Why it works: Cheddar cheese and gruyere cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 54 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Welsh Rarebit
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the cheese sauce
In a saucepan, combine Cheddar and Gruyère cheese with light ale.
Melt the cheese completely over low heat, stirring continuously until it boils.
Assemble and brown
Place the hot, dry toast on a dish and pour the melted cheese over it.
Put the dish in a 400°F (200°C) oven or under a broiler until the top is nicely browned.
Serve immediately in the same dish.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Cheddar cheese + gruyere cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together54 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cheddar cheese
- Melts into a smooth sauce and provides the main rich, savoury flavour.
- Gruyere cheese
- Adds nutty depth and melts smoothly to help keep the sauce creamy.
- Light ale
- Thins the melted cheese and adds a mild, malty note to the sauce.
- Toast
- Provides a crisp, absorbent base that holds the molten cheese.
The step that matters
Melting the cheese over low heat. Cheese proteins tighten and turn grainy or oily when overheated, so gentle low heat with constant stirring keeps the sauce smooth and cohesive.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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