There are special recipes to consider now that the fall and winter seasons are coming upon us. One of those recipes is Welsh Rarebit. I love English “Pub Grub” comfort foods and a well prepared Welsh Rarebit soothes and relaxes like few others dishes can do, especially on a cold day.
O.K. Men! This may not be a romantic nosh, but once in a while you have to treat yourself.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of Room Temperature Butter
2 Tablespoons of All Purpose flour
1 Teaspoon of Mustard (use your favorite spicy brown, Dijon, whatever)
1 Teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
½ Teaspoon each of Salt and Pepper
½ Cup of Dark Beer (Aficionados of this dish love to use a porter, but I prefer Shiner Bock)
¾ Heavy Cream or Half n’ Half
6 Oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (do not use aged cheese)
8 Slices of bread (I prefer seedless rye)
Step 1: In a 2 quart pot, melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Let the roux cook for at least 1 – 2 minutes. Remember, you can’t put cold butter into a hot pan. It will turn brown and nasty in seconds. It’s better to use room temperature butter and melt it over medium heat.
Step 2: Add the beer. The beer will cool off the pot, which will allow you to add the cream without shocking it. Go ahead and add the cream and all other ingredients except the cheese
Step 3: When the mixture has heated (not boiling) you can add the cheese and stir. The cheese will melt and absorb the liquid creating a silky smooth cheese sauce. If you let this mixture boil (or used aged cheddar) the sauce will be gritty instead of smooth and creamy.
This is also a good time to toast your bread.
Step 4: Move an oven rack to the highest position and turn on your broiler. Spoon the cheese sauce over each toasted slice. I like to put my slices of bread on a cookie sheet. Watch as the cheese starts to bubble and create a brown crust. It can go from golden brown goodness to black burnt yuck very quickly. Have your oven mitts ready to remove the cookie sheet instantly.
Step 5: Eat and enjoy. It washes down especially well with the same beer that you used to make the sauce.
I could not get my hands on a bakery quality loaf of seedless rye bread and had to opt for a country white loaf as evidenced by the photo. It was still quite yummy, and so was the beer.
Is your recipe different? Let me know how this came out.
San Giacomo's Corner 