Welsh rarebit is toast with a cheese sauce poured over top. It dates back to the late 1700s and is thought to have possibly been a peasant dish as meat was expensive and cheese was readily available and a common protein food source in those days.
It is also a great way to use stale bread. During our 1940s Days, we had to save our cheese rations for two weeks in order to have enough cheese for this dish. I’m surprised it was popular during wartime!
We got the recipe from the cookbook, Economy Recpies for Canada’s “Housoldiers” by the Canada Starch Company published in 1943 and reproduced by Forgotten Books in 2018. It’s one of my favorite war-era cookbooks!
Here’s the original recipe:
Let’s get started!
First, I sliced the bread, placed it on a cookie sheet and baked it in the oven until toasted, flip and toast the other side a few more minutes. Today, I’m using whole wheat english muffin bread.
Next, it’s time to make the cheese sauce. Grate cheese. I have used all my rations and most of each of my girls’.
To a pot, add butter and seasonings. We are using cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper.
Mix cornstarch and milk together. Once butter has melted, pour into pot, whisking.
Keep whisking. Once milk has all been poured, add mustard. You can add dry mustard to the seasonings but we opted for prepared mustard. We are using a spicy mustard, about 1 teaspoon.
Cook until thickened.
Add in cheese.
Stir well. I tasted the sauce and ended up needing to add a bit more salt.
Add parsley. Stir.
Pour over toast.
It’s actually quite delicious and my girls like the cheese sauce on crackers more than on toast!
We had our welsh rarebit with corn and peas which was great in the cheese sauce and with the leftover mock goose, also good with the sauce. This sauce would be great poured over any vegetable rather than toast.
Welsh Rarebit
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
Sprinkle cayenne
1 tsp prepared mustard or 1/2 tsp dry
1 tbsp fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried
1-1/4 cups grated cheese
Mix milk and cornstarch together. Put butter in pot with seasonings. Pour milk in. Cook until thickened. Add mustard and cheese. Stir. Add parsley and serve over toast.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours