Welsh Rarebit

Name: Welsh Rarebit
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: British (Welsh)
Ingredients: 200 g Mature cheddar, grated; 20 g Butter; 20 g Plain flour; 75 ml Ale or dark beer; 1 tsp English mustard; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 Egg yolk; 1 pinch Cayenne or paprika; 2 slices Thick bread

Not cheese on toast but its grown-up cousin: a thick, spreadable cheese sauce sharpened with ale, mustard and Worcestershire, spread over toast and grilled until it blisters. Despite the old name 'Welsh rabbit', it contains no rabbit.

Nguồn

Công thức của Welsh home kitchens · 🏺 Truyền thống · Home cooking of Wales — dairy, leeks and cheese at its heart

Welsh · traditional dish — An ownerless traditional dish, so no cook is credited. The cited article dates 'Welsh rabbit' to 1725 and 'rarebit' to 1781, explains that the name is jocular — 'Welsh' used mockingly and the dish containing no rabbit — and describes it as a hot cheese sauce, often including ale, mustard or Worcestershire sauce, served on toasted bread. It also names the variants 'buck rabbit' (with an egg) and 'blushing bunny' (with tomato). Quantities and method here are this book's own.

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⏱ 20 phút🍽 2 khẩu phần🔥 430 kcal🇬🇧 Anh

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Melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and cook for a minute to a paste. Pour in the ale a little at a time, whisking, until you have a smooth, thick base.
Turn the heat low and add the grated cheese a handful at a time, stirring until it melts into a thick, glossy sauce. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire and cayenne.
💡 Keep the heat low and do not let it boil once the cheese is in — too much heat makes cheese go stringy and split into oil. It should be thick enough to spread, not pour.
Take the pan off the heat, let it cool for a minute, then beat in the egg yolk if using. Meanwhile, toast the bread on both sides.
Spread the cheese mixture thickly right to the edges of the toast — covering the crusts stops them burning under the grill.
Grill (broil) close to the heat for 2–3 minutes until the top is bubbling, blistered and browned in patches. Serve at once.
💡 This is why the sauce is thick, not runny — a spreadable topping puffs and browns under the grill, while a thin one just slides off the toast and burns on the tray.

💡 Mẹo

The name is a joke, not a mistake. 'Welsh rabbit' was recorded first (1725), with 'rarebit' a later, fancier respelling (1781); 'Welsh' was used mockingly for a cheap dish, and there was never any rabbit. Both spellings are correct.
Two named variations from the same tradition: a 'buck rabbit' is a Welsh rarebit with a poached egg on top, and a 'blushing bunny' has tomato stirred into the sauce.
It is vegetarian if you use a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (or leave it out), but it is not halal or alcohol-free as written, because of the ale — swap in milk for a version that is.