Welsh Rarebit

Welsh Rarebit 7 The Curvy Carrot

This is one of those dishes that had always caught my eye in the past.  A mixture of cream, cheese, and beer drizzled over a buttery toasted piece of bread?  Ummm, ok.  Hold me back.

But it’s also one of those recipes that I was afraid to make for the sole reason that I would fall in love with it and then make it way too often (read: high cholesterol.)

And so I did.

Of course, there’s a million different ways to make/eat this dish.  You can broil it, serve it with fried eggs on top (I did this, and it is equally as delicious), or you can serve it up with various different herbs and flavorings.  I wanted something  relatively straightforward here-something reminiscent of a beer cheese fondue.  I found this version by Alton Brown and decided to run with it.  And so I did…over and over and over again.

This is so simple to make. For breakfast, dinner, whatever.  (It also would probably make a great breakfast the morning after indulging a bit too much the night before-not that anyone ever does that.  Ummm.)  It comes together in less than ten minutes, and it’s completely satisfying.  Save this for a rainy day or a day for a much needed comfort food indulgence, and you’ll be sold, too.

 

Welsh Rarebit 3 The Curvy Carrot

 

 

Welsh Rarebit

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (use a vegetarian-friendly one if this is a concern)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper, to taste

1/2 cup beer (use a porter; I had Guinness on hand, so I used that.)

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Sriracha, to taste

Pumpernickel bread, toasted (or use whatever kind you like) and buttered

For the top: chives, fried egg, etc.

 

Instructions

1.  In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter.

2. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is lightly golden, about 2 minutes.

3. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt.

4. Add the beer, stirring until combined.

5. Add the cream and stir until smooth.

6. Slowly add the cheese in batches, stirring until each batch is thoroughly incorporated.

7. Once all the cheese has been added and the mixture is smooth, add the Sriracha (or other hot sauce) and salt and pepper, to taste.

8. Pour the rarebit over the toast and serve immediately.
Source:  Directly from Alton Brown and the Food Network.

March 18, 2014 - 8:56 am

Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche - This looks delish! I agree you can’t go far wrong with cheese and beer 😀 I must point out though, this is a Welsh recipe, NOT an English one (hence the name!). My Welsh dad would have a fit if he saw you calling it English haha

March 18, 2014 - 9:11 am

bellini - I remember making this as a teenager and loving it!!! What has stopped me from making it lately. Absolutely nothing, thanks for the reminder.

March 18, 2014 - 9:03 pm

Maria Tadic - For the longest time I had NO clue what this was. But I had to put on a 1950’s style dinner and found this to be a common dish back in those days! I can see why too…cheese and bread. The best combo ever! I love the idea of a fried egg on top. Geesh…i want that now!

March 18, 2014 - 9:37 pm

Joanne - For the longest time, I read rarebit as rabbit and was always SO CONFUSED. Especially when vegetarians were eating it.

That beer-cheese sauce?! I want to bathe in it.

March 19, 2014 - 1:39 am

Helen @ Scrummy Lane - My goodness, this looks delicious, and it doesn’t help that I’m reading at breakfast time! Like the commenter above Welsh rarebit always used to make me think of rabbits and I had no idea what it was. I’ve actually never tried it, which is shameful, but then again it sounds like it would be easy to get hooked if I tried making this one with the beer in it. What a genius idea!