Saturday, December 20, 2008

Raclette

I've referred to a meal called Raclette in my last few posts and some of you have wondered what exactly this is. We were introduced to it by our neighbours who had recently moved here from Switzerland. they served it to us one Christmas and it has been
a part of the season ever since for us.

At its most basic, raclette involves melting cheese and pouring it over
boiled potatoes or french bread.

My neighbour told us that it was a meal served by the poor people who lived up in the mountains, far away from any stores. In winter, with no produce from their gardens, they used what was available to them. Namely, home grown potatoes and their home made cheese. Of course since then much more has been added to the meal
and it really is only limited by your taste and imagination.


You will need a Raclette oven. This is a square or rectangular appliance with a heating element located between a metal base and a cook surface. They are available with either a granite top or a teflon top. We prefer the heavy granite stone. It grills the meats and holds the heat better. There are usually 8 individual trays to slide on to the metal base below the element. A variable temperature control is a good feature.

Raclette ovens are sold- expecially at Christmas time, in department stores and specialty kitchen stores. My DIL found a Canadian online store. Go to http://www.kitchenniche.ca/ and look under cookware. Apparently this company offers free shipping for orders over $100.00. The raclettes on this site run around $149.00.

The Must Have ingredients are as follows:

- Raclette or Montery Jack cheese sliced 1/4- 1/2 inch thick (my Swiss neighbour likes the
Montery Jack better than the real raclette cheese)

- red potatoes, boiled in their skins

- garlic butter ( the more garlic the better)

- A crusty loaf of French bread or baguette

- pickles and pickled onions

Some like to offer cheddar cheese as well.


We like to add:

- sliced fresh mushrooms

- diced red peppers

- diced green onions

These can go in the tray with a dab of garlic butter before placing a slice of cheese on it and sliding it under the broiler element.

Then there are the meats to grill in garlic butter on the granite cooktop. Our favourites are:

- prawns

- slices of farmer sausage

- chunks of marinated beef (tenderlion or sirloin)

- cubes of smoked ham

I wouldn't advise using raw chicken due to the danger of samonella contamination.
However our son's care group used halibut and red snapper and found it delicious.
They also tried it with feta and goat cheese and sundried tomatoes.

When the cheese has melted and is beginning to bubble and brown at the edges, pour the melted cheese over the potatoes and french bread. Delicious!

All you need to add for the perfect meal is a nice green salad - one with a little fruit is nice.

This meal has become a favourite for Christmas Eve or Valentine's Day with a group of friends. We've also served it in summer on the patio.

We used to be the only ones among our friends with a Raclette oven.
Now many of our friends own them. In fact, we have been invited for Raclette on
New Year's Eve.
I can't think of a more delicious way to bring in 2009.

4 comments:

Judy said...

Now that looks SO good...and brings back so many memories! We have had raclette on a patio in the Swiss alps...but why not on our own patio...or at our own table? I think we will try it.

Lovella ♥ said...

Oh Bev, this looks scrumptious .. .I'm wondering how I can cheat this year without the proper equipment..it seems like it could be done. .perhaps we'll just sit really close to the stove ..

charlotte mgcc said...

we enjoyed a dinner like that at a friend of ours....it was a fun experience and i am sure your guest enjoyed themselves tremendously.

Anneliese said...

This sounds really good! A totally different take on a New Year's fondue!