Mary Berry Welsh Rarebit Recipes

MUSHROOM RAREBIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
• Place the mushrooms on an oven tray (stem sides up) and sprinkle them with oil and seasonings. Put the garlic cloves on the tray. Cook them in the oven until they are tender.
• Whisk the milk and flour together then bring them to the boil in a saucepan, continually whisking.
• Peel the garlic, crush and add to the milk and flour mixture, together with the mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce (to make a vegetarian version of this recipe, be sure to use Worcestershire sauce that does not contain anchovies), cheese, breadcrumbs, Guinness and ground pepper. Mix with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well combined and the the cheese has melted.
• Turn the heat off and add the egg and the egg yolk. Beat vigorously and then spoon a generous amount of the mixture onto the mushrooms.
• Grill until the mushrooms are golden and bubbling.
• Serve as an entrée to a main course, or as a side dish.

WELSH RAREBIT

Steps:

• Put the cheese, butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, flour and pepper into a saucepan.
• Mix well and then add the beer, Guiness or milk to moisten. Do not make it too wet!!
• Stir over a gentle heat until all is melted, and when it is a thickish paste, stop stirring, and swivel it around the saucepan, which it will do quite easily.
• Leave to cool a little, and meanwhile toast the bread on one side only.
• Spread the rarebit over the untoasted side and brown under a hot grill.
• This mixture can be made and kept in the refrigerator for several days if required. Sweet white wine can be used instead of beer and gives a good flavour.
• (From www.welshholidaycottages.com)

TRADITIONAL WELSH CAKES RECIPE FROM MARY BERRY

Steps:

• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can also do this step using a food processor.
• Add the sugar, currants, and spices, and stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Add the egg and enough milk to form a soft but not sticky dough. Mary Berry needed a little more than 2 tablespoons. I needed closer to 4 tablespoons. The dough should resemble pie crust dough. You can knead it to get it to come together, but no more than a few times. You don't want your Welsh cakes to turn out tough!
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with the pastry cutter until all of the dough has been used (just ball up any excess and re-roll in order to cut out as many as you can). I used a scalloped 2-inch round and a similar-sized heart.
• Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat, and melt a little butter in it. A thin pat is sufficient for each batch--that's 7 welsh cakes that fit into my cast-iron skillet.
• Cook the Welsh cakes over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and golden brown. Be careful on the first flip, as they are still a little fragile--similar to American pancakes--at this point. During the cooking process, you may have to turn the heat up or down. I modulated between medium-high and medium-low.
• Let cool on a wire rack and continue to cook the cakes in batches. They're best when fresh, and even a little warm. You can sprinkle them with powdered sugar and serve with, obviously, a lovely cup of tea.