole,
f'rinstance): ancho, mulato y pasilla. Perhaps I just haven't shopped
in the right places, though...