raclette

The Comfort of Family, Friends and Food

It may have killed the cat, but my curiosity only unveils culinary contentment and none more so than the delightful comfort eating that is the Swiss tradition of Raclette.

Although a great comfort with thick slices of rich, melted Raclette cheese, this is a great social convention that has everyone gathering at the table, putting together their dishes while merrily chatting away.

Raclette is both the name of the cheese and the dish, which is reminiscent of fondue in notion yet unique in preparation. Each person receives a little dish in which you pile vegetables and then top with a thick slice of Raclette. This is duly placed in the electric Raclette grill where the vegetables are cooked and the cheese melts over it. The top of the grill is reserved for the beef and chicken, which is cooked in order to be added to the rest of the ingredients. Once the cheese has melted, it is scraped off the dish with the vegetables onto your plate. This is where its name is derived from, as Raclette comes from the French word racler which means “to scrape”. Baked potatoes, thick slices of French loaf and red wine make perfect accompaniments to this fantastic meal.

Our table was adorned with little dishes of peppers, gherkins, tomatoes, mushrooms and more. The dishes are little and the portions are small, but this is all very deceptive as you find yourself preparing dish after dish and consequently become extremely satiated.

The fun in this dish is that you can be creative and add your own personal touch. In addition, a wonderful variety of sauces adds a bit of zing to the table such as the incredicle peanut Thai sauce that everyone liberally spread over their Raclette, as well as horseradish, sour cream and jalapeno sauces.

With a wet winter around the corner this is a dish well worth revisiting during the rainy months and is a fun and unique idea for a dinner party.

Originally published on Dinner and a Movie

Leave a Reply