Light Cheddar Welsh Rarebit

📝 Ingredients

• 2 large slices of country bread (about 70 g each)
• 4 slices of cooked ham (about 40 g each)
• 100 g cheddar
• 150 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp cornflour (10 g)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 60 g mixed salad leaves
• 1 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• 2 individual gratin dishes
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Non-stick frying pan
• Cheese grater
• Mixing bowl

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C on the grill setting. Toast the bread slices for 3 minutes in the toaster or oven so they stay crisp under the sauce, then place each one in an individual gratin dish. Grate the cheddar.
2. In a pan that's still cold, whisk the cornflour into the milk until there are no lumps left. Add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, then heat over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until the milk thickens, about 2 minutes.
3. Turn the heat down to low and add the cheddar a handful at a time, whisking after each addition until melted. Don't let it boil: the cheese would turn stringy and release its fat. Season generously with pepper, but no salt.
4. Cover each slice of toast with ham, folded so it doesn't hang over, then spoon the cheddar sauce over completely, pushing it right to the edges of the dish so the bread doesn't dry out.
5. Place at the top of the oven under the grill for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and golden in places. Keep an eye on it for the last 2 minutes: the sauce browns very quickly and can burn.
6. Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and crack in the eggs. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny. Lightly salt the whites only.
7. Dress the salad leaves in a bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, a pinch of salt and some pepper just before serving: dressed too early, the salad wilts and goes watery.
8. Take the rarebits out of the oven, top each one with a fried egg and serve immediately, piping hot, with the salad on the side. Careful, the dishes come out scorching hot: set them on a plate to serve.