If you folks ever find yourself in Springfield, you need to try our 'signature' dish.
The Horseshoe.
(sorry for the low light)
From the bottom up... Texas toast. 1/4 (more like 1/2) pound of meat, this was corned beef. Huge pile of fries and a heavy coating of a special cheese sauce.
There are different meat options, hamburger is the basic one. Ham & Turkey are popular. For St Patrick's Day, I had a corned beef and cabbage shoe, and they used Guinness in the cheese sauce.
Yes, that is a pile of food. That pretty much was breakfast/lunch/dinner on a plate. I didn't eat again until the next day.
It's the sauce that makes the dish... Different restaurants have their own spin on it, but here is the original:
Springfield Horseshoe Welsh Rarebit Sauce RecipeThe original sauce used by Illinois legend, Leland Hotel's Chef Joe Schweska
* ½ pound butter
* 1 tablespoon salt
* ¼ pound of flour
* ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 quart and 1 cup of milk
* 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
* 2 ½ to 3 pounds chopped Old English Cheese
* 1 pint of beer
1. Melt butter, then add flour and milk. Stir in remaining ingredients except the beer.
2. Cook in a double boiler, stir into a creamy sauce. Add beer to sauce just before serving.
And the modern version..
Cheese Beer Sauce2 egg yolks
1/2 cup beer
2 tablespoon butter
3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper
In a small bowl, combine egg yolks and beer until mixed; set aside.
In the top of a double boiler over hot water, melt butter and Cheddar cheese. Add Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper; stir until well mixed.
Add egg mixture, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and begins to bubble around the edges.
Remove from heat and keep warm until sandwiches are assembled.
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Give it a try sometime, just don't tell your cardiologist....