Welsh Rabbit (Rarebit)

Also known as Welsh Rarebit. It's a lovely, cheesy, bready meal made with beer. Homer Simpson, eat your heart out!

⅔ cup milk

1½ Tbsp flour

14 oz sharp cheddar

1 tsp English mustard powder

4 oz beer (I haven't explored the difference between using Stout or Ale)

2 egg yolks

a pinch of cayenne

Black pepper, to taste (¼ tsp)
Crusty country-style bread (my fave)

OPTIONAL - 1 thick slice of ham per slice of bread.

1. Start toasting, until golden brown, some thick homemade bread (I used slices of Bread).
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the milk until just below boiling and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Whisk until it just starts to brown.
3. Whisk and add the beer slowly. It will bubble up, which actually helps break up the roux. Cook another 3 minutes, whisking, until thick and smooth.
4. Add the cheese, the egg yolk, the mustard and the cayenne. Cook until the cheese melts and everything is well combined, then season with black pepper and set aside to rest a couple of minutes.
5. Turn on the broiler. Arrange the bread onto a cookie sheet. Spread the cheese sauce until it spills over the edges of the toasted bread; this prevents the edges of bread from burning under the broiler, then put in the oven to grill for 20 to 30 seconds or until it's bubbly and starting to brown.

Smashed Celeriac

There are some foods at the grocery store that always seem to be in stock, and yet when you get to the check-out counter the cashier almost invariably says "what is this"? Celeriac is one of those foods. Dirty brown and rough to the touch, the pale smooth flesh of the root is mild and pleasantly celery-flavoured. This is a simple way of preparing it, but if serving to others, let them know it isn't mashed potatoes because the texture and flavour is very different! I haven't enthused about Laura Calder in a while, but this is one of her gifts to the world.

1 large large celeriac, about 2 lbs/1 kg
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup milk
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsps (42gr) butter
¼ cup cream
Pepper

1. Peel and cut the celeriac roughly into 1" pieces. Put the lemon juice, milk, and bay leaf in a large pot; pour over 8 cups water; add the salt; bring to a boil; and simmer until the celeriac is very tender.
2. Drain, reserving a cup of the liquid. Remove the bay leaf. Stir the butter and cream into the celeriac, then purée, either in a blender until very smooth or, more to my liking, with a potato masher until you get the consistency you want (I like it with some bits in to give a bit of a coarse texture. Add as much of the reserved cooking liquid as needed (this is more useful when puréeing in the blender). Season with pepper and salt, to taste, and serve hot.