Raclette

Raclette refers to both the cheese and the maker. I hear about Raclette when first married and how you could heat a slice of Raclette Cheese in a cast iron until soft and serve it with crusty bread and a salad. The Chef, Brian Little talked about how a wheel of Raclette was hung in a fire place and slices of cheese were sliced off as they heated over the coals.  Although our Swiss friend disagrees with this story, I have found refer to this in the Family Circle ABZ's of Cooking. Raclette means "scraping"  and refers to the scraping of the cheese on to boiled potatoes. 

Raclette is a soft creamy cow's milk cheese that originated in Valais, the french speaking area of Switzerland. 

I have found that other cheese is as delicious; Cheddar, Emmanuel and Gruyere.  Our friends kids made grilled cheese sandwiches in the raclette pans or coupelles under the grill by the heat elements. 

My Matterhorn Raclette Maker is perfect for 8 guests and especially for unannounced guests.  There is a far amount of chopping and prep before the meal but once everyone sits down, it  becomes a leisurely and enjoyable meal as everyone cooks their own dinner. 

Although I did have roasted potatoes and slices of Raclette cheese, the focus of this meal was grilling a variety of Vegetables, Seafood and Tenderloin steak.