I first experienced a Raclette dinner on a trip to Switzerland in the early 1980’s. The Raclette cheese was melted on a board over an open fire and served with gherkins, boiled new potatoes and a platter of different meats and vegetables.
The Raclette grill in this picture is made by Swissmar. It simultaneously cooks the food on the top grill, and melts cheese on the trays below.
You can be very inventive when serving this kind of a dinner and the guests do their own cooking! In the meal pictured, I chose to serve steak, spicy sausages and salmon, but you can experiment with many options (chicken, shrimp etc). I like to choose three different protein options, three or four vegetables (mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, broccoli, bok choy, …whatever suits your taste) and of course boiled new potatoes and gherkins (pickles). You will also need some Raclette cheese, which can be purchased in many grocery stores, delis, cheese shops, some sauces to serve with the grilled food and a nice green salad to serve along with it.
I like to set the table so that each person has their own tongs, one or two cheese trays, a cheese spatula, a raw meat/fish bowl and a plate.
The method is quite simple. You oil the grill with a little olive oil and plug it in…..then the fun begins. You can simply melt the cheese on the trays below the grill and scrape this onto your potatoes or grilled vegetables, meat etc. or you can put a vegetable piece on the tray and put some Raclette cheese on top and let it melt or both.
The sauces I serve vary with the meat or fish that I am serving, but one sauce that I always serve is the Lemon Chive Aioli. I have also included a simple recipe for Tartar Sauce. With beef, I will often serve my favourite barbecue sauce. Bearnaise Sauce is also excellent with the grilled meats and vegetables.
Enjoy!
Lemon Chive Aoli
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp freshly chopped chives
- 1 Tbsp freshly grated lemon rind
- 2 Tsp lemon juice
- 2 Tsp good mustard - e.g. Dijon, grainy mustard
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1/4 Tsp freshly grated pepper
Instructions
- In bowl, stir together mayo, chives, lemon rind, juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days,
Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cups mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp dill relish - regular green relish will do, but the dill relish is the best
- 1 – 2 Tsp prepared horseradish
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together and serve immediately.
Hollandaise and Bearnaise Sauce
Ingredients
For Both Hollandaise and Béarnaise Sauce
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup firm butter
- 2 egg yolks
Béarnaise Sauce Additional Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp minced dried onion
- 1 Tsp dried tarragon leaves
- 2 Tbsp white wine - or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Béarnaise Sauce (Optional)
- 1/2 Tsp dried chervil leaves
Instructions
Hollandaise Sauce and Béarnaise Sauce
- In small saucepan, stir egg yolks and lemon juice briskly with wooden spoon. Add half the butter; stir over very low heat until butter is melted.
- Add remaining butter, stirring briskly until butter is melted and sauce thickens. (Be sure butter melts slowly as this gives eggs time to cook and thicken the sauce without curdling). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Béarnaise Sauce next steps
- Stir in the minced onion, the tarragon leaves,the chervil leaves (if using) and the white wine or, if you prefer, the white wine vinegar into the Hollandaise Sauce.
