Traditional Welsh Rarebit Recipe is an open-faced grilled cheese or cheese on toast. Toasted bread slices are topped with a savory cheese sauce made from beer, cheese, butter, mustard, then browned in the oven to golden, bubbly perfection. This may just be the tastiest grilled cheese ever!
This easy, comfort food is basically a grown-up grilled cheese made with with beer, mustard and cheese. What’s not to love?
As a kid, cheese on toast, as we Brits call it, was one of my favorites things to eat. It was also a meal when my parents were out that I could make myself. Then I met Welsh rarebit.
What is the difference between cheese on toast (grilled cheese) and Welsh rarebit?
Cheese on toast is just that, cheese melted on top of bread. A grilled cheese is cheese melted between 2 slices of bread cooked in a pan. Welsh rarebit is a toasted slice of bread topped with a cheese and beer sauce and broiled/grilled until the top is bubbly.
Why do they call it Welsh Rarebit?
In Welsh it is called Mochyn Du.The recipe is over 2 centuries old and common in Southern and Western England and the rarebit/rabbit part is the cheese sauce that is poured over toasted bread.
Welsh Rarebit origin is a little sketchy, but it is said the dish was a way to highlight the Welsh wheat bread and cheese. Some say that toasted cheese is so popular in Wales that it spread like rabbits, others say only the wealthiest of people could afford to eat rabbit, so they alternative ‘Welsh rarebit’ was born. A much more appetizing name I think and since there is no rabbit in the dish, a more befitting name.
The best bread for Welsh rarebit
A good, hearty, thick sliced bread is optimal for this recipe. A bread that can hold up to the weight of the cheese sauce and not turn soggy on you. Sourdough or grain bread are all good choices.
Welsh rarebit without beer
If you don’t want to serve beer to your kids, you can substitute the beer for milk.
What do you serve with Welsh Rarebit?
I serve this Welsh Rarebit with a side of Warm Cherry Tomato and Basil Salad. You can also serve with a simple lettuce salad or a vegetable of your choice.
National Welsh Rarebit Day
Yes, it has a National Day and falls on 3rd September every year. I don’t know why, but there seems to be a National holiday for just about any food and dish, so why not.
Welsh Rarebit Cheese
A good sharp white cheddar is best for this recipe. If you can find a Welsh cheddar, even better. A grocery store with a large cheese department will most likely have white Welsh cheddar. I found it at my Kroger store. I have also seen it Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
Leftover cheese sauce
Sometimes when I make this, I have sauce leftover. It keeps well in a sealed container refrigerated for up to 4 days. Then you can enjoy Welsh rarebit for days.
Traditional Welsh Rarebit Recipe – Step by Step
Toast bread slices until browned on both sides.
Melt butter in a saucepan until bubbling.
Whisk flour into the melted butter and cook for 1 minute to cook out the flour taste.
Whisk dark ale, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder into the flour mix.
Add white sharp cheddar cheese and stir until completely melted and smooth.
Spread the cheese sauce onto the slices of toasted bread. Broil until melted, brown and bubbly.
If you’ve tried this Traditional Welsh Rarebit Recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!
Yield: 4
Traditional Welsh Rarebit Recipe
A thick slice of bread is topped with a savory cheese sauce made from beer, cheese, butter, mustard and broiled to bubbly perfection.
To a saucepan, add the butter over medium heat.When the butter is melted and sizzling, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Continue whisking until the flour is well mixed and not lumpy.
Slowly pour in the ale while whisking, then the Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Use a spatula and stir in the cheese until it is completely melted and the sauce is smooth.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to slightly cool and thicken.
Preheat broiler (oven grill).
Spread the cheese sauce on all of the slices of bread. Broil until bubbly and browned. Serve immediately
Put the cheese, mustard, Worcester sauce and Tabasco sauce in and stir until melted. Beat in the egg yolks and flour and gently cook for a further 2 minutes. Evenly spoon over the bread and bacon then spoon the cheese mix all over and bake for 5 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Put the cheese, mustard, Worcester sauce and Tabasco sauce in and stir until melted. Beat in the egg yolks and flour and gently cook for a further 2 minutes. Evenly spoon over the bread and bacon then spoon the cheese mix all over and bake for 5 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Cheese on toast is made by grilling slices of pure cheese on toasted bread whereas welsh rarebit is a grilled cheese based sauce made from cheese, flour, beer and often added egg.
You can use your favorite local beer, mustard, and any strong Cheddar cheese in this recipe. If you don't like beer, you can replace it with milk; it will still taste great! This traditional Welsh rarebit recipe is comfort food at its best.
The original 18th-century name of the dish was the jocular "Welsh rabbit", which was later reinterpreted as "rarebit", as the dish contains no rabbit. Variants include English rabbit, Scotch rabbit, buck rabbit, golden buck, and blushing bunny.
Two jars of delicious Welsh Rarebit mix ready to spread on your toast and put under your grill. Absolutely lovely! Keep in your fridge and use within 2 weeks of receipt from us.
A lighter ale would work nicely, as would a brown ale. I've also seen recipes that use darker porter beers. Often eaten as a main course or high tea, Welsh rarebit makes a light, yet filling meal when served alongside a nice green salad.
An indulgent twist on the more traditional Welsh Rarebit. This savoury treat is expertly made by combining our West Country Farmhouse Cheddar with Worcestershire sauce, mustard, a whole egg and a drop of Fortnum's Ale with dry-cured bacon. A favourite in our restaurants.
"Le Welsh" (Welsh rarebit or rabbit) is a dish often found on the menus of brasseries in the North, especially near the coast. This old substitute dish originated in Wales and, according to the "legend", came to the Opal Coast during the 1st World War.
In the early 1900s, the Dream of the Rarebit Fiend comic strip conveyed how the spicy cheese dish Welsh rarebit leads to bizarre and disturbing dreams.
A Hot Brown Sandwich (sometimes known as a Kentucky Hot Brown) is a variation on the traditional Welsh rarebit. The Hot Brown was created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. Inspired by the name, we chose brown ale for the mornay sauce.
The classic British staple, suitable as breakfast, lunch dinner or a snack, is a dish consisting of a hot cheese-based sauce (typically containing butter, milk, beer, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, ground black pepper, flour, salt and Cheddar cheese) served over slices of toasted bread, best enjoyed with a generous ...
Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit Frozen Dish offers a quick, easy addition to lunch or dinner. This Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit microwave dish includes creamy cheese sauce made with 100% real cheddar cheese.
To make butter put the cream into a kitchen aid with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high until the cream separates into butter and buttermilk, spoon into a sieve lined with muslin and strain off. Mix the butter with any of the above and season.
Welsh rarebit, a traditional British dish consisting of toasted bread topped with a savory cheddar cheese sauce that typically includes such ingredients as beer or ale, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, mustard, and paprika.
To make the gravy: Drain all juices from the turkey roasting tray into a clean saucepan. Add 1 tbsp of Bovril or Marmite yeast extract. Bring to the boil and reduce. To thicken add 25g softened butter to another pan with 25g plain flour and mix together to form a paste.
Introduction: My name is Allyn Kozey, I am a outstanding, colorful, adventurous, encouraging, zealous, tender, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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