by Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville
As I have often repeated to anyone who wants to hear: “simple is good!” In fact, many heritage recipes are both tasty and extremely simple. One of these is the Welsh Rarebit. Originally named Welsh Rabbit, it’s a dish of hot cheese sauce served on toasted bread. What happened to the Rabbit? There never was any, it was an insider joke, so the name ended up as Welsh Rarebit.
Welsh Rarebit
Ingredients
- 8 slices of bread (preferably a grainy bread with lots of flavour)
- Enough butter to coat the bread generously, once toasted
- 12 ounces of Cheddar Cheese (older is better, once again, for flavour)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon of ground mace
- 1 teaspoon of powdered mustard
- 5 tablespoons of beer
- A sprinkle of black pepper
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees
- Toast and butter the bread (on both sides)
- Arrange the bread on a cookie sheet
- Cut the cheese into small cubes and place in a saucepan 5. Melt the cheese on low heat and stir in the mace, mustard and beer
- Spread the melted mixture on the toast
- Sprinkle with pepper and bake for about 10 minutes
If this sounds a bit like a grilled cheese sandwich or the Scottish version of rarebit, it’s because many cultures have discovered the excellent combination of cooking bread and cheese together. Remember the Swiss Fondue? Serve hot right from the oven either as a luncheon snack or to accompany something else, such as a salad. The Welsh Rarebit goes well with a dark ale.
By the way, you’ll be happy to know that September 3rd is National Welsh Rarebit Day in the British Isles. And, if you add a poached egg on top, the dish becomes a Golden Buck. Go figure…Enjoy, from pcormier@ranaprocess.com.
