Food With Memories

While my father was here visiting, I made him a couple recipes that are favorites of his. Food with memories. A dessert my grandmother made for him each year on his birthday and a simple supper he often asked my mother to make, it was and is still his favorite. I don't really have a recipe for either since I just learned by watching my mother and grandmother make them and they were not follow the recipe cooks.

Our family makes strawberry shortcake with biscuits, biscuits made a little sweet by adding in some sugar to the dough. Always fresh sweet strawberries cut and set out in a bowl with sugar sprinkled over them. Biscuits cut in half, topped with the strawberries, and of course fresh cream piled high on the top. Not cream from a can or some plastic container. But whipped fluffy just before serving. The bowl, the same stainless steel mixing bowl my mother and grandmother used, stashed in the freezer, chilling until I am ready to whip the cream.

My dads favorite meal...a simple one. Welsh Rarebit. We have always served it over crushed saltines. Each family member sure they had the perfect way of crushing them with their hands.

Since I don't have a recipe, I searched on line for one much like the one I make. Its a comfort type meal. A stick to your ribs supper.

My mother always made it with Velveeta cheese, it melted so easy. I make a white sauce with melted butter, flour and milk and leave out the hot sauce and beer is not always around our house so that is an ingredient that varies due to supply in the pantry. I find that cheese is salty enough for our taste, so we leave out the salt too.

Welsh Rarebit

Recipe Alton Brown 2003
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup porter beer

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 ounces (approximately 1 1/2 cups) shredded Cheddar

2 drops hot sauce

4 slices toasted rye bread
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the flour. Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add beer and whisk to combine. Pour in cream and whisk until well combined and smooth. Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth; this will take 4 to 5 minutes.

Add hot sauce.

Pour over toast and serve immediately.