This is a favorite dish for gentlemen's suppers and for luncheons. Cut bread into thin slices, shape these into diamonds or squares, toast them, and while hot, butter lightly. With a tea-spoon dip boiling water upon the toast to moisten slightly, wetting only the unbuttered side. Place each slice on a separate hot plate, allowing one for each person at table; sprinkle with a little salt, pour over the toast enough melted cheese to cover, and serve the moment this is done, since otherwise the cheese will harden, the toast will cool, and the dish will be altogether spoiled. Rich, new cheese should be chosen for this purpose, as it melts more easily. The cheese should be put in a cup to be melted. If the rarebit is stringy and tough, the cheese has not been sufficiently rich.

This simple recipe is a decidedly good one, but there are many different ways of making the dish. Some spread a little mustard over the toast, others add ale to the cheese, or dip the toast in ale instead of using hot water. Another method is to serve a poached egg on each slice of toast and cheese, and another to mix the yolks of eggs with the melted cheese.

Welsh Rarebit, With Eggs

One cupful of grated cheese. One egg (yolk only). One-quarter of a cupful of milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the toast the same as in the preceding recipe. Place the milk in a porcelain-lined stew-pan, and when hot, put in the cheese, and stir continually until the latter is melted. Add the salt, pepper and the beaten yolk, stir but a moment, and pour the liquid over the toast.

Welsh Rarebit, With Ale

This is the way a rarebit is generally prepared in England.

One pound of cheese.

One-half table-spoonful of butter. One wine-glassful of ale.

Put the butter and ale in a porcelain-lined stew-pan, and when hot, stir in the cheese cut into dice. Stir and cook until all are blended to a smooth paste. Prepare the toast as above, pour this mixture over it, and serve very hot. Single Gloucester cheese can always be relied upon in preparing rarebits in this way.