Raclette (hosting) [Recipes]
2007 Nov 19
This was really popular in my ex GF's family in Germany. They do mainly deli meats (good German ones from a local butcher) and good cheeses. Olives and the likes go really well. Some sliced / chopped veggies - basically anything you'd put on pizza or otherwise roast in the oven.
Did you just get a machine or something?
Did you just get a machine or something?
2007 Nov 19
p.s. you could do regular meats - chicken, pork, beef uncooked and ready to go on a tray. Main thing to remember is to provide everyone with enough forks to avoid cross-contamination. And a quick little lecture beforehand on cross contamination might be in order. A "raw" fork on each plate of ingredients is likely the smartest bet, then a "cooked" fork for each person's plate. Or give each person a "raw" and a "cooked" fork and let them keep track.
2007 Nov 19
Here's a photo of one we did a few months ago. We used Canadian Raclette cheese, Havarti, pesto-marinated chicken, spicy shrimp, and sliced bell peppers. I think we had some other veggies too. And of course potatoes.
Classic raclette is as follows:
* Raclette cheese
* Salads and pickled things (gherkins, onions, etc)
* Boiled potatoes
* Cured meats like Bundnerfleisch (Bindenfleisch), eaten cold
The "grill" aspect is a deviation from the classic raclette, but a fun one! Also, it allows you to introduce some veggies into the meal. So go nuts, choose whatever you like the most.
A note about cheeses. The Havarti was okay, except when compared to the Raclette cheese. Make sure you include some real Raclette cheese in the meal. It can be Swiss, French, Canadian -- I don't care as long as it says "Raclette." The flavour of Raclette cheese is fantastic, especially if you let it crisp up around the edges. It's also a good idea to offer a milder cheese in case some of your guests have less adventurous tastes.
One thing we tried more recently was using the unripened white cheddar sold at Costco. It's like a giant block of cheese curd. I figured if it's good on fries it should be good melted over potatoes and sure enough it was awesome (although mild). Much cheaper than Raclette cheese too!
Classic raclette is as follows:
* Raclette cheese
* Salads and pickled things (gherkins, onions, etc)
* Boiled potatoes
* Cured meats like Bundnerfleisch (Bindenfleisch), eaten cold
The "grill" aspect is a deviation from the classic raclette, but a fun one! Also, it allows you to introduce some veggies into the meal. So go nuts, choose whatever you like the most.
A note about cheeses. The Havarti was okay, except when compared to the Raclette cheese. Make sure you include some real Raclette cheese in the meal. It can be Swiss, French, Canadian -- I don't care as long as it says "Raclette." The flavour of Raclette cheese is fantastic, especially if you let it crisp up around the edges. It's also a good idea to offer a milder cheese in case some of your guests have less adventurous tastes.
One thing we tried more recently was using the unripened white cheddar sold at Costco. It's like a giant block of cheese curd. I figured if it's good on fries it should be good melted over potatoes and sure enough it was awesome (although mild). Much cheaper than Raclette cheese too!
2007 Nov 20
I got the raclette set a while ago as a gift, but still haven't tried it. :)
Well i was going to go for lots of veggies, different kind of cheeses (definitely raclette cheese being one of them), shrimp, and meat. Someone recommended i try those "fondue" meats (Ostrich, duck, horse, etc..), but i don't know how well that would go with this. Oh, and boiled potatoes will definitely be on there, along with a baguette.
I was also thinking of having apple and pear slices somewhere in there.. maybe have gorgonzola and some kind of nut (pistachio maybe) for those.
zymurgist: thanks for the tips! i passed the Ontario sanitization test 2 years ago and we had to learn all those cross contamination do's and don'ts.. i'll try not to poison anyone :)
Well i was going to go for lots of veggies, different kind of cheeses (definitely raclette cheese being one of them), shrimp, and meat. Someone recommended i try those "fondue" meats (Ostrich, duck, horse, etc..), but i don't know how well that would go with this. Oh, and boiled potatoes will definitely be on there, along with a baguette.
I was also thinking of having apple and pear slices somewhere in there.. maybe have gorgonzola and some kind of nut (pistachio maybe) for those.
zymurgist: thanks for the tips! i passed the Ontario sanitization test 2 years ago and we had to learn all those cross contamination do's and don'ts.. i'll try not to poison anyone :)
2007 Nov 20
My parents have a 220-volt outlet in their dining room for the sole purpose of plugging in the grill that my sister brought over from Holland. We don't always do it the traditional way: instead of the cheese we often go with a cavalcade of sauces. Horseradish-cream-type sauces and lots-of-garlic-type sauces go over well.
And prosciutto-wrapped bananas for dessert.
And prosciutto-wrapped bananas for dessert.
2007 Nov 20
SteffQc, I agree that the paper-thin fondue meats are not at all well-suited for raclette. The only thing fondue and raclette have in common is that they are both cheese-based Swiss dishes that have been bastardized to include meat. ;-)
Fondre == "to melt" (i.e. cheese)
Racler == "to scrape" (i.e. cheese)
The paper thin meats are intended for very quick cooking in broth. They'd just dry out on the raclette. So go with your instincts on that one!
One more tip: if you've never used your raclette grill, you might want to make sure it works before everyone shows up! :-)
P.S. If you want something exotic like horse, the cured Dutch kind (Rookvlees Horse Meat) would be a great substitute for Bündnerfleisch (Bindenfleisch), but as an accompaniment -- not to be grilled.
Fondre == "to melt" (i.e. cheese)
Racler == "to scrape" (i.e. cheese)
The paper thin meats are intended for very quick cooking in broth. They'd just dry out on the raclette. So go with your instincts on that one!
One more tip: if you've never used your raclette grill, you might want to make sure it works before everyone shows up! :-)
P.S. If you want something exotic like horse, the cured Dutch kind (Rookvlees Horse Meat) would be a great substitute for Bündnerfleisch (Bindenfleisch), but as an accompaniment -- not to be grilled.
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I'm hosting some friends this coming weekend for a Raclette party. I was wondering if any of you have done it before, and what food was used (i've never done it before). Also, if you have any recipes / marinades, lets hear them! :)