On Fri 19 Sep 2008 11:26:00a, Dimitri told us...

> Taste memories are strange - My first experience with Welsh Rarebit was
> a place on Wilshire Blvd in LA called Rand's Roundup and they had a
> Sunday Brunch. This of course was in the late 40's or early 50's.
> Rarebit was a popular item at that time. I'll bet some of the cookbooks
> from that era would help with proper recipes. I'll search my data base.

My first experience with Welsh Rarebit was the one I wrote about at
Halle's, and I've never had better. However, the time frame is different
from yours. The first time I had it as in the mid 60's.

I have a good collection of cookbooks from that period, but haven't the
time today to really search, as I'm working from home and have a tough
assignment.

> If you look at the Old cookbook site and do a search you'll find 30 or
> so recipes. I used to add a small amount of Worcestershire. The other
> "Problem" for me is the Sharp cheddar. In my experience the sharper the
> cheese the more it separated when melted which may be why a chafing dish
> and slow heat is used.

I did find a recipe adapted by Mark Bittman that looked interesting, but I
might adjust the cayenne and Worcestershire sauce down a bit. Recipe
below.

> Is there a difference between a fondue and Welsh Rarebit? I think not.
> A good fondue uses potato flour or some starch to act as a binder.
> Maybe that starch technique needs to be applied.

I agree. They are basically the same. In the following recipe, up to the
point of adding the cheese, I would cook as instructed, but then transfer
to a double boiler and then begin adding and melting the cheese. I've had
much better results in creating and maintaining a smooth texture in a
double boiler.

What do you think of this one? It seems to have all the flavor components,
although I may find in experimenting with it that I'll want to adjust some
of the flavors to match my "memory". Yes, taste memories are strange.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour (could use potato flour)
1 tablespoon mustard powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup strong dark beer, like Guinness
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
1 pound Cheddar, Double Gloucester or other English cheese (or other good
semi-hard cheese, like Comté or Gruyère, or a mixture), grated
(I would probably use all Cheddar)

Method
1. Put butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, as it melts, stir in
flour. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and very
fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in mustard and cayenne, then whisk in beer
and Worcestershire sauce.

2. When mixture is uniform, turn heat to low and stir in cheese, again
stirring until smooth.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Friday, 09(IX)/19(XIX)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
7wks 3dys 12hrs
*******************************************
He not only overflowed with learning,
he stood in the slop. --Sydney Smith
*******************************************