Welsh Rarebit
This is Welsh rarebit, or rabbit, a traditional British dish whose name has a long and complicated history, one we will not go into here. Anyone can lay a few slices of cheese on toast and melt them, but creating a thick sauce of cheese, beer and spices and then spreading it on toast creates one of the best late-night snacks I know. A good, hearty grain bread is optimal for this recipe. The recipe needs a bread that can hold up to the weight of the cheese sauce and not turn soggy on you.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. mustard powder, or to taste
- ½ tsp. cayenne, or to taste
- ¾ cup strong dark beer, like Guinness
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
- 1-pound cheddar, double Gloucester or other English cheese, grated
- 4 to 8 pieces bread, lightly toasted
Instructions
- Put butter in a saucepan, over medium heat, and, as it melts, stir in flour.
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and very fragrant; 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in mustard and cayenne; whisk in beer and Worcestershire sauce.
- When mixture is uniform, turn heat to low and stir in cheese, again stirring until smooth.
- Remove from heat and pour into a broad container to set; you can refrigerate for up to a day at this point.
- When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator; spread mixture thickly on toast; put under broiler until bubbly and edges of toast are crisp.
- Serve immediately.