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A Successful Party Grill

Even if modern raclette has little in common with the Swiss original, the most important aspect survives: the coziness and leisure of sitting around the table together while grilling and cooking your food.

Raclette Trays

In another era, Swiss raclette was a very simple meal. Half a cheese round was heated in front of an open fireplace and the melting cheese was scraped onto potatoes, layer by layer. However, that old world method is a bit impractical for most modern households. Today, many retailers offer a variety of electric raclette machines in different models and price ranges. Any of the raclette machines you may purchase the principle is always the same. The ingredients are placed in small, non-stick raclette dishes to cook under a heating element.

Raclette Grill

The raclette machines most frequently sold today have a non-stick grill above the heating element and trays. This lets you grill meat, fish, or vegetables on top while the cheese melts in the trays below. Many of the recipes in this book were developed for this type of appliance, allowing more variety in the type of meals you can prepare.

Raclette with Hot Stone

Grilling is an ancient technique that as a cooking method is low-fat and wonderfully aromatic, especially when you can cook your meal right at the table. The hot stone is pre-heated on the raclette machine's heating element. The heating element maintains a constant temperature and can be adjusted higher or lower by a control.

ingredients

• Cheese
  For a raclette dinner, plan on 7–8 oz of cheese per person.
  Since cheese is the most important ingredient in raclette, we'll introduce you to the types of cheese used in the recipes in the Glossary.
• Vegetables
  Tender vegetables can be raw when cooked on the raclette grill, as long as they're cut up into small enough pieces. For firmer vegetables, blanch them briefly until al dente.
• Fruit
  Cheese and fruit are a classic combination, especially fruit that's slightly tart like those used in gratins and cheese desserts. Ideal fruits include apples, pears, plums, apricots, figs, mango,
  and papaya.
• Meat
  Meat prepared on a raclette machine should be cut up very finely so it will be cooked throughout in a short period of time. Marinating it beforehand makes it especially tender. When using a hot stone, the pieces of meat can be slightly thicker.
• Fish
  Fish is ideal for raclette because it cooks quickly. When grilling, it's better to use fattier types such as mackerel, salmon, catfish, or filets with the skin on. Scallops and peeled or unpeeled shrimp are also delicious on the grill.
• Potatoes
  Small new potatoes boiled in their skins are the traditional accompaniment to raclette. Plan on about a half of a pound per person if the potatoes are the only filling side dish. Wrap the potatoes in a damp cloth and place them in a bowl next to the raclette machine.
• Side Dishes
  Vegetables and fresh salads are excellent accompaniments to raclette dishes. Sauces and dips are suggested if you're using a grill. Steamy-hot boiled potatoes are the ideal side dish for your creations in raclette dishes. They can be combined with almost anything, are the perfect compliment to cheese, and are easily kept warm on a platter during the meal.
• Seasonings
  Always set salt, freshly ground black pepper, and perhaps paprika on the table for the potatoes. Grilled foods should be seasoned only after cooking. Be sure to scrape off marinades thoroughly before cooking, otherwise the seasonings will burn.

The Raclette Party

The main attraction at a raclette party is the variety of ingredients and individual dishes that each guest can prepare in his or her own raclette cooking dish. This also makes raclette an ideal meal for children because they can select the foods they like best. Not to mention, children love to take part in the actual cooking. But make sure an adult sits next to each child, both to help and to keep an eye on the hot utensils.

For a raclette dinner party, table decorations should be kept to a minimum. The table will already be full with buffet plates, the appliance itself, and the different bowls of ingredients. You also have to be able to pass the ingredients around and set them down again. So pay attention to selecting the right utensils rather than to fancy decorations. Have fun cooking with your friends!

Planning Tips

1. Timing
   As experienced cooks know, the most important thing is to begin your preparations far enough ahead, especially if you want to throw a larger raclette party without getting too stressed.
2. Equipment
   Theoretically, a raclette machine with 8 dishes is adequate for 8 guests, but then you have to plan on the meal taking a relatively long time since each guest has access to only 1 dish. As an alternative, you might want to consider borrowing a second raclette machine or buying a second set of raclette dishes.
3. Raclette Recipes
   For 8 people, plan on using 2–3 recipes, plus a sufficient quantity of potatoes, another filling side dish, and 2 salads.
4. Thirst Quenchers
   Keep in mind that you can never have too much water. Water is the best thing for quenching thirst. If that's too boring, mix sparkling water with a little of your favorite fruit juice. If serving sparkling water, count on at least 1 bottle per person.

The type of drinks you provide (in addition to a sufficient amount of water) mainly depend on the preferences of your guests. As a general rule, beer goes best with hearty raclette dishes and wine goes best with more sophisticated, finely seasoned dishes.

Dinner is served

If well planned and prepared far enough in advance, a raclette meal can also be a pleasure for the host, who won't have to be running back and forth to the kitchen.

10 Tips for Success

1. Raclette / Grill Combo
   For many of these recipes—and not just those in the chapter dedicated to the grill—you need a raclette/grill or a raclette with hot stone.    
2. Grill
   Before using, lightly oil the grill and heat for at least 25 minutes. Sprinkle the surface with a little salt before adding the ingredients so the food won't stick. But don't use herb salt! Although it's suitable for meals cooked in raclette dishes, the herbs will burn on the grill.
3. Cooking with raclette dishes on top
   You can also cook with raclette dishes on top of the raclette's grill. For example, you can fry eggs, or fry slices of sausage or meat and then, if desired, top them with cheese or a cheese sauce and finish cooking them under the heating element.
4. Cooking with raclette dishes inside
   Never overfill the raclette dishes. Instead, cook more, smaller servings. If you pile the ingredients too high, they won't cook evenly during the brief cooking time and the cheese will brown too quickly because it's too close to the heating elements—or it may even stick to them.
5. Grated Cheese
   For many raclette dishes, grated cheese is better than sliced. Always grate the cheese fresh to get the best flavor. You can even grate softer cheese if you first place it in the freezer (after wrapping it up) for 30 minutes. Any grater will do, whether coarse or fine.
6. Sliced Cheese
   You usually have to remove the rind from sliced cheese. Do this before the meal, cutting the slices to the size of the raclette dishes and arranging them on a platter. Strips of waxed paper between slices will keep them from sticking together.
7. Leftover Cheese
   Leftover hard and firm cheese can be frozen. Once again, place a piece of waxed or baking paper between the individual slices.
   Leftover cheese is also good for melts, sandwiches, vegetable dishes, soufflés, and sauces. If you don't pack it too tightly together, it will keep in the refrigerator for over a week.
8. Before and After
   A plain green salad with a light dressing is an ideal starter for a raclette meal because it can be eaten while the raclette machine is heating up. You're better off serving heartier salads as side dishes with the meal so guests won't get filled up beforehand. You can then finish up with a light fruit salad or even a cold fruit sorbet.
9. Serving
   For many of these recipes, you can mix the ingredients together ahead of time so they only have to be topped with cheese at the table. But it's more fun for people to arrange them on their own trays so they can indulge their individual cravings! A nice way to do it is to place the ingredients in small bowls and arrange them on separate platters according to the recipe.
10. After the Party
    Cheese and food sizzling on the grill create a distinctive odor. So don't let the smell of cooking spread throughout the entire house or apartment. You can always air out the place afterwards and a lemon or orange studded with cloves or an oil burner filled with an herbal or citrus oil can also help.

Cheese Glossary

• Camembert
  Soft cheese from raw cow's milk; minimum 45% fat content; creamy yellow; softens with age; rind formed by mold; typical aroma of fresh mushrooms, becomes very tangy with aging.
• Cheddar
  Firm cheese from cow's milk; 45–50% fat content; white, yellow, or orange; creamy consistency with few holes; ranging from firm and elastic to slightly crumbly; acidic, nutty flavor.
• Emmenthaler
  Firm cheese from raw cow's milk; 45% fat content; ivory-colored with cherry- to plum-sized aroma and nutty flavor.
• Feta
  Soft or fresh cheese originally made from sheep's milk; 40–55% fat content; white and crumbly consistency; aromatic to sharp flavor depending on sheep's milk.
• Fontina
  Semi-firm cheese from raw cow's milk produced in the valley of Aosta in Italy; minimum 45% fat content; white to straw-colored with small holes; flavor ranging from fine and delicate to aromatic and tangy.
• Gorgonzola
  Soft cheese from cow's milk; minimum 48% fat content; cream-colored with blue-green veins and reddish rind; crumbly consistency; flavor ranging from aromatic to sharp and rich.    
• Gouda
  Traditionally made from cow's milk but also available made from goat's milk; produced with various fat contents; flavor ranging from mild to very tangy depending on age and type of milk, but always melts well.
• Gruyère
  Firm cheese from raw cow's milk; minimum 49% fat content; ivory to yellow color with scattered holes; rind coated with a red bacteria; distinctively tangy and hearty flavor.
• Mozzarella
  Fresh cheese from cow's milk; 40–45% fat content; available in balls, cylinders, or bars; white, elastic, and sliceable; with neutral and mild flavor, it goes with everything.
• Parmesan/Pecorino
  Hard cheese from raw cow's milk; minimum 32% fat content; hard and fine-grained even after broiling; tastes aromatic and tangy; with raclette, used for grating and seasoning.
• Raclette
  Firm cheese from cow's milk; 50% fat content; ivory to golden color with a soft and creamy consistency, with few holes; depending on degree of ripeness, flavor can range from mildly fruity to aromatic.
• Monterey Jack
  Soft and buttery chees made form cow's milk, Monterey Jack has a mild taste and melts easily. Fat content is 25%.

* Suggested retail price in Canadian dollars