Want to jazz up your breakfast or brunch? How about a classic Welsh rarebit. It is a quick and easy recipe that is simple to prepare, looks elegant and is super tasty.
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So, what is Welsh rarebit?
Maybe you have heard of it or seen it if you have traveled to Britain where you found that Welsh rarebit is a staple of British fare and a common pub food. It has its origins and variations in English, Scottish and Welsh traditions.
Also called, Welsh Rabbit, it is a dish consisting of bread topped with a savory cheddar cheese sauce that typically includes ingredients such as beer or ale, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard.
Rarebit Variations
- You can even kick it up a notch by serving it topped with an egg, giving it the name, Buck Rarebit.
- Top with bacon and a poached egg for Yorkshire rarebit
- Use red wine as the liquid ingredient for English rarebit
- Place the toasted bread and cheese sauce under the broiler to brown the top for French rarebit
But, why is it called Rabbit or Rarebit?
Is there rabbit in this dish? Nope. This is not a meat dish. Just as another popular toast related food, Toad in the Hole, does not include toad.
Somehow, long ago, the name changed from Welsh Rabbit to Rarebit. Use of the term Welsh rarebit began towards the end of the 18th century and became more commonplace as the dish became more and more popular. The name change was probably an attempt to make the name more fitting to the dish since there is no rabbit involved. But, history is clear that the dish was originally called Rabbit.
There are many suggestions and traditions to the name of this humble dish. One such legend is that the name came about as an ethnic slur against the Welsh by the English. The idea being that the impoverished and uncouth Welsh could not afford a dish with rabbit and had to make due with a simple dish of melted cheese on toast instead. It was, supposedly, due to the English condescension towards their Welsh neighbors suggesting a poor man’s excuse for a meal when no meat was available.
A humorous effect
While researching the origins and history of this dish, I had to chuckle when I read the following:
Welsh rarebit supposedly causes vivid dreams.
Back in the 60’s, there was an episode of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C (Season 3 Episode 24) titled, “Gomer, the Welsh Rarebit Fiend“. Gomer indulged in Welsh rarebit that caused him (and later Sgt. Carter) to sleepwalk and exhibit inverse personality traits.
And, way back in the early 1900’s, Winsor McCay’s wrote a comic strip series, Dream of the Rarebit Fiend that recounts the fantastic dreams that various characters have because they ate a Welsh rarebit before going to bed.
I guess I am a little relieved that we did not experience any vivid dreams or bizarre behavior after our lovely meal of Welsh rarebit. 🙂
How to make Welsh rarebit
Gather your ingredients. I made this dish as a tasty lunch for just my husband and myself so I halved the recipe making 2 instead of 4 servings.
Most of the ingredients are easy to half. When you get to the beer, the recipe calls for 3/4-cup. Half of 3/4’s is a 1/4-cup plus 2 Tablespoons or a total of 6 Tablespoons. I used my 1/4-cup measuring cup plus my 1/8-cup measure. Hope that helps 🙂
Slice a nice, red, ripe tomato. If your bread is a smallish roll, you might want to half the larger tomato slices to fit better or use smaller tomatoes.
What kind of bread is best for making Welsh rarebit?
Welsh rarebit can be made with plain white bread, wheat bread or leftover hoagie rolls, as I did. Just slice the rolls diagonally about the thickness of regular bread before toasting. A good, hearty grain bread is a good choice for this recipe as it can hold up to the weight of the cheese sauce and not turn soggy on you. But even your average, store-bought bread will work.
You will want to have your toast ready before making the cheese sauce because it is best served immediately after melting.
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the mayonnaise, flour, dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, over low heat for about 1 – 2 minutes.
Gradually stir in the beer.
And continue cooking (being careful not to boil) until mixture is thick and smooth.
What is the best cheese for Welsh rarebit?
Traditionally, cheddar cheese is used when making Welsh rarebit. A good sharp or extra-sharp white or yellow cheddar is a good choice.
How to avoid gritty cheese
Maybe this has happened to you. You have made a cheese sauce and it ended up being gritty or clumpy. What ever happened and how do you avoid this?
Here are some of the reasons you might run into a problem.
Adding cheese to a hot, bubbling mixture will cause the cheese to break down. The emulsifiers and coagulants break down when heated and this is what causes that gritty texture. It is a good idea to remove the pan from the heat completely when adding the cheese to prevent it from getting too hot and curdling or breaking.
Use top-quality cheeses, not processed “cheese foods”.
Also, grate the cheese yourself. You will find that using pre-grated cheese rarely melts smoothly. Pre-grated cheese contains preservatives like potato starch and natamycin, used to keep the cheese from clumping together in the bag but it can prevent it from melting well when cooking.
So, add the cheese only after a sauce has thickened, use lowest heat, and stir constantly. Remove the pan from the heat the instant the cheese melts and try to melt the cheese with the pan removed from the heat.
Stir in the shredded cheese, small amounts at a time, until melted. Remember, you can remove the pan from the heat if it begins to curdle or break.
Continue stirring, over very low heat, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Pour or spoon the cheese sauce over the toasted bread and tomatoes.
Plating and serving
Cut the toasted bread diagonally and place on a plate with slices of tomato between each slice. Then pour or ladle the cheese sauce over the slices of toast. Season with black pepper and garnish with snipped chives, scallions or fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
Welsh Rarebit
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup beer
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups). Look for a good sharp or extra-sharp white or yellow cheddar.
- 8 slices bread, toasted (you can use white bread, whole wheat bread, sliced baguettes)
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced so you have 16 slices
- Snipped chives, scallions or fresh parsley for garnish, optional
DIRECTIONS
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the mayonnaise, flour, dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Cook mixture, stirring constantly, over low heat for about 1 minute.
Gradually stir in the beer and continue cooking (being careful not to boil) until the mixture is thick and smooth.
Over very low heat, stir in the shredded cheese, small amounts at a time, until melted.
Plating and serving:
Cut the toasted bread diagonally and place on a plate with slices of tomato between each slice.
Ladle the cheese sauce over the slices of toast. Season with black pepper and garnish with snipped chives, scallions or fresh parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
- Though I have not tried it, I read that milk or apple cider can be substituted for the beer in the recipe.
- Be very careful that you do not overcook or overheat the cheese. Overcooking can cause the sauce to curdle. If it’s really hot, let it cool for a few minutes before adding the cheese. The sauce only needs to be hot enough to melt the grated cheese, which you should stir in gradually until just melted and incorporated.
More breakfast and brunch ideas you might also like…
A Classic Full English Breakfast
Easy, Comforting, Baked Oatmeal
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