Cooking Lesson #685: The Tam O’Shanter Welsh Rarebit

… from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? One hundred years ago Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp co-founded a fairytale-like restaurant called Tam O'Shanter, in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. At that time no one could have anticipated that patrons would still be lining up a full century later.
 
These two gentlemen were major players in the restaurant and food scene in Southern California—Lawry’s The Prime Rib, Lawry’s Foods, Lawry’s California Center, The Five Crowns, The Ben Johnson, Van de Kamps and several more too numerous to name. The leadership still remains in the family with the great grandson. The key to the restaurants’ success is largely a sense of family connecting owners, co-workers and guests.
 
“There is an extreme sense of ownership among all my co-workers, that they have this piece of history that they’re stewarding for whatever time that they’ve been here,” John Lindquist, Managing Partner said. “It’s that type of camaraderie and family that shows through to the guests coming in day in and day out.”
 
While the ownership remains in the same family, the Hollywood art director designed restaurant has had several changes in names over the years—Montgomery’s Country Inn, Tam O’Shanter, The Great Scot and then back to Tam O’Shanter.
 
I was the design and marketing director at Lawry’s for 5 years advancing the quality and reach of their products and restaurants. But as much as I contributed to them, I took away even more.
 
One of the legacy menu offerings of The Tam is Welsh Rarebit. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it’s generally believed that the word rarebit is a corruption of the word rabbit. 'Welsh rabbit' first appeared as a dish in 1725 and later in many eighteenth-century cookbooks. It is thought that the dish was attributed to the Welsh because of their historic fondness for cheese, which was used as a substitute for meat as a source of protein by poor peasants. Welsh Rarebit is described by some as 'posh cheese on toast'. Possibly it was to indicate how much the Welsh were said to enjoy hot cheese as do I.
 
Tam O’Shanter Welsh Rarebit is still going strong 100 years on and still as delicious as it always has been. Following is the best I remember it.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients 
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 stick salted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon dry mustard (I prefer Coleman’s)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne  pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup beer
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I prefer Lea & Perrins)
2 teaspoon steak sauce (I prefer A-1 sauce)
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
6 toasted English muffins
12 crispy bacon strips (optional)
3 teaspoons paprika (optional)
 
Directions

1. Heat the milk in the top of double boiler over boiling water.
2. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
3. Separately, melt the butter in small skillet.
4. Stir the flour into the butter and add mustard, cayenne and salt. 
5. Stir until the mixture is smooth as paste roux. 
6. Gradually add the roux into the cheese mixture.
7. Cook the cheese sauce for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
8. Stir in the beer, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce and Tabasco sauce.
9. Stir until mixture is smooth; set aside and keep warm until served.
10. Split, butter and grill the English muffins.
11. Place the English muffins in individual shallow dishes (rarebit dishes)
12. Sprinkle the top with bacon pieces (optional).
13.  Ladle the rarebit sauce over the muffins.
14. Sprinkle with paprika (optional) and place under a broiler to brown.

ChefSecrets:  I prefer to use mild or medium Cheddar cheese as it is creamier than using sharp, aged cheddar. On occasions, I like to use hollowed out baked potato skins instead of a rarebit dish to make it a real meal.

Quip of the Day:
     It's called Welsh rarebit, not cheese on toast
     You are so daft said the dinner party host
     Do you like fine wine? There was no response
     Why on earth did I invite you? Leave at once
                                                                                …Kelvin Rush
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

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