Personal Note: I invent middle-class Welsh Rabbit

[nebroadwe]

I enjoy cooking up to a point -- I get intimidated by recipes that require specialized tools or ingredients, or that begin, "First, joint your hare ..." And I don't usually innovate; I'm happiest following somebody else's tried and true solution. That said, I wanted to make Welsh Rabbit, but I didn't have any beer and didn't know where to go to buy just one bottle instead of a six-pack. (Not a beer-drinker, me.) So I had to improvise and, fortunately, the results were favorable:

LAPIN GALLOIS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, mustard and pepper until blended. Add the cream, wine, and Worcestershire sauce; continue stirring until mixture thickens.

2. Add the cheese into the mixture and keep stirring until it's all melted and blended in. Serve over warm toast. Makes enough for six hungry NPR listeners.

The nice thing about this variation of Welsh Rabbit is that it leaves over in the fridge into a tasty cheese spread. Mmmm.

Comments

[lyrangalia]

Oooo, that sounds nummy. I may have to steal some of Hubby's beer to try it.

The liquor store around here sells singles, as does World Market, if you have one nearby.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Oooo, that sounds nummy. I may have to steal some of Hubby's beer to try it.

I look forward to your report, if you do. (Caveat: this mutated out of a milk-based recipe -- cue howls of outrage from the purists -- so you may want to google for beer-based ones to make sure I'm not leaving out something the traditional Welsh Rabbit requires.)

The liquor store around here sells singles, as does World Market, if you have one nearby.

Hmm. Liquor's a state monopoly where I reside; I suppose I should figure out where the local store is and see if they've got singles hiding somewhere. (They didn't last time I checked, but that was a good while ago.)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Oh, yuuuuuummy.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

You can hear your arteries collapsing as you melt the cheese.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Finest kind. :D

[nateprentice.livejournal.com]

Hey! No rabbit in the stew? Elmer Fudd would be so disappointed.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Hey, Elmer Fudd's rich enough to have real rabbit at every meal, if he wanted. Us poor ex-grad students have to settle for cheese.

[nateprentice.livejournal.com]

"Excuse me sir, may I have some more?"

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Mooooore?"

[ishte.livejournal.com]

Pretend rabbit huh? We have a couple of local places that actually do carry rabbits around here. One of them unfortunately closed a few years ago.

On that one bottle of beer thing. I'm not a beer drinker myself, but here in Ohio, most convenience stores will sell single bottles. Some only sell larger bottles but they're still more expensive than buying a six pack.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Pretend rabbit huh? We have a couple of local places that actually do carry rabbits around here. One of them unfortunately closed a few years ago.

I had rabbit-loaf once down at the Belgian pub with the great desserts (mmm, killer chocolate things with the density of plutonium) and it didn't set my world on fire. Welsh Rabbit, though, is one of my favorite comfort dishes, usually to be eaten with fresh apple slices and strong, hot tea. Uh, when's lunch?

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

MmM, real rabbit. Grilled...then barbequed. Or served in burgoo. Or fried, like chicken. I love rabbit.