rare-bit.

what's that you ask?

welsh rarebit to be exact. i know, you're still confused. so was i. welsh rarebit is the name of a UK dish, specific to, obviously, wales. essentially it's a fancy name for a cheese toastie, or an open-faced grilled cheese. and i know you're thinking, so who cares? except, i'm here to tell you that you should!

on saturday we had an impromptu lunch with a good friend. the weather was, if anything, variable and going out to eat seemed to be much too much of a bother. so i dispatched le boy to the store and set to creating a cheese toastie that was raised above all earthly expectations. the combination of sour dough bread and good-quality cheddar (white, 'aged' cheddar for those of you outside the UK), with chutney and worcestershire sauce was really something delightful to eat and exploded with flavour.

this is adapted from jamie oliver's cookbook, jamie at home - a truly excellent book, from which i've not yet had a bad meal! i heartily recommend it.

welsh rarebit (adapted from jamie at home) 

this recipe calls for use of another recipe in his book - chili pepper jam, i substituted the green tomato chutney i made last september and it worked brilliantly. i also used regular dijon mustard instead of mustard powder...

• 4 slices sourdough bread, 1-inch thick
• 3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream by weight
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 4 teaspoons chili pepper jam
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1. preheat grill/broiler on high to warm oven
2. toast bread on each side, at the same time, mix creme fraiche, egg yolks, cheese, salt and pepper and mustard
3. place toasted bread on baking sheet, spread jam or chutney on toast, making sure to go right to the edge, top with cheese mixture, again, going right to the edge to ensure the bread does not burn 
4. place under broiler/grill for 5 min or until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown slightly 
5. remove and allow to cool for about 1 minute, cheese gently with a sharp (non-serrated) knife in a large cross-hatch pattern, sprinkle liberally with worcestershire sauce (the cross hatch pattern ensure the worcestershire sauce does not slid right off!)
6. enjoy with a green salad

this was enjoyed by two very hungry guys and myself. we didn't talk for the first five minutes, and the guys raved afterward - such an easy and tasty lunch or light dinner!

dessert was courtesy of mr. d. hines: