Sluttishly Savoury: Welsh Rarebit

"Isn't Welsh Rarebit just fancy cheese on toast?"

If you want to be direct about things, yes Welsh Rarebit is just fancy cheese on toast. But then by the same token, so is pizza. There's a lot to be said for fancy cheese on toast. Is there anything better than carbs covered in cheese?

Rarebit has had a little bit of a revival recently. It's the posh bar snack du jour, and rightly so. It's the perfect snack (my measure of the perfect snack is something that's suitable when you're drunk and hangover). It definitely shouldn't be saved just for St. David's Day. It's too good for that.

This recipe is a bit of a mish mash of what I had left in the fridge. Lancashire cheese rather than the cheddar I'd usually use, mustard powder because my the fancy Dijon I bought to make mayonnaise is way too strong and gives me mustard nose burn. And a bottle of Old Tom beer that I had leftover from Christmas. I'd usually use Guinness. Mix and match, try it on crumpets or muffins if you fancy it.

You'll need:

• 4 slices of bread (I used a white loaf)
• 150g cheese, cut into small pieces
• 20g Butter
• 2tsp Mustard powder
• 4tsp Ale - I used a dark ale with a bit of a punch but nothing too heavy. Anything pale will get overpowered by the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. I'm now drinking the ale as I write this and eat my toast.
• Worcestershire sauce - you can always add more of this, but how much you want all comes down to taste
• 2 medium egg yolks

Make it!

1. Mix the ale and mustard powder together in a small pan, add the butter and heat through until the butter is melted.
2. Pop the bread in the toaster.
3. Add the cheese and Worcestershire sauce, stirring until it's all mixed in.
4. Take off the heat and beat in the egg yolks. You should have a gooey and smooth mix of happy right about now. And toasted bread.
5. If you need more Worcestershire sauce, add it now, and some seasoning if you feel the mixture needs it.
6. Spread the mixture across the bread (it shouldn't be runny - you can go right to the edges without it making a mess of your oven). 
7. Pop under the grill under the top goes golden brown and starts to bubble. Eat when it's piping hot (I promise, it tastes like crap once it's cold). Try not to burn the roof of your mouth with melted cheese. Ouch.