Golden Buck

A Golden Buck is nothing more than Welsh rarebit with a poached egg set on top, and the text here breaks off mid-sentence — the missing words tell you to lift the eggs when the whites are set and slide one onto each portion of rarebit over toast. The two-chafing-dish staging is the whole trick, and it translates to two saucepans without loss.

• BlazerThe blazer is the upper pan of a chafing dish, the one that sits directly over the flame or over the hot-water bath. In a modern kitchen the rarebit wants a heavy saucepan over low heat or a double boiler; the eggs want a wide shallow pan.
• "Off the boil"This is the hinge of the egg half of the recipe. Water at a bare tremble, roughly 180-190F with no active bubbling, sets the white gently; a rolling boil shreds it. Salt the water as directed and add a spoonful of vinegar if you want the whites to gather.
• The rarebit itselfNot given here; the recipe simply assumes one. A rarebit of this period is grated cheese melted with a little butter, ale or beer, dry mustard, salt and cayenne, sometimes bound with an egg. Use a sharp English-style Cheddar and keep the heat gentle — cheese held above a simmer breaks and turns stringy.
• TimingPoached eggs need three to four minutes for a set white and liquid yolk. The rarebit should be finished and still warm before the eggs go in, since it stiffens as it cools and cannot be reheated hard without separating.
• AssemblyThe fragment breaks off before serving, and toast is not mentioned; rarebit is conventionally served on it. Put a slice on each warmed plate, spoon the rarebit over it, then lift each egg out with a slotted spoon, drain it briefly on a cloth so the water does not thin the cheese, and set it on top. Grind pepper over and serve at once.
• YieldThe recipe gives no quantities at all ('some eggs'). Reckon one egg and about two ounces of cheese per person.