Rarebit, anyone?

Welsh Rarebit or Welsh Rabbit? Regardless of regional variations, the name is an oddity and seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with Wales or anywhere else as far as I've ever heard. (Regardless of Looney Tunes, the dish has nothing to do with hassenpfeffer, even though that is simply German for "rabbit stew.") I adore any of the variations of this dish, being a huge fan of cheese, mustard, cayenne and beer.

Thanks to my dear friend, Tartiflette, I can present you with the basic recipe for Rarebit and two regional variations, Yorkshire and Scots. So, on with the cheeseing!

Basic Welsh Rarebit (the classic with cheese, mustard and ale)

This is supposed to serve two but around here it's barely enough for me! I like more cayenne, too.

• 2 slices bread
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• dash salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
  
• 1/2 ounce butter
• 3 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon beer or ale

Mix all ingredients but the bread together. Set aside.
Toast bread lightly on one side.
Spread cheese mixture on untoasted side of bread.
Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Enjoy hot!

Yorkshire Rarebit (crisp bacon and is made with Wensleydale*)

• 1 3/4 ounces butter
• 1 3/4 ounces plain flour
• 1 1/8 cup milk
• 1 1/8 cup black sheep ale or an ale of your choice
• 1 1/8 cup mature Wensleydale cheese
• 1 tsp. English mustard powder
• 2 slice streaky bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled
  
• few drops of Worcestershire, to taste
• 1 egg
• 4 Ciabatta rolls

Melt butter and add flour. Make into a roux, stir in milk and ale.

Stir over heat until a stiff sauce forms. Add the mustard powder and the Worchestershire, stir in and add the cheese. Stir until melted. When all melted, add the egg and bacon and stir.

Cut the ciabatta rolls into half and toast, top each piece with some of the cheese mixture and brown under the broiler. Serve with a little salad or as a savoury at the end of a meal.


Scotch Rarebit (Straight from Mrs Beeton, who evidently wasn't a big fan of punctuation. The cook is assumed to know what the proportions are to produce the desired result.)

• Rich Cheese, few slices
• Toast
• Mustard
• Pepper

Cut some nice rich sound cheese into rather thin slices.
Melt in a cheese toaster on a hot plate or over steam.
When melted, add a small quantity of mixed mustard and a seasoning of pepper.
Stir the cheese until it is completely dissolved.
Brown it before the heat or with a salamander.
Fill the bottom of the cheese toaster with hot water and serve with dry or buttered toasts, whichever may be preferred.
A cheese toaster has a hot water reservoir, the cheese is melted in the upper tin, which is placed in another vessel of boiling water, so keeping the preparation beautifully hot.
A small quantity of porter or port wine, is sometimes mixed with the cheese, and if it be not very rich, a few pieces of butter may be mixed with it to great advantage.
Sometimes the melted cheese is spread on the toasts and then laid in the cheese dish at the top of the hot water.
Whichever way it is served, it is highly necessary that the mixture be very hot and very quickly served or it will be worthless.



* As far as I'm concerned, there isn't anything made with Wensleydale that isn't absolutely delicious.