Golden Buck

Golden Buck is Welsh rarebit’s fancier sibling. Where rarebit is just melted cheese and beer on toast, the Golden Buck adds an egg yolk that gets tempered into the hot cheese mixture, turning it from a chunky melt into a smooth, glossy, custard-like sauce.

Three cups of grated cheddar melted in a double boiler with butter and half the malt liquor creates the base. The double boiler keeps the cheese from scorching or seizing, which direct heat would do in seconds. Constant stirring is a must here since cheese sauces break if they sit still over heat.

The remaining malt liquor gets whisked with the egg yolk and drizzled in slowly at the end. That yolk adds body and richness, thickening the sauce into something that coats the toast without sliding off.

A sprinkle of cayenne on top gives each bite a prickle of heat that cuts through all that melted cheese.

Kitchen Tips

• Grate the cheddar yourself for the smoothest sauce. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking starch that makes the sauce gritty
• Add the malt liquor to the cheese gradually. Too much at once drops the temperature and the cheese clumps instead of melting smoothly
• Temper the egg yolk slowly. Pour the yolk mixture in a thin stream while stirring constantly, or it will scramble on contact with the hot cheese
• Serve immediately on hot toast. This sauce thickens and gets pasty as it cools

Variations

• Use a dark ale or stout instead of malt liquor for a deeper, more bitter flavor
• Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a splash of Worcestershire for a more traditional rarebit-style punch
• Swap cheddar for Gruyere or a sharp English cheese like Red Leicester