Let's take a break from the back yard photos for a look at lunch. Last week we got a new raclette machine, having retired the old one earlier this year. Raclette is a Swiss cheese made from cows' milk. It's also the name of the meal.
The French verb racler means "to scrape," which is how the cheese was originally eaten. It's positioned near a heat source, then, as the cheese melts, diners scrape the melted cheese off the main wheel and eat it on boiled potatoes and cold cuts. These days, modern electric raclette machines and pre-cut slices of cheese are used to make the process work better around a dining table.
You can see in the photo some of the things we ate along with the cheese. If you go counter-clockwise around the raclette machine from the wine bottle at the top, you can see jambon cru (Italian raw-cured ham), thinly sliced Canadian bacon, traditional boiled ham slices, steamed potatoes (with the skins left on), sliced raw mushrooms, steamed broccoli and Brussels sprouts, cornichons (little gherkin pickles), and the sliced raclette cheese (it kind of looks like sliced sandwich bread in the photo). The meats and vegetables can be warmed on the griddle while cheese slices go into little trays that are placed under the heating element (below the griddle) until the cheese melts.
Last week was the first time we used the new machine and it works pretty well. We're having raclette for lunch again today.
On 11th of November, after the village memorial ceremony and the drinks in the village hall, for years we invited friends back to ours for raclette. A great easy no nonsence late lunchtime entertainment. We had to borrow an extra machine when the number of guests grew!
ReplyDeleteIt all looks and sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteI had Raclette at a dinner part given by my au pair family-- they invited me to join them. It was delicious, but I must have eaten too much bread and potatoes, and not enough veggies, with my portion of cheese. I was very uncomfortable after LOL.
ReplyDeleteWe love to have raclette in the evening outside when it’s cool during autumn. I like to add a slice of tomato to the broiling cheese. And we also grill scallions up on top. Such a fun meal.
ReplyDeleteAnd the beauty of the French language? That Squeegee for the shower door? It's a raclette. Learned the hard way in Leroy Merlin trying to describe the thingee I wanted for my shower.
ReplyDeleteI like this new version of the raclette 'contraption'! Before, in Annecy, in a restaurant, the scraper and heat source was on the table near my elbow and it was not very relaxing to be so near the burner while I was reaching for my glass of wine! Your version looks much safer. So you melt cheese on your cornichons, as well? What a diverse selection on the table! Today, too? Too bad, it is past your lunch time or I would have loved to have joined you! It is past my lunch time, too; I better fix my lunch, now.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you identified the components. I was thinking, "Why do they have a stack of white sandwich bread (ugh) on the table?" LOL
ReplyDeletepotty, sounds like fun!
ReplyDeletemitch, it's kind of like fondue, with more choices.
judy, it's easy to get carried away when it tastes so good!
lynn, tomato sounds good. I'll have to try that next time.
keir, ah, yes! I have a raclette in the shower, too.
mary, no cheese on the cornichons, although, why not?
emm, it really does look like sandwich bread, doesn't it!