melting.......

my raclette

This cheese is always so good. It is a wonderful mass of melted flavors, warming, soothing and tangy in a creamy way. I learned about having raclette when I visited Switzerland. The first time I went, we were lucky enough to have several dinners with our friends outside of Zurich. On one particular evening, we were served this wonderful dish.

So this first time, I enjoyed it in all its glory: the outdoor table, laden with plates of tidbits- little cornichorns, and pickled onions, special covered baskets of small new potatoes- meant to be peeled by spearing them with a funky little pronged utensil. Once your plate was prepared with the peeled potatoes and garnishes, then you were ready for a turn.

Our host had a huge half wheel of Raclette cheese in a special cooker- it held the cut side up and allowed it to be heated from the top with a special element. Then the wheel was swiveled away from the heat, tipped, and the melted layer scraped off onto an eagerly waiting plate.

The plate was then handed down the table to the hungry guest. The cheese would be enjoyed with chunks of the tiny potatoes in the same bite. So good! Unlike anything I have ever tasted. And wanting to have more, I had to try to be patient until it was my turn again. But all of this waiting and rich cheese, and slow savoring makes one filled with the enjoyment of eating mindfully.

So, now that the weather has turned colder, I love to have this as a lunch, even if it is just me, and I am not in Switzerland. I was lucky enough to find some raclette at the store the other day. It was french, which is not quite as mild the the swiss raclette, but still very good. I didn't even bother to peel the fingerling potatoes I bought. I cut thin slices of the cheese, and placed them in a tiny pan made specially for raclette (for those of us who don't have a need for the large cookers). I have now taken to just using one little pan on my flat cooktop, and it works well enough. I couldn't wait to dig in......