Welsh Rarebit
Properly built Welsh rarebit: a thick, savoury cheese sauce loosened with ale, sharpened with mustard and Worcestershire, then grilled until it puffs and blisters on toast. Not just cheese on toast.
Overview
The Welsh take on cheese on toast, and a substantially better dish than the name suggests. You build a thick cheese sauce from a roux of butter and flour cooked together, ale and milk whisked in to loosen, then mature cheddar melted in with mustard and a hit of Worcestershire. The mixture should be thick enough to spread with a spoon, not pour. Pile it onto thick-cut toasted bread (white or wholemeal, never sourdough), and slide under a hot grill until the top is bubbling and freckled with gold. Eaten standing at the kitchen counter while it's still too hot, with a pickle or a glass of cold ale on the side. The Welsh have always taken cheese seriously; this is the simplest argument for why.
Ingredients
- 4 slices sourdough (or good white bread)
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 30 g plain flour
- 100 ml ale (or whole milk for a softer flavour)
- 50 ml whole milk
- 250 g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 tablespoon English mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian if needed)
- 1 egg yolk
- A grating of nutmeg
- Black pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Toast
- Toast the bread until golden but not too dark; it gets a second hit under the grill.
Stage 2 - Sauce
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute (no colour).
- Whisk in the ale and milk; cook 2-3 minutes until thickened to a paste.
- Off the heat, stir in the cheese, mustard, Worcestershire, egg yolk, nutmeg and black pepper. The mixture should be thick and spreadable.
Stage 3 - Grill
- Heat the grill to high.
- Spread the cheese mixture thickly over the toast (right to the edges; the crusts will char nicely).
- Grill 2-3 minutes until puffed, golden and blistered in spots.
Notes
- Thick is right: A pourable rarebit slides off the toast. Pull the sauce off the heat the moment it stops being a paste; it firms further as the cheese melts in.
- Egg yolk: Adds richness and helps the surface puff under the grill. Don't skip it.
- Vegetarian Worcestershire: Most regular Worcestershire contains anchovy; check the label or use a vegetarian alternative.
Storage
- Best eaten immediately. The sauce can be made an hour ahead and held off the heat; reheat gently with a splash of milk if it stiffens.
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