A great Welsh classic: crispy toasts smothered in a cheddar, beer, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, then broiled until bubbling. Rich, savory, and slightly spicy, perfect with a sharply dressed green salad.
Ingredients
- 8 slices thickly sliced country bread
- 300 g grated aged cheddar
- 120 ml amber or brown ale
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 20 g Type 45 or 55 all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp English mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 piece egg yolk
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- to taste ground black pepper
- to taste fine salt
Method
- Preheat the oven broiler and place the rack high enough to brown quickly without drying out the bread.
- Toast the bread on both sides until deep golden, dry on the surface, and still slightly soft in the center.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the flour, and stir until you get a pale paste that smells like warm biscuit.
- Gradually pour in the beer while whisking, then let it thicken until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and becomes smooth.
- Lower the heat, add the grated cheddar, and stir until it melts into a glossy cream, without letting it boil.
- Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and black pepper, then taste before adjusting the salt, as the cheese is already salty.
- Off the heat, add the egg yolk and stir vigorously until the sauce is richer, smooth, and well combined.
- Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet, and generously coat them with the cheese sauce right to the edges to prevent them from burning.
- Place under the broiler until the top blisters, browns in spots, and starts to bubble; serve immediately, piping hot.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 582.9 kcal
- Protein
- 25.86 g
- Carbohydrate
- 40.38 g
- Fat
- 33.75 g
- Fibre
- 3.33 g
- Calcium
- 532.15 mg
- Iron
- 1.37 mg
- Magnesium
- 50.23 mg
