What could be better on a cold autumnal evening than to host your very our cheese night with lashings of melted cheese, all the sides and a glass of your favourite tipple?
Raclette expert and owner of Yalbury Cottage and YC’s Cafe Wine Bar, Jamie Jones, talks us through hosting your perfect raclette party…
“I love Raclette night at home with the family or friends. In my view, it is a lovely way to eat. Slow, relaxed, exciting and it can be nutritious. You can change the accompaniments to suit the season and can keep it as flash or as simple as you like, depending on the occasion.
The traditional Raclette comes from Swiss German and dates back as far as 1291. Raclette is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese. The cheese is melted using a special apparatus, or in days past in front of a fire. This softens the cheese which is then scraped onto plates and served with potatoes, cornichons and dark bread.
A modern way of serving Raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, in which to melt slices of the Raclette cheese. The cheese is brought to the table sliced, accompanied by platters of boiled potatoes, other vegetables and charcuterie. These are then mixed with the potatoes and topped with the cheese in the small, wedge-shaped pan that is placed under the grill to melt and brown the cheese. The emphasis on Raclette dining is a relaxed and sociable atmosphere, which means the eating and drinking often lasts for several hours.
At YC’s Cafe and Wine Bar we have married together Bruschetta and Raclette; wonderful baked bruschetta breads topped with a delicious selection of homemade mezze. This usually involves Baba ganoush, beetroot hummus and Mediterranean style salads such as grilled vegetables, tomato and mozzarella and tzatziki. All of this is topped off with a wonderful local style Raclette cheese from Somerset called Ogle Shield. This is made on Jamie Montgomery’s farm in North Cadbury, Somerset. Ogle Shield is made using Jersey cow milk, which gives it a particularly creamy taste. The fresh cheese is semi-soft and moist with a pungent aroma and a mellow flavour.
The wonderful thing about Raclette is there are no boundaries. At home I love to put whisked eggs in a bowl on the table so I can make a little frittata with potatoes, sliced cooked onions and roasted vegetables all topped off with a delicious cheese.”
Raclette requirements
Items for the table:
Boiled potatoes, charcuterie, grilled or roasted vegetables, sliced gherkins, caramelised onions, bacon lardons, pulled pork, pulled lamb shoulder, egg mix for an omelette, boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, minute steaks, garlic butter, olives.
Breads:
Sourdough, chili bread, baguette, focaccia, ciabatta.
Cheese:
Raclette cheese, Ogle Shield, blue cheese, Gouda, Edam, Cheddar, garlic cheese, smoked cheese, goat’s cheese, Camembert, Brie.
To find out more about YC’s famous Raclette evenings visit; http://www.ycscafe.com/