Welsh Rabbit (Rarebit)
Phoney Coney
When I was around 10 my family visited Colonial Williamsburg. I only remember one thing from that trip: My first taste of Welsh Rabbit (aka rarebit). It was at Chowning's Tavern (somehow I remembered that as well) and I adored it. Smooth unctuous cheddar with a hint of spiciness served on crisp toast and contrasted with the bright acid flavor of tomato. Seriously good stuff.
When I lived in northern Virginia a few years ago I made another visit to Williamsburg and again had rarebit at Chowning's. To my complete surprise, the intervening 40 years (and the multitude of rarebits I had made) hadn't affected my memory of the way that first experience tasted at all.
However, in the intervening years I'd developed a recipe of my own and it remains my favorite.
When I was around 10 my family visited Colonial Williamsburg. I only remember one thing from that trip: My first taste of Welsh Rabbit (aka rarebit). It was at Chowning's Tavern (somehow I remembered that as well) and I adored it. Smooth unctuous cheddar with a hint of spiciness served on crisp toast and contrasted with the bright acid flavor of tomato. Seriously good stuff.
When I lived in northern Virginia a few years ago I made another visit to Williamsburg and again had rarebit at Chowning's. To my complete surprise, the intervening 40 years (and the multitude of rarebits I had made) hadn't affected my memory of the way that first experience tasted at all.
However, in the intervening years I'd developed a recipe of my own and it remains my favorite.
Welsh RabbitTraditionally rabbit is served on toast, which is good, but my favorite bread for rabbit is homemade English muffins.
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese — shredded
1/2 c beer — ideally something with a lot of hops
1 tbsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp butter
Melt butter in a heavy sauce pan over low heat. Add cheese a small handful at a time and stir until melted, adding a bit of beer as needed to keep the mixture sauce-like Once all the cheese is melted and you like the consistency, whisk in remaining ingredients.
Note: Depending on the cheese and your preferred consistency you may not need all the beer or may need a bit more. Serves 4.
3 Comments:
I like rarebit, in theory.
My problem, and it's all mine...I don't like beer.
I grew up in a town with it's own brewery, so I know beer!
And the real culprit? The hops. I can't stand the smell/taste of beer. So any recipe that calls for it, I'm less-than excited.
But, I still make rarebit occasionally. I just use slightly less beer than called for.
Stephanie,
Is it the bitterness of hops you dislike?
I'm not really sure...beer itself, to me, is icky.
I tried a hops tea for migraines some years ago, and I could barely stay in the same room as the mug.
I think the 'cure' was as bad as the headache!
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