RECIPES FROM THE WINKING KAT KITCHEN

 Recipes from the Winking Kat Kitchen

From Treasure Island: Ben Gunn's Welsh Rarebit

In Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure tale, "Treasure Island", the character, Ben Gunn, says what he's missed most while being stranded on treasure island for three years was eating melted cheese on toast. 

In honor of Ben Gunn, we'd like to share this recipe for Welsh Rarebit (melted cheese on barley toast)

(in photo: Welsh Rarebit with pear slices)

Recipe for the Barley Bread

(recipe adapted from one posted by Linda Whitworth from Alberta, Canada)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups water-heated to @108 degrees F
  • (about 450 ml)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. (22 ml) Honey or
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar (@ 24 grams)
• 1 Tbsp (7- 8 grams) yeast
• 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) barley flour
• 3 cups (360 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp (8 grams) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Flour
• 1 Tbsp + 2 1/2 tsp (22 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp (20 ml) lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

** One difficult thing is finding good barley flour. Fairhaven Mill in Burlington, WA is one good source for freshly milled barley flour from local farmers.

Baking the Bread (produces 2 loaves)

Pour heated water into a medium to large bowl. Dissolve honey or sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over the top (stir lightly).

Let the yeast sit for about 10 minutes until frothy.

Then add the barley and all purpose flours, gluten flour, oil, lemon juice, and salt. Mix with a bread hook attachment on you mixer or mix by hand. Kneading by hand is often best to make sure you don’t over work the dough. Lightly flour a flat surface. Turn out the dough on the surface and begin kneading – adding flour if necessary to get a good texture. Look for strands of gluten in your dough. When you see good gluten strands, oil a clean bowl and set the dough in the bowl for the first rise. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let sit in a warm, still place for about 30 minutes.

Dough should be about double in size. Prepare your bread pans by spraying VERY lightly with vegetable oil spray. Turn the dough back onto the flat surface and knead again for a few turns. Divide the dough if necessary to roll and fit into loaf pan(s). The roll should be the length of the pan and about half the height. Cover again and let sit for a second rise of about 45 – 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). When dough & oven are ready, place the bread pans in the center of the oven & bake for about 25 minutes or until light golden brown on top. Bread should sound hollow when tapped. Let cool.

(two finished loaves)

Recipe for the Cheese Sauce      

• 
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• a pinch of pepper
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp smoked Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup beer
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 drop Tabasco sauce (if desired)

Cooking steps

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Be careful not to burn. Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, mustard, paprika, and Worchestershire sauce. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.

Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the milk slowly. When the milk is incorporated into the butter/flour mixture, return the pan to the heat and bring the milk to a boil while continually stirring. Keep stirring and add the beer. NOTE: The alcohol will evaporate but you can use non-alcoholic beer if you have any concerns. Cook about one more minute than add the shredded cheese a little at a time while continuing to stir. When all the cheese is melted into the mixture, remove it from the heat.

Lightly toast slices of the barley bread and set on your plates. Pour the warm cheese sauce generously over the toasted bread and serve.

YUM. Ben Gunn would be soooo happy.