Susan Hansen's "Granddad's Cook House Buns" Correction
1 lb (450 g, 4 cups) Self-rising flour
8 oz (225 g) fat (butter, margarine, or lard)
8 oz (225 g) sugar
6 oz (170 g) mixed fruit (raisins, currants, or mixed dried fruits, chopped)
4 eggs
Milk if needed to mix
Essence of your choice to flavour
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Cream fat and sugar, add eggs one at a time (with spoon full of flour to
stop mixture curdling) and finally add rest of flour, the fruit, and milk
if needed and drop spoonfuls of mixture onto baking tray and bake in
moderate (350F, 180C) oven for 15 minutes or until just brown.
This dish originally went by the name of Welsh Rabbit, possibly because
cheese was often available when rabbits were not. It came to be called
Welsh Rarebit in the late 18th century, as it frequently still is, but the
correct designation is rabbit.
Welsh Rabbit
4 slices homemade-type white bread, trimmed of crusts and toasted
2 cups (500 ml) freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese (approx. 1/2 lb, 225
g)
combined with 1 Tbs (15 ml) flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) beer
1 Tbs (15 ml) butter
1 tsp (5 ml) Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp (1 ml) dry English mustard
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Combine in a heavy 2 to 3 qt (2 to 3 L) saucepan the cheese and flour
mixture, beer, butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and cayenne
pepper.
Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly and not allowing the
mixture
to boil, until it is smooth. Place the slices of toast in a shallow
ovenproof dish just large enough to hold them (you may use more than one
dish if you do not have one the right size to fit all four pieces
snugly)
and pour the rabbit evenly over them. Place the dish under the broiler
for
one or two minutes to brown the cheese lightly and serve immediately.
Serves 2 to 4.