Christmas Rarebit
Serves: 4 Ready in: 15 to 30 mins
Cost CuttingEco FriendlyQuick Make
BBC Masterchef winner and guest celebrity blogger for the Yahoo! by Sainsbury’s site Thomasina Miers has got some great fresh ideas to add some spice to your traditional recipes this Christmas. Her recipe for Christmas Rarebit is a fantastic way to make use of those tasty bits of cheese left over from your Christmas cheese board. The better quality the cheese, the better the supper will be. Of course, it's just as delicious any time of year!
Ingredients:
30g butter
2 heaped tbsp flour
2 tsp English mustard
½ tsp cayenne pepper
200ml vegetarian stout
2 good splashes vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 shake of the Tabasco bottle
500g of leftover Christmas cheese including Stilton (do not use more than about 150g or it will overpower the taste of the rarebit) and lots of extra mature Cheddar
toast
salad leaves to serve (I like ones with bite; watercress, rocket, mustard leaf, mixed with a little torn Cos and a finely sliced shallot)
method:
- Melt the butter in the pan until sizzling, stir in the flour and cook until it starts to just turn a pale brown colour. Stir in the mustard powder and cayenne, and then the stout, Worcestershire and Tabasco.
- Grate in the cheese and melt very gently, stirring with a wooden spoon. When the cheese is totally melted into a smooth sauce check for seasoning (it may need a touch of salt depending on the mix of cheese you have used) and pour out into a shallow baking dish or plastic container and leave to set.
- When you are ready for supper toast pieces of bread and spread out the cheese mix onto the toast so that it is at least 1cm thick. Grill on a high setting until the cheese is browned in batches and melted. Dress the salad leaves with a vinaigrette or a squeeze of lemon and some good olive oil, salt and pepper and a few fine slices of shallot.
