Raclette and FonduePatti - 08. Januar 2018
This year, my mom requested raclette for her birthday supper. Raclette is a special feast that originated in Switzerland, but is now standard throughout Europe. The basic ingredients are cheese and potatoes, but the special part is how you eat it.
Our setup for the evening: the middle device is called a raclette grill. The little trays underneath hold slabs of cheese, and the heating elements melt the cheese so that you can pour it on top of your potatoes. On the top, you can grill vegetables, meat, fruit, or even eggs to eat with your cheese and potatoes.
This is an old picture, but it shows the cheese melting away underneath.
Instead of grilling our meat, we cooked it in hot oil in the fondue pots you see at either end of the grill. The Swiss word for this is Fondue Chinoise, and you can either use oil or broth.
These special meals take a lot of time to eat, but are very active, so no one gets bored. Children enjoy mixing different combinations of meats and vegetables as well.
A few nights later, we had chocolate fondue. For chocolate fondue, simply put some cream in your fondue pot to get hot, and when it starts simmering, dump in chunks of chocolate. Stir until it is melted, and turn down the heat or your chocolate will burn.
Our last night, we attempted cheese fondue. Most Swiss people just buy fondue cheese, but if you are in the U.S. (or don't like fondue cheese), you can make your own. I use this recipe, substituting chicken broth for the wine and vinegar for the brandy: Classic Cheese Fondue.