The object is to thoroughly melt the cheese without burning the bread. This is accomplished two ways: very low heat and, if necessary, turn the heat off and cover the sandwich with a pot lid until the cheese is melted.
There's not much place in my life for margarine, but for grilled cheese it is as good as and possibly better than butter.
| 2 slices rat bread | 2 tablespoons butter or margarine |
| Enough Cooper's cheese to form 2 to 3 layers on the bread |
Over a very low flame melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet or griddle. Put the sandwich together and brown one side. When browned melt another the other tablespoon of butter and brown the other side.
Variations: use different kinds of cheese, put ham, or both ham and tomato between the two layers of cheese.
| 1 pound elbow macaroni | 1½ cups milk |
| 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese | Black pepper |
| 2 teaspoons dry mustard | 6 quarts water |
| 1 tablespoon salt |
Bring water to boil, add salt and macaroni. Boil uncovered for about 9 minutes or until not quite al dente. Stir occasionally, drain into colander and rinse; drain well.
Place in oblong glass baking dish, add pepper and mustard; stir gently to distribute. Cut cheese to cover top, add milk over cheese. Bake 45 minutes covered at 350°; bake 15 minutes uncovered. Back to salmon cakes.
The Welsh are excellent cooks, but evidently not the best hunters. A Welshman, Arthur Cameron, the story goes, returned home with an empty game pouch after a day of rabbit hunting. His resourceful wife, Mary, accustomed to his lack of hunting skill, grabbed some cheese and threw it into a pot with a pint of bitters and boiled it until the cheese melted. She poured the sauce over toast and the family did not go to bed hungry. Thus the birth of Welsh rabbit.
Over years the original recipe has been modified somewhat, but it still has its foundation on the bad luck of a Welsh rabbit hunter. Often you will find it on restaurant menus gussied up as Welsh rarebit. That's a trade trick to double the price. It never was rarebit. Rarebits taste like sea gulls; no self-respecting Welshman would even consider eating one. Besides rarebits are extremely rare ergo – their name rare-bit – and have been on the UK's endangered species list for over 300 years.
Regardless of name, it's still a good meal on a chilly November night, especially if the rabbit dog just died.
| 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese | 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce |
| 12 ounces Extra Special Bitters, pale ale or, as a last resort, beer from a major brewery | ½ teaspoon dry mustard |
| 2 tablespoons flour | ½ teaspoon paprika |
| 2 tablespoons butter | Salt and pepper to taste |
Add the flour to melted butter; simmer until opaque to make roux. Slowly add ale and cheese to make sauce. Stir constantly until all the cheese is melted. Add balance of ingredients; taste and adjust seasonings. Simmer for at least 20 minutes to cook the flour. Serve hot on toast points with black currant or beachplum jelly on the side.
Note: To prevent scorching, consider using either a bain-marie (double boiler) or flame tamer.
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