WELSH RABBIT

8 ounces cheddar cheese (as mild or sharp as you prefer), coarsely grated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
Small pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten

In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof dish fitted over a pot of simmering water, heat the cheese, butter, salt, mustard and cayenne, stirring occasionally, until the cheese melts.

Add the milk and egg and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Taste and add more salt if desired. Pour over toast.

VARIATIONS:

Ale or beer:
Instead of milk, use ale or beer.

Tomato:
Spoon the rabbit over broiled tomatoes.

Chicken or Turkey:
Spoon the rabbit over sliced cooked chicken or turkey breast on buttered toast. Top with a slice of partially cooked bacon and set under the broiler until the bacon crisps.

Seafood:
Spoon the rabbit over bits of cooked lobster, crab meat or shrimp on rice or toast.

Servings: 4
Source: The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham