Made a Welsh Rabbit for dinner tonight. One of many similar recipes, it
called for three cups of sharp cheddar, a little butter, half a cup of
beer, and a couple of egg yolks, plus some seasonings. As with almost
every dish I've ever made with a *sharp* cheddar, it came out grainy.

I know that milder cheddars would be smoother, but they just don't taste
as good.

Is there a "trick" to melting a sharp cheddar and keeping it smooth?
Maybe keeping it acid (or not)?

Does anybody have a recipe for a good Welsh Rabbit that is very smooth?

thanks, Isaac

On Thu 26 May 2005 09:20:56p, Isaac Wingfield wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> Made a Welsh Rabbit for dinner tonight. One of many similar recipes, it
> called for three cups of sharp cheddar, a little butter, half a cup of
> beer, and a couple of egg yolks, plus some seasonings. As with almost
> every dish I've ever made with a *sharp* cheddar, it came out grainy.
>
> I know that milder cheddars would be smoother, but they just don't taste
> as good.
>
> Is there a "trick" to melting a sharp cheddar and keeping it smooth?
> Maybe keeping it acid (or not)?
>
> Does anybody have a recipe for a good Welsh Rabbit that is very smooth?
>
> thanks, Isaac

Warming the beer and making a small roux helps to insure smoothness. Try
this recipe from the BBC.


Perfect Welsh Rarebit

A good Welsh Rarebit is so much more that cheese on toast. And this is how
to prepare it.

Serves 4

Ingredients
50g flour
50g butter
250 ml strong beer, warmed
250g strong Cheddar, grated
2 teaspoons English mustard
2 tablespoons Worcester Sauce
black pepper

4 large slices granary bread

Method
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and make a roux with the flour. Cook
for a couple of minutes, stirring to prevent the roux from burning. Stir in
the warm beer by degrees, until you have a thick but smooth sauce. Add the
grated cheese and stir until melted. You should now have a thick paste. Mix
in the mustard and Worcester Sauce and season well with black pepper. If
you want a thinner mixture, thin with additional warmed beer.

Lightly toast and butter the bread, then pile up the cheesy mixture on each
slice. Flash under a hot grill for a few minutes, until browned and
bubbling.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
...
> Made a Welsh Rabbit for dinner tonight. One of many similar recipes, it
> called for three cups of sharp cheddar, a little butter, half a cup of
> beer, and a couple of egg yolks, plus some seasonings. As with almost
> every dish I've ever made with a *sharp* cheddar, it came out grainy.
>
> I know that milder cheddars would be smoother, but they just don't taste
> as good.
>
> Is there a "trick" to melting a sharp cheddar and keeping it smooth?
> Maybe keeping it acid (or not)?
>
> Does anybody have a recipe for a good Welsh Rabbit that is very smooth?
>
> thanks, Isaac

This is also by the BBC and looks interesting.

Welsh Rarebit
by Alan Coxon
from Good Food Bites
Alan Coxon conjures up a classy version of a classic British cheese dish, great
for a snack or light meal

Servings: 4-6
Level of difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling
Cooking Time: 5 minutes


You will need: Knife Sharpeners, Tongs

Ingredients
225g Stilton cheese
100g Cheddar cheese, grated
75ml brown ale, (Guinness or Makeson)
1 tsp English mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 egg yolk
freshly ground pepper

To serve:
toasted bread, spread with a little butter and a little horseradish paste
sliced roast beef
fried onion rings


Method
1. Place the Stilton, Cheddar into a heavy-based saucepan and add in the brown
ale.

2. Slowly melt over a low heat, stirring often, making sure that the mixture
does not come to the boil.

3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and leave to cool for 30 minutes.

4. Once cool, place the mixture in a food processor, turn on slowly and add the
egg and egg yolk. Blend until well-mixed and season with freshly ground pepper.

5. To serve, lay a couple of slices of roast beef onto toasted bread, spread
with a little butter and a little horseradish.

6. Top the beef with onion rings, then spread a layer of the rarebit mixture
over the top.

7. Grill until golden and serve piping hot.

Sarah

My mom's recipe....super easy!

1 c mayo
2 c shredded cheddar (I perfer to use half of a good imported cheese
like a cheshire from the gourmet cheese store to give authentic flavor)
1/4 c beer
1/2 c milk
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Whisk together over medium heat.

Had this on Wednesday night over toasted english muffins with sliced
tomatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and a fruit salad on the
side. Shoulda sliced some apples for dipping as well.

The mayo seems a littel weird, but it works!

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
...
> Made a Welsh Rabbit for dinner tonight. One of many similar recipes, it
> called for three cups of sharp cheddar, a little butter, half a cup of
> beer, and a couple of egg yolks, plus some seasonings. As with almost
> every dish I've ever made with a *sharp* cheddar, it came out grainy.
>
<snip>

A good cheese rabbit will not be perfectly smooth. Some cheeses do melt
better than others, but flavor that is more important than texture. In a
recipe using beer or wine, the art of the cheese rabbit is in the matching
of the cheese and liquid flavors. The recipe that Wayne posted is a good
one. While the use of a flour/butter mixture is quite common, it is more in
the nature of "toast with cheese sauce" than "cheese rabbit".

The above is all personal opinion only.
Charliam