Does the upcoming holiday season find you frantically searching for creative new ways to entertain; yet you want to relax and enjoy the party, too? Try raclette.
Winston Churchill’s statement, “He who fails to plan is planning to fail,” may well apply to the holiday season—so many parties, so little time. Put a new twist on your get-togethers with raclette, an age-old form of dining that may be a new experience for your friends and family.
Raclette is a type of cheese and also a type of meal. A raclette grill is used to cook many types of food by two methods: food is cooked directly on a cast iron or granite grill surface, and individual servings may be broiled in single-serve pans placed on a rack under the stone. In Europe, raclette is as simple as a block of cheese set in front of a fire and savored as it melts.
There are endless food selections to consider when preparing raclette. Traditional foods include cornichons (little pickled gherkins), boiled potatoes, pickled onions, and of course, cheese. But this is where the planning comes into the equation — whatever you select for your menu, do your best chef-like mise en place so you have a ready-for-the-grill meal when your guests arrive: pre-cook potatoes, slice cheeses, make baguettes, mix the crepe batter, and chill the wines.
My favorites include:
Cheese is the centerpiece of the meal; it can be served alone or added to any other course that you offer. Swiss, French, and even American raclette cheeses are available locally. Other options include Gruyere, fontina, asiago, Monterey jack, havarti, gouda, and blue cheese.
Sturdiwheat makes a wonderful baguette mix. I know, what’s to making a baguette but a little flour, water, and yeast? But I love the texture of the bread from their mix and our local grocery stores don’t carry it anymore, so just order it online, put it in your bread machine on the dough cycle, form into baguette loaves, and bake. It’s that easy. Slice it on the diagonal and it’s ready to go. The bread isn’t as dry as a regular baguette — it’s so good! Leftovers can be stored in the freezer and you’ll always have a quick appetizer for guests. OK, back to our meal…the baguette can be used as the base for creating mini sandwiches with meat and/or cheese, or I like it with roasted tomatoes from Byerly’s olive bar, pesto, and trugole cheese, and then placed in the little broiler pan. Think of some of your favorite bruschetta toppings (olive tapanades) and give them a try.
Go crazy with your proteins! Beef tenderloin melts in your mouth after a quick sear on the grill—this kick starts the cooking process and adds some flavor. Carve a few slices to get your guests started and then let them slice as needed. I like to serve this with a gooey Gorgonzola sprinkled with chives or a creamy sun-dried tomato horseradish sauce. Other easy selections may include sliced sausage (Sure, go ahead and use your favorite, but throw in a couple of the new varieties in your butcher’s case, too.), scallops, shrimp, ham and marinated chicken strips.
Boiled baby potatoes are a must, but also think of other veggies that go well on a grill. Try prosciutto wrapped asparagus or blanched vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, onions and cauliflower sprinkled with a zippy seasoning. Sliced zucchini bathed in Italian dressing and grilled would be easy, too.
Dessert? I added a crepe griddle to my stash of cook’s toys (it’s an accessory for the raclette grill). I love a leisurely ending to a satisfying meal and this continues the experience…though you do have to change out the griddles and wait for the crepe griddle to heat up. I pre-mix the batter and have a selection of fruits, whipped cream, caramel, fudge, Nutella, rum-sauced bananas, and more for the filling. If you want to keep it simple, ready-made crepes are available in the produce section of your grocery store, and they’re good! Or put the griddle away and serve a different type of dessert.
Oh, what to drink? I prefer serving three types of wine: a white (Conundrum is a favorite, or even a bubbly prosecco or cava), a spicy or full-bodied red (syrah/shiraz or a cab), and a food-friendly red (a nice pinot noir). And you can never go wrong with a hearty beer. There are so many flavors and intensities in your food selections, don’t stress yourself out when choosing a wine, just pick something that you enjoy drinking.
The unique and relaxed culinary experience shared with friends and family during a raclette dinner is more than worth your preparation time, enjoy!
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Familiarize yourself with the Swiss history of Raclette.
Alice Tanghe is a local food advocate and writer, and is also the managing director of several e-publications for the electronic connector industry. Contact Alice at atanghe@comcast.net.
