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.