Raclette!

In France they have some different kitchen gadgets. They have pierres - bits of marble heated by an electric element on which I think you grill things on the table with the family. (That sentence is a bit bizarre, but I am sure you'll understand eventually!) Never seen it done.

And they have fondues. What's a fondu? Melt cheese.

And they have raclettes - a kind of two-tier gizmo with a teflon hotplate on top and little grill pan things that go underneath. Fascinating.

Well last night we visited some friends and ate raclette. It's a big dish of boiled potatoes, some sliced cheese, and some bacon and ham and stuff to fry on the hotplate. You grill your cheese in the little grill pan things, fry your bacon on top and goo the lot on your potatoes.

It's very nice and rather filling!

Comments

Anonymous said…
The purists, (i.e. my son-in-law), inform me that the best raclettes also have a marble top. Me, well personally, I couldn't care less. Filling they definately are, but, Oh boy! Are they fiddly? If you do go ahead with a raclette meal, I advise not using tomato as it becomes very bitter unless you use a bit of sugar.

In actual fact, from time to time, Lidl stores have them in over here, (the Teflon topped variety), but apart from the time for which they are on sale, you try getting the proper cheese. Should you manage to do so, you are likely to find it expensive, as do the French.
12:31 am
Alan said…
Yes. Enthused by our raclette experience and by my usual love of gadgetry I looked on the shelves of our local megamarket. They had many and varied raclettes, some with teflon and some with marble, but only one 8-seater. You'd need an 8-seater really. And then it's 65€ (40 quid?) for something that you'd use once or twice a year to send your cholesterol level sky-high.

No - it'll be a special treat to enjoy at other people's houses. That way we'll enjoy it all the more and we'll prop our shaky health up just a little longer too, probably!
5:23 pm
Anonymous said…
Alan, your raclette description is actually the French version. The Swiss go low on ham and bacon and focus more on things such as pickled onions. The Germans add more vegetables to it. So, go the German version if you want to reduce your chol. Oh, and there even is some low chol raclette cheese around, you know?

My special trick is to use some very low fat cheese as the base for the raclette and add tiny amounts of real raclette cheese for the flavour. Works a treat!

I can understand your concern about the costs, even if a raclette grill lasts twenty odd years and, as you said, you will entertain eight guests. Hmm, come to think of it that way, and adding normal restaurant costs.... they actually are dirt cheap!
6:06 am
Anonymous said…
A fondue can also be used for melting chocolate and dipping fresh fruit into the gooey mess. Just be careful that you don't burn the bottom of the chocolate.
9:55 am
Alan said…
Hi Lisa!

Funny you should say that, but we got the statement from our Supermarket loyalty card the other day, and we have just under 5000 points. Points make prizes.

I looked through the catalogue. It is full of wonderful things, none of which appeal to us at all. But there is an 8 man raclette with a marble hotplate - for just over 5000 points.

Fancy!
12:46 pm
Anonymous said…
Well go and buy some raclette cheese and, with the cost of that, you should boost your points total to well above what is needed for that piece of extra household clutter. It'll probably get thrown away long before the twenty years is up! Ever cheerful, that's me.
1:30 am
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