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Welsh Rarebit...

No rabbits were used/harmed in the making of this delicious, toasty-cheese snack.   Rarebit is pronounced like a Northern Southerner would say rabbit and the word rarebit is often substituted for rabbit.  It's all a bit confusing when you consider this is not a meat dish, it's nothing more than a cheese sauce but a very delectable one at that!  Speaking of confusing...the mister asked me to be sure to let him know how much I earned this past year.  Beginning January 1st the mister is consumed with the state of our taxes.  He likes to think about them, talk about them but until April 15th he doesn't actually do anything about them - other than stew.  He's mastered Tax stewing, if only that were edible and deductible!  So when he asked me about my earnings, I wasn't sure how to respond, because while I do work for the mister, he doesn't pay me...well that's not entirely true, as I have confessed before, I have the same deal Donald Trump made with Ivana years ago; I get paid $1 a year and all the dresses I want.  You might think that's a pretty sweet deal but a buck just doesn't go as far as it used to and I don't wear dresses!  I asked the mister what JOB he thought I was working to provide earnings and he said, "You know, you're always off doing crap, taking dinner places, don't you get paid for that?"  Once again, I had to explain to the mister what a VOLUNTEER is...not a Tennessee Volunteer, a team with a losing streak, but a person who offers to help out and in return is paid with a smile.   How could he not know that??  I tell you, he is bucking for a Marital Section 8!  He mumbled something about having all kinds of deductions that he would now not be able to use because I was a volunteer - thankfully his knuckles didn't scratch the hardwood as he scurried off.  And people think I'm the dumb one.  Sheesh!

Okay, let's get to the making of this very simple yet sophisticated cheese toast.  (I was certain I had posted this recipe before, because I make this several times during the winter months, but I couldn't find hide nor hare of it!)  

 

Welsh Rarebit is a thick cheese sauce, like a Bechamel Sauce, and it's made with cheese, of course, and beer and spices.  It's spread quite thickly over crusty,  toasted bread and then placed under the broiler until it's bubbly hot...I'm telling you straight, it's dang good!  If you put an egg on top (which of course I wouldn't because I don't eat eggs) then it's called a Buck Rabbit or a Golden Buck and if you serve it with tomato soup it's called a Blushing Bunny!  You can read all about Welsh Rarebit on Wikipedia  - this traditional British dish has a very long and complicated history!

I've made just a few teensy-weensy changes to Mark Bittman's recipe - I use non-alcoholic beer because the beer flavor is not as intense (think beer-cheese soup like they serve in MinneSNOWta and Wisconsin, and you'll have an idea of why this is so loved!)  The darker the beer the stronger the flavor, so if you use a dark ale, like Bittman suggests, it will blow your taste bud's minds!

 

Welsh Rarebit also makes a great appetizer - just cut each toast into small pieces and serve.  Your guests will not be able to stop eating them so make a double batch.  You can see in the picture that I didn't stir the rarebit until it was completely smooth - I made an executive decision, one I don't regret, and decided to leave some larger pieces of cheese.  I recommend you do the same.

 

 

 

Welsh Rarebit -  Adapted From Mark Bittman, The New York Times

1 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

3/4 cup beer, or ale (or use near beer, like I do, it provides the beer flavor without the alcohol, an ale or dark beer will have a more pronounced flavor)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

1 pound Cheddar cheese (or other good semi-hard cheese, like Comte or Gruyere or a mixture of cheeses), grated

salt and pepper to taste

4 to 8 lightly toasted pieces of bread (use a good bread, French bread sliced thick works great)

Put butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, as it melts, stir in flour.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and very fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.  Stir in mustard and cayenne, then whisk in beer and Worcestershire sauce.  When mixture is uniform, turn heat to low and stir in cheese, again stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and pour into a board contain (like a rimmed plate) to set.  At this point you can refrigerate for up to two days.  After mixture has set and cooled to room temperature, spread thickly on toast and put under broiler until bubbly and edges of toast are crisp.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4 to 8, as a side/snack, depending on how many pieces and how big the bread is sliced.  Served with a nice green salad or soup and this makes a great dinner!

 

 

 

Making Mozzarella...

Quilter, sewer, cook, baker, house slave, blogger, cheese-maker.  Say what?!?!  Yes, you read that right...I'm now a cheese-maker, not to be confused with a cheese-head, that would be a Green Bay Packer fan of which I am not.  I am a cheese-maker.  A title I proudly tout because my cheese-making abilities have been hard won.  Never once, in my wild, wild west dreams, did I ever contemplate making cheese...I'm not that person.  I don't own cows or goats (and I'm not sure I even know the difference between the two), I don't wear Birkenstocks (with or without socks), I've never had a grande-soy-chai-latte-with-room, I don't drive a Prius or have an electric charging station in my garage, and I don't have a Jesus-Fish bumper sticker on my car....plus, the word curd frightens me.  Let me put it to you this way...Little Miss Muffet who sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey...she's no friend of mine.  But.   But, but, but...I am now a cheese-maker.

 

 

 

 

After I read The Pioneer Woman's post about making Mozzarella, I started thinking, in the deep recesses of my brain, that maybe, one day, I would make cheese.  And then The Fashionista told me she had purchased a cheese making kit and went on and on about how easy it was...so I revisited Pioneer Woman's post...studied her pretty pictures...tried to read between the lines for any unspoken dangers...but found nothing.  It all sounded so easy.  One gallon of milk, a little citric acid, a little rennent tablet and thirty minutes later, fresh, homemade Mozzarella in all it's glory would be mine!  I rounded up some like-minded-wanna-be-cheese-makers, (including The Fashionista who offered to bring her kit but I pooh-poohed that, we would need no kit!) and invited them to come make cheese and promised we would have fresh Mozzarella on freshly baked bread...fresh Mozzarella with our roasted tomato salad...fresh Mozzarella with steaming bowls of mushroom soup...fresh Mozzarella with a slice of straight-from-the-oven apple tart...I was delirious with excitement!

 

 

 

 

 

Our Mozzarella cheese making was a complete and total FAILURE!  Six women, reading and re-reading Pioneer Woman's instructions...doing exactly as she recommended...and after TWO HOURS, instead of the promised thirty minutes, we had one little ball of cheese...it was rubbery with bits of something in it...still...we ate it - we had made cheese, such as it was.

There it is...beautiful, no? It tasted okay, but none of us wanted seconds...which was good because there weren't any!  Things didn't go according to plan but time spent in the kitchen with friends is always good ...even without fresh cheese.  Two gallons of milk went down the drain, the ladies left and I was finishing up the last of the dishes when The Fashionista called and read me the directions that came in her kit...there was NO MENTION of adding salt at the beginning...The Pioneer Woman's instructions were not very clear, not precise, and even though we followed them closely, she mis-led us by mentioning salt at the wrong time!  

 

 

 

So...if YOU are going to make Mozzarella, and I really hope you do, do NOT follow Pioneer Woman's instructions!  Several days after our failed experiment, I tried again, this time I followed the directions I found on Instructables.com, they were clear and precise, with easy to follow step-by-step instructions, and great pictures and after I had completed the last step, I had made mozzarella!

The mozzarella was delicious on it's own, but sprinkled with Italian herbs, it was amazing...better than anything I could buy, that's for sure!    When you have an extra gallon of milk and an hour of time, make mozzarella...follow the directions at Instructables.com and you'll be a cheese-maker, just like me!

Cheese and Apple Loaf with Cider Cream Sauce...

You'll have to humor me for a bit before I give you the ONE dish that tops the list of our favorite meals in France.  I want to tell you about our trip to Normandy...Once we were outside of Paris, we saw the most beautiful rolling landscapes.  Mostly farmland where they grow sugar beets, among other things!  As we were driving along I started to notice the trees in the distance - it looked like they were all decorated for Christmas!  They had big green balls in them - and with all the leaves gone, they looked like ornaments...I learned those big green balls were Mistletoe!  It grows wild and is really a weed - if the farmers don't remove it from the trees it will eventually kill them!  And here I thought the French had jumped the gun on Christmas!

 

 

 

 

We visited Omaha Beach, where the Allied forces came ashore so many years ago - hard to imagine the horror that took place on those beaches.  We also visited the American Cemetery, which is truly sacred ground.  It is really a beautiful place,  perched high on the cliff above the Atlantic, and is meticulously maintained by the United States - so  many white marble crosses.  Over 23,000 US Soldiers and Marines lost their lives in the D-Day Battle, and originally they were all buried together, the Germans and the Americans and the rest of the Allied Troops, in a temporary cemetery just off the beach.  About ten years later, France donated the land up on the cliff, above the beaches where so many perished, and the American Cemetery was created.  When the bodies were about to be moved to the new cemetery, their families were given the option of having them sent home, and over 14,000 American families had their sons/husbands/brothers repatriated back to the states.  The American Cemetery is now the final resting place of over 9,000 US Soldiers and Marines.

The entrance to the cemetery is quite beautiful, roses line the path up to the front where an enormous statue waits, reaching for the skies, it's called "Spirit of the American Youth."

I just wanted to touch each cross and say thank you.  If not for them we'd all be speaking a different language.  If you get the chance to go to France, make sure you got to Normandy, it's worth the trip, I promise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We stopped at this beautiful farmhouse/hotel/restaurant for lunch.  And this is where we had the best meal of our trip!  I snapped this picture of our first course before I had tasted it...thinking it was quiche - it was not - but look how light and fluffy it looks!  After devouring every speck, licking my lips and wishing for more, I asked our guide if she could find out how it was made - and minutes later the chef himself came out from the back, happy that someone had asked about his creation!  I told him how much I loved his quiche and he laughed - he said, "No, no, no, it is only cheese and apples!"  And for the next fifteen minutes he and I talked about how I could make this at home...with him telling me over and over there would be "no possible way" I could re-create this because the cheese he used was only available in Normandy.  But I persisted and came home with directions!!

 

 

 

The chef was right about the cheese, there is nothing this side of the pond that compares with French cheese...but he suggested I use an Italian cheese blend, and I thought it was as close as I could get to duplicating his dish.  I used the 4-cheese Italian blend that comes already shredded in the package - because I was making this to serve to my quilt group and I was short on time.  And the other ingredient in this dish, that's right, there are just TWO INGREDIENTS, is a Honey Crisp apple.

 

 

 

Here's the beauty of this amazing dish, aside from the two ingredients...it's baked, then put in the refrigerator to cool completely and then, right before you're ready to serve, it's sliced and gently warmed in the oven.  For my quilt group I did not make the Cider Cream Sauce, I simply forgot!  And it's really not necessary as it's great without it but with the sauce, it's a whole 'nuther thing!

 

 

 

 

The Cider Cream Sauce is equally as simple - only two ingredients - cider and cream!  The cider is reduced so the flavors are concentrated and then the cream is poured in...this sauce, poured over the warm cheese and apples is just about the best tasting thing on the planet - and perfect for this time of year.  This one is going on the T-day menu!

Cheese and Apple Loaf with Cider Cream Sauce - Inspired by Chef Francoise Adeller, Normandy, France

6 cups Four Cheese Italian Blend, shredded (Parmesan, Asiago, Mozzarella and Romano)

1 Honey Crisp Apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

For the Sauce:

1 cup apple cider

1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put 3 cups of the cheese into a bread loaf pan, pressing down slightly.  Spread sliced apples over cheese, covering completely.  Put remaining 3 cups of cheese on top of apples, spreading evenly and pressing down slightly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately put into refrigerator and allow to cool completely, about 3 hours, or up to two days. 

When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and slice into generous 1/2-inch thick slices.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet and put into a 350 degree oven to warm, about 8 to 10 minutes, being careful not to let cheese melt.

While cheese is warming in the oven, make the sauce:  In a heavy saucepan bring the cider to a boil and boil until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the cream and let cook, without boiling, until it is heated through.  Remove from heat and pour about 1 to 2 teaspoons sauce over each slice of cheese.  Serve warm.  Serves 12.