Welsh Rarebit. With Caramelised Pears and Onion Confit.

My all time favourite Sunday lunch is a ham ploughmans (home cooked lean ham, white doughy bread, chutneys, pickled onion, a little salad, an apple, some butter…) with half a bitter shandy, all served in a sunny pub garden somewhere in the English countryside.  But living the other side of the world I now just settle for a half a bitter shandy on a Sunday.

Wonderfully there are a number of independent breweries in Kwazulu Natal, some of which make delicious stouts and ales.  They come in large glass bottles often too big for our shandy ways, so with the leftovers I’ve started to make a truly scrumptious Welsh Rarebit.  I serve it as a starter in two ways – one slice topped with caramelised pears, and one slice topped with onion confit.  Although if you cut larger slices they'll do for a main, or if you use a small baguette they'd be great canapes.  But they are completely divine however you serve them.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter or 4 for a lightlunch)

50 g butter (salted is fine)

1 tbsp plain flour

50 ml whole milk

50 ml ale

200 g mature cheddar cheese

1 tsp Dijon mustard

a dash of Worcestershire sauce

Salt and black pepper

8 small slices of ciabatta bread (see ciabatta blog)

For the caramelised pears

1 pear

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the onion confit (see onion confit blog, you will need a couple of tbsps)

Method

1. Melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes.

2. Gradually stir in the milk then the ale, until you have a thick sauce and allow it to bubble for a couple of minutes.

3. Grate and add the cheese and stir until melted, then add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning (go heavy on the black pepper).

4. For the caramelised pears, cut the pear into cubes, removing the core....

...melt the butter in a pan and add the pears, sprinkle over the sugar and allow to cook until the pears are lightly golden.

5. Warm the confit in a saucepan.

5. Toast the ciabatta and spread over the cheese mix... 

Pop under the grill until bubbling, then place two slices on a plate and dollop a teaspoon on confit on one and a few pear cubes on the other.  Serve hot.

They are unbelievably delicious.