According to my Tucson-native mom, these open-faced quesadillas are made with especially large, thin, flour tortillas that you could find in Sonora, the northernmost state of Mexico. Typically they are served on a large platter, sometimes cut like a pie, for everyone to share.

They are crispy, buttery, and absolutely delicious.

The tortillas one uses to make cheese crisps are much thinner than the sturdy burrito-sized flour tortillas we found to make these. It just means we need to cook them a little longer to get them crispy. Don’t pile on the cheese too much; as with pizza, doing so will weigh down the result.

Arizona Cheese Crisp Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: Makes one large Sonoran quesadilla

If you want to have green chiles on your quesadilla (they are optional), you can either roast your own (use Anaheims, Hatch, or Poblano) or use canned whole green chiles. To roast your own, blacken them over a gas stove, on a grill, or under a broiler, then put the chiles in a covered bowl for a few minutes, then rub off the blackened skin. (See How to Roast Chiles over a Gas Flamevideo.) Then de-seed them and cut them into strips.

Ingredients One large, burrito-size (13-inch diameter or larger) flour tortilla 1 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese 1 or 2 roasted green chiles, peeled, seeded, cut into strips (optional)

Method

Using the convection setting of your oven

1 Preheat your oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Place the flour tortilla on a large baking sheet (a dark baking sheet or cookie sheet will work best. Spread the butter all over the top of the tortilla, all the way to the edges. The butter is important for the flavor of a cheese crisp, so don’t leave it out!

2 Cook the plain buttered tortilla for about 6 minutes or until it begins to get lightly toasted. (Check on the timing for your particular oven.)

3 Remove the tortilla from the oven and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese, leaving about 1/2-inch from the edges. Add strips of green chiles in a star pattern if you want. Return the tortilla to the oven and cook for 2 more minutes, or until all of the cheese has melted. Remove from oven and eat!

My mother will use her oven’s convection setting when she makes these cheese crisps. For convection, she’ll put the buttered tortilla into a cold oven and heat on convection at 375°F for 7 to 10 minutes. Then she’ll sprinkle the cheese and return the quesadilla to the oven for a couple more minutes.

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Links:

Classic Cheese Crisps- from What’s Gaby Cooking