Just when you think you've done it all, someone introduces you to a wonderful new food experience. Over the weekend we were introduced to the world of Raclette by our friends from Brazil and it was GREAT! Raclette is a dish indigenous to parts of Switzerland and France, where they lived for many years. Our German friend who was also invited knew all about it, so I'm not sure how we had missed it. The term raclette derives from the French racler, meaning "to scrape". Of course everyone knows fondue, well raclette is a bit like fondue but it's not. It does involve communal eating and some very specialized cooking equipment.
When we arrived at our friends home, the table was all set and there was a strange electric grill machine sitting in the center. From underneath the grill 8 little pans with handles poked out and there were plastic scrapers on each plate. As the time came to eat, the table and all nearby surrounding surfaces were covered with a wonderful variety of STUFF, lots and lots of stuff. There were boiled potatoes, sliced red and green peppers, radishes, pickles, pearl onions, tomatoes, dried meats, sausage, bacon, eggs, carrots, broccoli, the list goes on and on, I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Then there was the star ingredient, Cheese! One plate was covered with small squares of mild gouda cheese and if you peaked under the grill, each little pan was lined with the same.
My family did not have a clue what we were to do so we waited for instructions. Turns out you select your ingredients and place them on your plate. Each person is assigned a pan, when the cheese is melted you remove it and using the scraper you pour it over the goodies! What fun, it turns into a free for all with lots of laughing as everyone reaches for the same thing. Each of us developed a personal style, I copied the German, he was lining his little pan with peppers, meat and then a slice of cheese before sliding it back under the grill. He would wait till the cheese was bubbling and the vegetables were getting softer before pouring it over the potato on his plate. We would eat a bit and then repeat and repeat again. It was amazing how many little pans of cheese you could go through decorating one potato and all the dishes kept being refilled. It was great way to celebrate!
Now I've decided someone in the family must get a raclette pan, it's the perfect activity on a cold winter evening. This cookbook doesn't have a recipe for the dish but it is about cheese, so #15 is The Country Kitchen Cheese & Crackers by Jean Hatfield.
Hi Mindy, great article! Thanks, it was fun to have you there! We have eaten raclette for years, since we lived in France. Of course, the next day we had raclette again, from the leftovers of the night. This is someting to do more often, and you can be creative and add stuff. Cheers
ReplyDeleteWe had one of those pans at Dillard's when I worked there. The top griddle was actually made out of stone. Nobody could figure out what exactly it was, so it languished in the clearance aisle for months. Now I'm wishing I had purchased it for 75% off!
ReplyDeleteRats, if you see another one, grab it!
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