Quick Cheese Toasties – Welsh Rarebits à la Merceile

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 100 g grated cheese, of your choice
• 20 g butter, soft
• 1 tbsp beer or milk
• 1 tsp mustard, medium hot or Dijon mustard
• Salt
• Pepper, freshly ground
• Paprika powder, sweet
• 2 slice(s) toast bread, or other bread of your choice

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 minutes; Total time approx. 15 minutes

simplified version of a traditional Welsh dish

Mix the grated cheese with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste. Spread this mixture evenly over lightly toasted bread and then bake in a preheated oven until golden brown. In my oven, this takes about 5 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius with top and bottom heat. How the toast tastes depends primarily on the type of cheese used. Practically anything you have in the fridge will do. The quantities given are enough for 2 slices of toast, or even 3 if you don’t like the cheese topping so thick. For example, with a rustic tomato salad, it makes a delicious, complete little meal. Or, for example, as toast with tomato soup. Note: The original recipe comes from Wales, and I’ve enjoyed it in pubs there. The original recipe usually uses spicy cheddar, which is usually melted in a double boiler with plenty of butter and beer, then mixed with the various seasonings before being spread on toast and gratinated. For this toast, I use whatever cheese I have in the fridge – for example, Gouda, Emmental, Appenzeller, or a mixture of different cheeses is ideal.