Valaisanne Raclette with cheese

Ingredients For a cheese Raclette the �??Valaisanne �?? way 800g of Bagnes, Conches or Swiss Raclette St Nicklauss cheese 600g of fine cooked meats (coppa, cured ham, cured sausage etc) 600g potatoes 100g of pickled onions 100g of pickled gherkins Freshly milled pepper Other cheeses to try: Raclette de Savoie cheese, Raclette du Valais Suisse cheese, Raclette au poivre cheese, smoked Raclette cheese, mustard Raclette cheese.

The recipe For a �??Valaisanne�?� Raclette, the electric Raclette appliance is best, and can be placed in the middle of the table for all the guests to use, where the cheese melts under the hot plate, and liquifies. Raclette should be eaten off very hot plates, with potatoes which still have their skins, and pickled onions and gherkins, as well as good quality cooked meats. The aromas and flavours of the raclette can be varied, using different cheeses and different meats.

Good eaters can consume around 7 to 8 raclettes. The tradition is for the raclette cheese to be grilled in front of the guests, using a red hot heat. The operator holds the cheese in front of the heat, inclined over the plate, until the cheese melts into a liquid and falls onto the plate. After several people have taken their portion of cheese, the rind of the cheese often forms a golden crust; this is delicious and caramelised, and sought after by the guests. The electric element of the raclette should stay on permanently during the meal.