Welsh Rarebit

[DonRocks]

Has anyone ever had a good Welsh Rarebit? I have not.

Until I learn otherwise, Welsh Rarebit is something like a Ploughman's Lunch (*) or an Irish Breakfast (**) - everybody orders it once; nobody orders it twice (although when you're staying in Irish hotels, sometimes you don't have a choice about the Irish Breakfast).

Capish?

(*) Picture scraps from the drunken, non-eaten remnants of a Safeway party platter, except there's always this one pickle.

(**) 10:59 AM Holiday Inn Express steam-table breakfast with canned baked beans - I don't know any better way to put it.

[Ericandblueboy]

Pretty sure I've never had it - just doesn't sound appealing at all.  I'd eat a haggis first.

[dracisk]

I think it sounds good, but I don't think I've ever had it, either.

[DonRocks]

10 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Pretty sure I've never had it - just doesn't sound appealing at all.  I'd eat a haggis first.

5 minutes ago, dracisk said:

I think it sounds good, but I don't think I've ever had it, either.

It's essentially medieval nachos.

[dracisk]

8 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

It's essentially medieval nachos.

Welp, I love nachos!

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, dracisk said:

Welp, I love nachos!

Nachos, fondue, grilled cheese sandwich - these are all variants of one-another. There's certainly no reason that Welsh Rarebit can't be good; I suspect people order it to be adventurous, and are often disappointed. 

If you want a "cheese on bread" lunch with a culinary kick, seek out "Fromage Fort." Literally "strong cheese," this was fed to field workers as a cheap, caloric, protein-packed lunch to keep them going throughout the day. When a French family had scraps of cheese rinds, they'd boil them in wine, causing many a cauldron to bubble over, and making a strong (depending on what else was added), gloppy paste which they'd ladle onto slices of baguette, giving a hot meal to their chilly farmhands (sometimes grape pickers), sometimes with a coupe of cheap wine, and avoiding wasted cheese. It's a romantic concept that I've enjoyed several times in the past - it's absolutely not haute cuisine, however! This is probably the closest thing to Welsh Rarebit in spirit, and I personally love its anti-waste, "farm-to-tail" rationale. I mean, even though it sounds like blue-collar trash food, these were *good cheeses* that the Fromage Fort was made from! Yes, the rinds are pungent, but the spread, on bread, really isn't at all bad if it's done well. Yes, it's assertive, but when you've spent several hours working up a sweat, it goes down really well, just like macaroni and cheese would, and the workers found their energy to get through the afternoon's labors.

[Mark Slater]

3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Has anyone ever had a good Welsh Rarebit? I have not.

Until I learn otherwise, Welsh Rarebit is something like a Ploughman's Lunch (*) or an Irish Breakfast (**) - everybody orders it once; nobody orders it twice (although when you're staying in Irish hotels, sometimes you don't have a choice about the Irish Breakfast).

Capish?

(*) Picture scraps from the drunken, non-eaten remnants of a Safeway party platter, except there's always this one pickle.

(**) 10:59 AM Holiday Inn Express steam-table breakfast with canned baked beans - I don't know any better way to put it.

Welsh Rarebit (sometimes pronounced Rabbit in the US) has always meant to me Cheddar cheese and beer. With the proliferation recently of so many craft and European beers available these day, I believe the third ingredient is butter. Add crunchy toasted bread and Voilá,

[MsDiPesto]

I have made the recipe from the Vegetarian Epicure cookbook for decades. It's wonderful. And if you have leftover Rabbit, you can put it in the bottom of a bowl of tomato soup...bliss. 

[sandynva]

i've always wanted to try this dish actually--i'll try to get that vegetarian epicure recipe and try it. it sounds similar to  indian chili cheese toast which i love. it's not fancy and more of a snack  than a meal, but tasty nonetheless. (i've never tried to make this myself either and really should!) 

[MsDiPesto]

23 hours ago, sandynva said:

i've always wanted to try this dish actually--i'll try to get that vegetarian epicure recipe and try it. it sounds similar to  indian chili cheese toast which i love. it's not fancy and more of a snack  than a meal, but tasty nonetheless. (i've never tried to make this myself either and really should!) 

I recommend Double Gloucester cheddar for the cheese component. I usually use an ale with some color too.