When you haven’t tried Welsh rarebit, as soon as often known as “Welsh rabbit,” it could be since you’re postpone by its objectively bizarre identify. Nobody truly is aware of the place that identify got here from — essentially the most frequent principle is that it was initially a impolite insult to Welsh individuals, insinuating that they have been too silly or poor to inform the distinction between an precise rabbit and the plate of cheese-sauce-topped toast, in style at pubs throughout the UK. However regardless of its sophisticated etymological origins, Welsh rarebit is maybe some of the under-appreciated — and scrumptious — meals on the planet.
I first encountered Welsh rarebit at Lord’s, the British bistro in New York Metropolis, and it was love at first sight. However I didn’t truly try to make the dish myself after that first scrumptious tacky toast till I noticed Molly Baz’s recipe for rarebit “mac and greens,” a super-decadent mac and cheese loaded with tons of kale. As soon as I’d made the sauce for Baz’s mac, I someway ended up with a ton of leftovers, and didn’t wish to throw away what was most likely about $14 in good English cheddar. I unfold the leftovers onto toast, and now Welsh rarebit is a vital a part of my eating repertoire.
Though it (sadly) isn’t precisely frequent on restaurant menus, making Welsh rarebit at residence is very easy. It begins with a tacky, stout-infused sauce. You make a fast roux of flour and butter, toasting the 2 collectively till the combination smells barely nutty. Then, you skinny out the roux with a can of stout till it combines right into a easy, thick sauce. From there, you whisk a ton of mature cheddar — I like a mix of Irish, English, and extra-sharp cheddars — into the combination till it’s thick and gooey. As soon as the combination is full, just a few heavy dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a scoop of Colman’s punchy English mustard are added to chop via all that wealthy cheese and beer.
When the sauce is prepared, you smear it thickly onto a slice of bread — ideally, a hearty slice of sourdough or whole-wheat — and pop it below the broiler. Contained in the oven, the bread and cheese get good and toasty, the cheese bubbly and browned. You can, in fact, simply eat the toast as is, however it’s higher with just a few dashes of Worcestershire on high. What makes it even higher, as I realized from one chef on TikTok, is to make use of your knife to impress a criss-cross of indentations on the toast earlier than including the Worcestershire, which creates a community of rivulets that can guarantee your dish is evenly sauced and never soggy.
As soon as I’ve eaten my toast, I pour the leftover sauce right into a pint container and stick it in my fridge, the place it corporations right into a paste that’s straightforward to unfold over bread with out making a multitude. The leftovers final without end — the cheese and beer function form of pure preservatives — and maintaining them round implies that you’ve just about at all times received a satisfying snack or fast meal available, as long as there’s additionally a loaf of bread within the kitchen.
I don’t suppose there’s any event the place Welsh rarebit isn’t acceptable, truly. I typically eat it for breakfast, particularly on these mornings after I’m too lazy to even ponder frying an egg. It’s nice served alongside soup or as a pre-dinner appetizer to snack on when you end cooking the meal. It’s additionally a rattling effective addition to a grilled cheese, or served melted alongside crudites as a form of rustic fondue.
Contemplating its unbelievable versatility and unmatched consolation meals standing, it’s actually time for Welsh rarebit to make a comeback, even when it’s simply inside our personal kitchens. It might not be the fanciest dish or look essentially the most glamorous on Instagram, however there’s a extremely apparent cause that this tacky, savory toast has been a pub staple within the U.Ok. for greater than 300 years: it’s good as hell.
