I’ve been seeing Raclette cheese in the chilled cabinets at the supermarkets for a while now, however just this weekend it seems to have ramped up in what’s available for this fun meal. So maybe this weekend is the height of Raclette time in Provence.
A Raclette meal
Just about every home in France has a Raclette machine. It is a little electric gizmo where you can put your already boiled potatoes on top to keep them hot, then underneath you have little metal shovels for putting your slice of Raclette cheese to melt, before putting the melted cheese on top of your potatoes to have along with the charcuterie and pickles . . .yum!
A Raclette meal is one with boiled/steamed potatoes, a mix of charcuterie, maybe cold cuts like ham as well, little pickled gherkins (cornichons), and sometimes little pickled onions as well. On sale was the usual plain Raclette, this time I can see there is smoked, mustard, vin d’arbois, pepper, and even a truffle flavoured one.
You have this with a good mix of delicious charcuterie, like smoked ham, salami, coppa, and in France there are so much to choose from.
A Fun Meal
It is a fun meal, beloved of children who get to be interactive with their food by having to cook their little cheese slices themselves. Plus for some strange reason kids just seem to adore the little cucumber pickles, and eat huge amounts of them anyway.
I’ve got to say I’m fully grown but ever since I first had a raclette meal, I have loved them too. I am usually content with just this, however a nice crisp green salad with a lively french vinaigrette is a great with this meal.
A crisp white wine with some acidity to cut through the richness of the cheese would also be a perfect accompaniment.
Using a Whole Raclette Cheese
The method of using a whole cheese heated to melting stage looks super cool, I have not tried it and hope to one day.
You can also use the Raclette Grill for other meal purposes as this one on amazon shows. . . but that’s for another post . . .
It’s Raclette Time in Provence, however you don’t have to wait till you come to France. Raclette grills are available worldwide and it’s such an enjoyable and simple meal that young and old will enjoy. My daughter and her friends in London just had a birthday party where three of them brought their raclette grills to share. It was a universal success.!
