Thursday, December 8, 2011

8 December 2011 - Raclette



(Roxette's "Run to You" - because Roxette sounds like raclette and I would run to it if I knew it were around)

I made a passing reference
to raclette in the Zürich weekend entry a month or so ago, noting I could write an entire entry about it. So, after having experienced the joy again yesterday, I decided it was time.


Raclette is a meal that has its roots in Swiss (and perhaps also French, as the Savoy region of France also lays claim to the meal) cow herders (I don't think it would be right to call them cowboys in europe) who would pack the semi-firm raclette cheese and some bread when they went out to the fields. They would build a fire at night (no - there is no Pace salsa ad coming up here), heat up the cheese and melt it onto their bread. Perhaps like an early form of a grilled cheese sandwich?

The modern version is slightly different. The cheese is still the same, but you buy different forms of it in packages in an entire refrigerated section in the Swiss grocery stores. The cheese (which normally comes in large wheels) is pre-cut into square slices that are about 2-3 times the slice of a normal slice of cheese you might buy to put on a sandwich.


Instead of grilling over an open fire, there is now a special tabletop grilling oven/machine. The machines come with little fireproof trays that are in the same sized square as the cheese, along with a small spatula of the same non-flammable material. You pop the cheese into the tray (you might also add seasonings) and slide the tray underneath the heating element of the grilling machine. When the cheese begins to bubble, it is pretty much done.

Meanwhile, you assemble the other ingredients used in the raclette dining experience, including vegetables like tiny boiled potatoes, baby gherkins and pickled onions, as well as some slices of meat such as a wonderful laser-thin sliced and air-dried beef.

Once the cheese is done, it more or less slides out of the tray onto your plate over the other ingredients and you can scrape out the rest with the little spatula. I'm sure there are specific ways this should be done, but in any case, it is a delightful way to clog your arteries. I'm told it is particularly great after a day of skiing, so perhaps that combats the artery situation. In any case, it is wonderful and I highly recommend enjoying some of this delightful food when you are in Switzerland during the winter.



No comments:

Post a Comment