Welsh Rarebit
Guns for hire! Our family string quartet with my best friend Robin Brown. We played Handel’s “Water Music” at my aunt’s wedding in Tennessee. I’m not sure why we look so miserable. Mom looks SMOKING HOT, though!
Mom always kept a basket of percussion instruments around. For birthdays and special occasions, we would each take an instrument and parade around the house and yard clanging away!
I hope you all had a happy Easter, if that’s your thing. I was in the desert on vacation and neglected to post. So, here’s a recipe for Welsh Rarebit, sometimes called Welsh Rabbit, in belated honor of Bunny Day. To me, this dish represents ultimate comfort food. It reminds me of my childhood. You know what else reminds me of my childhood? Music. Music was ALWAYS in our house. In my post about Mom’s Magic Grilling Seasoning, I get into many of her musical accomplishments. She was really impressive. In this post, I’d like to talk about how that trickled down to us.
As some of you know, my sister, Elisabeth, is a professional musician. She knew from age 8 that she was going to be a cellist. Lynn Harrell and Jacqueline du Pré were her heroes. I could have sworn she had posters of them on her wall, but now I think I’m making that up. Elisabeth specializes in early music (viola da gamba & baroque cello) in the Bay Area and she blows my mind because she has never had a job that is NOT music related (except that one time when she worked in the conservatory snack bar, but we won’t count that). I played violin fairly seriously until I went off to North Carolina School of the Arts at 16 to focus on visual art. (My sister left home at 13 to study cello there.) And by “seriously” I just mean that I took lessons, went to music camp in the summer, played in a youth orchestra during the year, and had a violin trio. At one point I considered pursuing violin professionally, as it was the family way, but my heart was never fully in it.
When we were little, we always had piano in the background: Mom was either playing it, or she was teaching it, or she was listening to it. My sister and I both play piano a little. I have fond memories of sitting down with Mom to play duets, starting off young with simple things like “Hot Cross Buns” and moving on to more complex pieces later. Can you say “The Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie?! Mom would buy me sheet music, stuff that I could get behind. I remember learning to play The Doors’ “Light My Fire” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”.
When I was in Junior High, Mom, my sister, and I started a little family string trio. I’m not sure why. Just for fun I guess? My uncle Frank had this fabulous old house in Winston-Salem with a formal parlor. He thought it would be cool to host a little parlor chamber music night. It was our formal debut! I can’t remember the full program - a little of this, a little of that - but I DO remember that, as Frank was married to a ballerina at the time, we played a riveting version of “Swan Lake”, complete with melodramatic tremolo verse at the end. Dying swans are serious business!
You know what else is serious business in my family? Cheese. And, Welsh Rarebit has plenty of it. Mom had 2 recipes in her files: one has breadcrumbs and one has beer. I say combine the two. Why not?!
WELSH RAREBIT
9 oz freshly grated cheddar
1 oz unsalted butter
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp Colman’s English mustard mixed with 1 tsp water
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
Tabasco and Worcestershire – a few drops each, optional
4 slices good bread, lightly toasted and buttered
Heat the oven to 425. Mix the cheese with the butter, crumbs, mustard, and egg. Beat well. Season. Spread thickly on toast. Cook in oven until golden brown, 5-10 minutes.
WELSH RAREBIT WITH BEER
serves 4
2 Tbsp butter
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
dash cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beer, ale, or milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten -- mix with beer
8 slices toast
parsley
Melt butter in top part of double boiler. Add cheese and heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Put over boiling water, add seasonings, and pour in the liquid. Cook until thick, stirring frequently.
Sarah’s Note: There are no instructions after this! My guess is to toast the bread and pour this on top. Maybe stick it under the broiler for a bit to brown.
AS USUAL, KEEP ME POSTED!
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