1/2 cup white wine, preferably Neufchatel 1/2 cup grated Gruyere 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 saltspoon paprika 2 egg yolks

Stir wine and seasonings together with the cheese until it melts, then thicken with the egg yolks, stirring at least 3 more minutes until smooth.

Sherry Rabbit

3 cups grated cheese 1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk 1/2 cup sherry 1/4 teaspoon English mustard 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce A dash of paprika

Heat cheese over hot water, with or without a bit of b.u.t.ter, and when it begins to melt, stir in the cream. Keep stirring until almost all of the cheese is melted, then add sherry. When smooth and creamy, stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and after pouring over b.u.t.tered toast dash with paprika for color.

Spanish Sherry Rabbit

3 tablespoons b.u.t.ter 3 tablespoons flour 1 bouillon cube, mashed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1-1/2 cups milk 1-1/2 cups grated cheese 1 jigger sherry

Make a smooth paste of b.u.t.ter, flour, bouillon cube and seasonings, and add milk slowly. When well-heated stir in the cheese gradually. Continue stirring at least 10 minutes, and when well-blended stir in the sherry and serve on hot, b.u.t.tered toast.

Pink Poodle

2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter 1 tablespoon chopped onion 1 tablespoon flour 1 jigger California claret 1 cup cream of tomato soup A pinch of soda 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika A dash of powdered cloves 3 cups grated cheese 1 egg, lightly beaten

Cook onion in b.u.t.ter until light golden, then blend in flour, wine and soup with the soda and all seasonings. Stir in cheese slowly until melted and finish off by thickening with the egg and stirring until smooth and velvety. Serve on crisp, b.u.t.tered toast with a dry red wine.

Although wine Rabbits, red or white, are as unusual as Swiss ones with Gruyere in place of Cheddar, wine is commonly drunk with anything from a Golden Buck to a Blushing Bunny. But for most of us, a deep draught of beer or ale goes best with an even deeper draught of the mellow scent of a Cheddar golden-yellow.

Savory Eggy Dry Rabbit

1/8 pound b.u.t.ter 2 cups grated Gruyere 4 eggs, well-beaten Salt Pepper Mustard

Melt b.u.t.ter and cheese together with the beaten eggs, stirring steadily with wooden spoon until soft and smooth. Season and pour over dry toast.

This "dry" Rabbit, in which the volume of the eggs makes up for any lacking liquid, is still served as a savory after the sweets to finish a fine meal in some old-fashioned English homes and hostelries.

Cream Cheese Rabbit

This Rabbit, made with a package of cream cheese, is more scrambled hen fruit than Rabbit food, for you simply scramble a half-dozen eggs with b.u.t.ter, milk, salt, pepper and cayenne, and just before the finish work in the cheese until smooth and serve on crackers--water crackers for a change.

Reducing Rarebit (Tomato Rarebit)[A]

YIELD: 2 servings. 235 calories per serving.

1/2 pound farmer cheese 2 eggs 1 level tablespoon powdered milk 1 level teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon gelatin or agar powder 4 egg tomatoes, quartered, or 2 tomatoes, quartered 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon parsley flakes 1/2 head lettuce and/or 1 cuc.u.mber 1/4 cup wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste

[Footnote A: (from _The Low-Calory Cookbook_ by Bernard Koten, published by Random House)]

Fill bottom of double boiler with water to 3/4 mark. Sprinkle salt in upper part of double boiler. Boil over medium flame. When upper part is hot, put in cheese, powdered milk, baking powder, gelatin, caraway seeds and pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Mix. Break eggs into this mixture, cook over low flame, continually stirring. Add tomatoes when mixture bubbles and continue cooking and stirring until tomatoes have been cooked soft. Remove to lettuce and/or cuc.u.mber (sliced thin) which has been slightly marinated in wine vinegar and sprinkle the parsley flakes over the top of the mixture.

Curry Rabbit

1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 cups milk 2-1/2 cups grated cheese 1 tablespoon minced chives 2 green onions, minced 2 shallots, minced 1/4 teaspoon imported curry powder 1 tablespoon chutney sauce

Dissolve cornstarch in a little of the milk and scald the rest over hot water. Thicken with cornstarch mixture and stir in the cheese, chives, onions, shallots, curry and chutney while wooden-spooning steadily until smooth and sizzling enough to pour over b.u.t.tered toast.

People who can't let well enough alone put cornstarch in Rabbits, just as they add soda to spoil the cooking of vegetables.

Ginger Ale Rabbit

Simply subst.i.tute ginger ale for the real thing in the No. 1 Rabbit of all time.

b.u.t.termilk Rabbit

Subst.i.tute b.u.t.termilk for plain milk in the No. 2 Rabbit. To be consistent, use fresh-cured b.u.t.termilk Cheese, instead of the usual Cheddar of fresh cow's milk. This is milder.

Eggnog Rabbit

2 tablespoons sweet b.u.t.ter 2 cups grated mellow Cheddar 1-1/3 cups eggnog Dashes of spice to taste.

After melting the cheese in b.u.t.ter, stir in the eggnog and keep stirring until smooth and thickened. Season or not, depending on taste and the quality of eggnog employed.

Ever since the innovation of bottled eggnogs fresh from the milkman in holiday season, such supremely creamy and flavorful Rabbits have been multiplying as fast as guinea pigs.

All-American Succotash Rabbit

1 cup milk 3 tablespoons b.u.t.ter 3 tablespoons flour 3 cups grated cheese 1 cup creamed succotash, strained Salt and pepper

Make a white sauce of milk, b.u.t.ter and flour and stir in the cheese steadily and gradually until melted. Add the creamed succotash and season to taste.

Serve on toasted, b.u.t.tered corn bread.

Danish Rabbit

1 quart warm milk 2 cups grated cheese

Stir together to boiling point and pour over piping-hot toast in heated bowl. This is an esteemed breakfast dish in north Denmark.

As in all Rabbits, more or less cheese may be used, to taste.

Easy English Rabbit