2 slices crusty bread

4 slices tomato

2 tablespoons nonalcoholic beer

2 tablespoons juice from canned stewed tomatoes

1 teaspoon butter or margarine

¼ cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 egg

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

⅛ teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne pepper

• Toast the bread. Lay 2 tomato slices flat on each slice of bread and set aside.

• Fill a saucepan halfway with water and bring to a low simmer. Place a metal bowl over the saucepan and add the beer, canned stewed tomato juice, and butter to the bowl. Heat until warm.

• Add the cheese to the warmed beer. Heat on low until the cheese melts, stirring and making sure the water doesn't boil.

• Add the egg. Stir gently so that the egg is mixed but the mixture doesn't begin to scramble. When the mixture has thickened, stir in the Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper.

• Spoon the Tomato Rarebit over the toasted bread and tomatoes. Serve open-faced.

Salmonella Risk in Soft-Boiled Eggs

Unfortunately, soft-boiled eggs aren't cooked long enough to completely remove the risk of salmonella poisoning. The best way to solve the problem (other than giving them up altogether), is to use pasteurized eggs. By heat-treating the eggs, pasteurization kills any salmonella bacteria that may have infected the raw egg.

Serves 1

This is a great breakfast for cold winter days. Use the leftover stewed tomatoes to make Warming Herbed Tomato Soup (page 45).