Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons beer or ale or white wine
A pinch of dry mustard
5 or 6 drops of Worcestershire sauce, if available
A pinch of salt
2 ounces cheese (Cheddar, aged Gouda, Caerphilly, French mountain cheese are all good but use what you have) cut in small, thin pieces or grated on the coarse holes of a grater
1 slice bread, toasted
Preparation
Warm the butter in a small heavy pot set over a pan of barely simmering water. When it has melted, whisk in the egg yolk, beer, and seasonings. Continue to whisk until lightly thickened, then add the cheese in small increments, whisking as each addition is melted and incorporated. When all the cheese has been used and the sauce has the thickness of a hollandaise, remove from the heat and spoon the molten cheese over the toast.
The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.
Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.
