Raclette the event!
Totally forgot to mention that we had a raclette party last Saturday, inspired by our raclette dinner in Paris. I ordered a small 4 tray raclette grill from KlinQ.com (via Amazon) which came all the way from Montreal for the occasion.
Stephanie’s dad Jean-Claude and Sabine were both in town to vote in the first round of the French elections, so we decided to make a party out of it. They brought some aged raclette cheese from their Santa Rosa “fromage contact,” as well as some prosciutto, and we supplied the rest. FM Tech was in fullish effect, as was Marcia de Petaluma.
The heating element is beneath the grill surface, so you can cook veggies (and/or meat) on top while the cheese melts in little trays below. Then you use a little wood scraper (in the bottom left) to get the melted cheese out of the tray and on to your dish.
Sliced boiled potatoes on the bottom, followed by various charcuterie, some grilled mushrooms, melted raclette cheese, a cornichon (pickle), and a spear of grilled asparagus.
After the traditional raclette, Stephanie prepared some chevre-chaud (literally: hot goat [cheese]), consisting of a sliced baguette drizzled with olive oil, toped off with some chevre and a sprinkle of herbes de provence, all cooked together under the heat. SO good.
Hmm, was a four pan raclette grill enough for you four people? I always enjoy having two pans per person, i.e. use an eight seater for four people if possible. BTW, there is a great new raclette cookbook out by Raclette Australia. It’s called The Insider’s Guide to Raclette or so. A bit on the pricy end (as it comes from Australia), but well worth it due to great pictures and thorough explanations and of course new and old receipes. I didn’t know there was so much history to raclette!
Valerie, wow, thanks for all the info. That cookbook looks great. (For everyone reading along, it’s conveniently available through Amazon: Raclette: The Insider’s Guide to the Secret World of Raclette Dining).
Actually there were 9 of us sharing the 4 pan raclette!—which worked out just fine, since this wasn’t a sit down dinner, and we had lots of other accompaniments.
One thing that was challenging, though: since we put the raclette up on a high stool, people ended up with their plate in one hand, the tray in the other, and no way to scrap their own cheese. So it was a cooperative affair.
I prefer frottage to fromage.
Frottage?