Welsh Rarebit Recipe
The recipes below incorporate traditional ingredient lists that often contain wheat. However, please note that you can make any of these recipes gluten-free if needed by substituting gluten-free flour or bread. Oat flour blends work well (and hold together better than other gluten-free flours, in my experience). Oats were also traditional Welsh and Celtic fare and helped bolster the limited quantities of meat available for meals.
Ingredients
- 2 medium leeks washed and dried
- 4 slices bread toasted on one side
- 8 oz/225g sharp cheddar grated (Welsh cheddar recommended)
- 1 tbsp salted butter Welsh butter recommended
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp milk or unsweetened almond milk for dairy-free
- 1 tsp dry mustard can also substitute Dijon
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp beer or ale
- 1 whole egg yolk beaten
- black pepper ground, to taste
- butter extra for frying
Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil at 450F/232C
- Cut the leeks into thin slices.
- Melt a few tbsp of the Welsh butter in a pan and let it get hot. Add the leeks. Fry leeks gently until they soften. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Combine cheese, butter, egg, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, flour, and pepper in a pan and blend well.
- Next, add the beer and milk. More than 2 tbsp of each can be added if the mixture gets too thick, but don’t add so much that the mixture becomes too soupy.
- Stir ingredients over low heat until well mixed and melted. When the mixture becomes a thick paste, add the cooked leeks. Stir until blended.
- Remove from the stove or turn off the heat so the mixture cools slightly.
- Prepare the bread by toasting it on only one side. Put the slices on a plate or tray with the toasted side down.
- Spread the rarebit over the untoasted sides of the bread.
- Place cheese-topped bread slices directly on the top rack inside the oven, or use baking sheets with racks until the cheese starts to bubble and brown.
Notes
Prepared Welsh Rarebit will last several days in the refrigerator.
