Raclette is a semi-hard cheese made on both sides of the French and Swiss Alps. Raclette du Valais or Fromage à Raclette, as they are traditionally called, are made using the milk of cows grazing on the alpine meadows. The name comes from the French word ‘racler’, which means ‘to scrape’.
The cheese has a thin, brownish-orange coloured rind and pale yellow flesh (the ‘pâte’ of the cheese) with a few scattered open holes. It is has a distinctive aromatic smell and a creamy texture, similar to Gruyère cheese, and does not separate even when melted. The flavour can vary from nutty and slightly acidic to milky.
To serve raclette cheese Swiss style, ideally you require a purpose-built raclette grill. In some mountain restaurants, however, the cheese is melted in front of an open fire then scraped onto the plate, to be served with traditional condiments. We prefer the open fire method for melting the cheese. These are some suggested accompaniments: air-dried meats, potato wafers, sourdough baguette, pickled golden shallots and pickled radishes.
Pickled Golden ShallotsMethodPickled RadishesMethod
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