Toast the bread first. One side of the bread will be covered with the cheese sauce, so you may wish to toast accordingly: I toasted my bread on one side.

Arrange toast on a broiler-safe tray. For ease of clean-up, you might want to use Silpat or tinfoil.

Make the sauce:

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add grated cheese and wine. Stir or whisk constantly for about five minutes over medium low heat. Mrs. Stanley says the mixture will look “creamy.” It did not, though it did reduce a little. Look for ingredients to blend and bubbling around pot edges. Do not let mixture boil.

Remove pan to heatproof, nonskid surface. While whisking constantly, slowly pour the beaten egg mixture into the pan.

Return pan to medium low heat. Continue whisking or stirring more slowly, but don’t go anywhere.  Sauce will be thin, then suddenly thicken. This can take 5-6 minutes, so don’t panic. Stay put: don’t look at your phone. Don’t even look in the direction of you phone.

Once sauce thickens, turn heat down to lowest setting. Add Worcestshire, a good amount of black pepper, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for seasoning: you may want to add more. Don’t be afraid to salt if necessary.

Spoon the sauce mixture over the toast. It’s okay if sauce dribbles down the sides some. Divide as evenly as possible amongst the four pieces, on one side only.

Set oven rack closest to broiler element and set broiler to high. Broil toasts until browned and bubbling. My broiler isn’t great, so this takes about five minutes. If you have a decent broiler, or prefer doing this using a toaster oven, adjust these instructions accordingly. Please watch closely to avoid burning.

The Golden Buck is best eaten soon after it’s made, but can rest in a low oven or toaster oven for an hour. Leftovers may be stored in a covered container and refrigerated for two days. Reheat in a low oven or toaster oven. The Golden Buck should not be shown a microwave. Don’t even think of freezing it.

Notes:

The original recipe doesn’t specify what type of bread to use. Given the recipe calls for toasting, broiling, and supporting a cheesy sauce, a sturdy white or country style loaf is a wise choice. I used a loaf of Acme bread (a local baker). I left the crusts on. The slices measured about 3.5×3.5 inches-about 9cmx9cm. The original recipe directs readers to cut the bread into rounds, meaning the crusts would be cut off.

Strong English Cheddar is ideal here, but any strength Cheddar would work. Gruyere or Swiss cheese are good subsitutes. You want a cheese that grates easily.

The original recipe calls for white wine but doesn’t specify beyond that.  The only white wine in my house is subpar, so I used dry Sherry instead. Use a dry white that’s drinkable. Vermouth, Madeira or Port would also work.