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Really Raclette

What Swiss farmers scrape together for dinner in the mountains

Dear friends of ours, Henry and Raquel, often host us for dinner. Henry is Swiss and one of my favourite dinners that they make for us is an authentic cheese fondue.

The other thing that I like about sharing dinner with Henry and Raquel is that we will often sit around enjoying one meal while happily discussing other favourite foods at the same time. Henry always spoke about Swiss Raclette with almost spiritual reverence but the discussion always ended with a blunt "you need a special oven to make it."

Another friend of mine hosted her German parents this past Christmas and was fortunate to be given a Raclette oven as a present. I borrowed the oven and promptly invited Henry and Raquel to dinner so that they might initiate us into the age old custom of enjoying melted cheese and potatoes.

Raclette is both a type of cheese and the special way to eat it. The word comes from the French verb racler which means to scrape. Traditional Swiss preparation is done by heating half a round of Raclette cheese in front of a fire and scraping the melted cheese onto a waiting plate of boiled new potatoes. It is often accompanied by pickles and a good fruity wine; Fendant, a white wine from Valais, is the wine of choice.

The origin of Raclette dates back several hundred years to when Swiss cow herders moved their livestock up into the mountains to graze on Alpine meadows during the warm summer months. Hiking up the mountains necessitated travelling as lightly as possible so only basic supplies were carried, like flour, potatoes, a round of cheese made from the milk of the cows, perhaps some pickles and a good Swiss wine. Simple tradition was born out of spending long, cool mountain evenings in front of a campfire eating melted cheese over potatoes.

These days there are special Raclette "ovens" which can be placed in the centre of the table that will heat the cheese and other meal accompaniments. Eating Raclette is enjoyable not only for its combination of soft melted cheese and comforting potatoes but for its slow, leisurely pace of eating in the company of family and friends. It is a social meal particularly suited to the mountain climate as the Raclette oven is a gentle source of heat for all diners. It is also a particularly satisfying meal after indulging in strenuous winter sports.

The Raclette oven looks like a portable grill with a broiler beneath it. They come with individual pans – usually eight – which are made of a non stick material for ease of cleaning; inevitably there will be a mess of stuck-on melted cheese. The pans also have little scrapers to help dribble the hot, bubbling cheese over the potatoes. Thin slices of cheese are placed in the pan which is then slid underneath the broiler to heat up, melt, bubble and brown (slightly).

The Raclette ovens are not cheap, they run at about $150 each, but if you eat Raclette regularly it is a must-buy item for the kitchen – Henry and Raquel do own one, but it is in Ontario. The same meal can be prepared in a toaster oven or under the broiler in a standard range but you will miss out on the social aspect of Raclette dining. Eaten solo it is a perfect, satisfying quick fix vegetarian dinner.

Raclette is a raw cow’s milk cheese from the canton of Valais in Switzerland. France also produces Raclette. The cheese is pale yellow with a smooth, pink to deep orange, slightly sticky, natural rind. Dotted with a few small holes, its texture is semi-firm and it has a mellow, subtle flavour. When heated it releases a sweet, nutty and slightly fruity aroma while it retains a rubbery elasticity with a pleasant chewy bite. Quality Raclette comes from high Alpine pastures. Antique, hand carved, wooden molds identify the villages’ name of origin; Bagnes, Conches, Gomser and Orsieres are branded into the rinds of the better cheeses.

Although Raclette can be as simple as cheese and potatoes it can become an elegant dinner with a variety of other additions. I took advantage "researching" this column by indulging in several accompaniments, all of which were delicious. Here is the list:

• Pickled Gherkins

• Pickled onions

• Thinly sliced Bauernschinken

• Walnuts and pecans

• Roasted mushrooms with balsamic vinegar

• Steamed broccoli

• Crusty baguette

• Mixed green salad with a simple olive oil and lemon vinaigrette - heavy on the ground pepper

• Arugula, undressed

• Thinly sliced chorizo sausage (other European sausages would be good too)

• Grapes

• Chilled pale ale and a beautifully off dry German Riesling

• Ginger and vanilla poached pears served as a light finish to the rich meal.

We tried both Swiss and French Raclette cheeses. The French cheese was softer than the Swiss and it didn’t melt quite the same way, sort of stringy, like Mozzarella, while the Swiss Raclette melted more solidly, like rubber. The French had a more distinct aroma and taste than the Swiss, referred to as more "stinky" by some around our table, but both were tasty. Any other types of cheese works equally well – old cheddar, Parmesan, Feta or goat’s cheese, to name a few.

Other popular accompaniments include seafood, fruit, meat and vegetables.

Small new potatoes, boiled in their skins are the preferred accompaniment. Henry insists that smaller potatoes are best to maximize the cheese to potato ratio per fork-full.

Author Clifton Fadiman eloquently described cheese as "milk’s leap toward immortality." An efficient way to use up excess milk, cheese has always been a basic yet nutritious food in many different cultures.

A number of different countries have signature melted cheese dishes besides the Swiss fondue and Raclette. The UK boasts Welsh rabbit, toast topped by cheddar that has been melted in hot ale or milk; also toasted cheese. The French Croque Monsieur is a variation of a grilled cheese sandwich. In Mexico, melted cheese with jalapenos and bits of cooked pork, beef or chicken, called queso fundido is a popular appetizer. The lemon-sprinkled, fried kasseri cheese of Greece creates the beloved saganaki appetizer. Nachos are an American invention while poutine is our own Quebecois favourite.

Heating cheese changes the structure of its protein chains and the components become volatile, releasing characteristic aromas and flavours. Caramelizing the sugars and amino acids in cheese when it is slightly browned under a heating element creates additional flavour molecules – this is referred to as the Maillard reaction.

Raclette is a wonderful way to enjoy melted cheese. Several local restaurants offer Raclette on their menus so if you don’t feel like hosting the party, try eating out at one of these restauarants: Bavaria Restaurant, Crepe Montagne, or The Den at Nicklaus North.

Delicious as the meal was I was reminded of it each time I entered the house, the smell of the cheese lingered in my living room for a good two days