What do you need for a raclette?
Cheese, potatoes and cold cuts are a must. But pickles and a good green salad are also essential . As for wine, you'll often want a red wine such as a Beaujolais or Saint Amour, or of course a Savoy wine, but the perfect match is a dry white wine such as a Burgundy (Saint Véran, Mâcon village or Pouilly fuissé...). You can also add quail eggs, heated on the top of the dish (quail eggs, not hen eggs, are a bit chunky). It's always a good idea to include a few fresh button mushrooms, cut up in advance.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous. Drink in moderation.
And why not spice up your raclette?
A few small bowls filled with spices are a perfect way to allow guests to flavour the cheese of their choice. For example, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, cumin or nutmeg. You'll find ready-made mixes from an artisan grocer here.
How much for a raclette?
Proportion of raclette per person
- Cold cuts: 100 grams
- Cheese: 200 grams
- Potatoes: 400 grams
Which makes :
- 7 to 8 slices of cheese
- 5 to 6 pieces of charcuterie
- 3 to 5 Potatoes.
Raclette proportions for 6 people
- Charcuterie: 600 grams
- Cheese: 1.2 kilograms
- Potatoes: 1.8 kilograms.
Which makes :
- about 50 slices of cheese
- about 40 pieces of charcuterie
- about 30 potatoes.
Which cheeses go with raclette?
You'll find ready-made cheeses in supermarkets, but they often have little taste. We recommend removing the rind before slipping your portion into the poelon. We recommend raw-milk tomme. For example :
- Raclette cheese from the Swiss Valais (the original cheese)
- Savoy raclette cheese
You can also choose morbier, reblochon or even cheddar cheese.
And regional variants:
In a country that produces so much cheese (and loves it, since the French are the world's biggest cheese consumers), you can also treat yourself to a regional variation depending on where you are. In the Nord region, for example, you can choose to add a little Maroilles to the cheese on offer. In the East, in Lorraine and Alsace, especially in the Vosges, you can add munster. Normans can try camembert.
What charcuterie goes with raclette?
The simple version includes white ham, cured or smoked ham and rosette. But if you want to make a real raclette and please your guests, you'll need ..:
- White ham
- Bayonne (or Parma) ham or Coppa.
- The Lyon rosette
- Bacon
- Grisons meat.
And local variants
In the East, in Lorraine, you can opt for sliced smoked bacon, the fuseau lorrain, or even a poached andouille from Val d'Ajol. In the South-West, Bayonne ham is the preferred choice. In Brittany or Normandy, choose local smoked ham.
Which potatoes go best with raclette?
We recommend charlotte or roseval instead.
From the sea, Italian... Raclettes to try :
Raclette from the sea
Forget ham and replace meat with fish. Admit it, it's not that complicated. You can use scallops, shrimps or prawns, and especially smoked fish: salmon, haddock or cod.
Italian raclette
We prefer Italian hams, and there's a lot to choose from! But don't forget coppa and don't forget salami. Replace traditional cheese with mozarella, gorgonzola and scarmoza.
Raclette, a Swiss invention
Raclette is not originally a French dish, but has been known to be eaten in the Valais region of Switzerland since the 17th century. The word appeared in the 19th century. Originally, raclette was half a wheel of cheese placed in front of the fireplace to melt the cheese (in those days, it was known as roasted cheese). Not very practical elsewhere, this practice changed with the arrival of the raclette oven in 1921. The raclette machine we know today is a French invention from 1973 by the TEFAL company (born in Sarcelles, France). It has made raclette very popular, since a study of favorite dishes places it in 3rd position among the favorite dishes of the French with 33%, just behind duck breast (48%) and prime rib (37%).
Source: Opinionway survey for Expedia.fr travel agency - October 2016
Buy raclette online
For raclette, wherever you are in the world, we recommend Maison MARCHAND in Nancy. A family dynasty with a passion for good products and an unrivalled knowledge of cheese. You'll get some great ideas from this site. I recommend it!
