Raclette American Style Food

RACLETTE AMERICAN STYLE

Steps:

• TO DO AHEAD, steps 1 - 5 (about 30 - 45 minutes prep time: Cut rind off Raclette cheese and slice about 1/4" thick and in a size to fit your raclette trays. Slice the cheddar cheese the same way. Arrange on a platter, cover and refrigerate.
• Slice the Portobello mushrooms 1/4" thick, (or buy already sliced). Slice the peppers in long strips. Put mushrooms and peppers into a Ziploc bag. Mix or preferably emulsify together Good Seasons Italian dressing package with balsamic and olive oil. Pour into the Ziploc, close and gently shake to coat everything. Marinate for no more than half a day. Arrange on a platter, (We put it on an oval one, red pepper strips in the middle and mushrooms on each end - pretty!), cover and refrigerate.
• Brown the sausages on all sides in a skillet. When nice and browned, boil them until just done, still a little pink in the middle. When they are cool enough to handle, slice them about 1/4" thick and on a slight diagonal. Arrange on a platter with the ham slices, (step 4).
• Separate the proscuitto and ham slices. Cut them in half and arrange them on a platter - we took each slice and made a sort of rosette out of it so they were easier to pick up and put the sausages in the middle with the hams on either side.
• Put shaved beef in a Ziploc bag. Pour in your marinade of your choice, close the bag and shake to mix well. (We emulsified together some olive oil, bourbon, a garlic clove, about a T. of Grey Poupon mustard, a splash of balsamic and black pepper.) Marinate for an hour to several hours. Drain the marinade off the steak; try to separate the slices, make "rosettes" and arrange on a platter BY ITSELF since it's a raw meat; cover and refrigerate.
• AN HOUR BEFORE EATING, step 6: Take everything out of the refrigerator (at least an hour before eating) so they're room temperature.
• ABOUT 20 MINUTES BEFORE EATING, steps 7 - 9: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes till just done - fork tender but not falling apart. Drain and place in a covered dish.
• Put your greens in a salad bowl. No more than 20 minutes before eating, toss with your favorite vinaigrette (we made our own with wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar and dried dill), orange sections and walnuts.
• Turn on your Raclette grill. I taped the grill's electric cord to the table so it wouldn't be accidentally jerked off if someone tripped over the extension cord. Of course, I tripped over the cord - thank GOD it was taped down!
• DINNER'S READY!!: Put everything on the table and enjoy! We used sandwich plates instead of dinner-size plates and everyone had their own salad bowl, which we dished up and took to each person at the table. We also used fondue forks for stabbing and grabbing. DELICIOUS!!! And a lot of fun!
• For those of you who've not done this yet: Each person takes the cheese they want and what they want to grill on the top of the raclette maker and then"cooks" his own meal. The Raclette (or cheddar) cheese is melted in small pans underneath the grill top. When the cheese is melted it is poured over the potatoes. The meats and veggies are grilled on the top of the appliance. DELICIOUS!!

RACLETTE

Steps:

• Start by making the vinaigrette. Put the mustard and red wine vinegar into a bowl or jug and whisk together. Add salt and pepper then slowly add the sunflower oil, whisking as you go until the mixture is thick and smooth. Stir in the chopped chives and store in the fridge until needed.
• Boil the potatoes for 15-18 mins or until tender. Drain, leave to steam dry for a few mins then add the butter, keep warm until serving.
• Arrange all the other ingredients in bowls, plates and platters on the table. Set up and turn on the raclette machine according to manufacturer's instructions - you may want to set the raclette machine on a heatproof tray to catch any melty cheesy drips.
• Let your guests help themselves to ingredients - if your raclette machine has a top hot plate use this to keep the potatoes warm or crisp them up and use to cook the peppers if you don't want them raw.
• Get stuck in! Everyone should have their own mini handled tray on which to put a slice or two of raclette cheese. This then sits under the central grill until melted. With an arrangement of potatoes and/or cured meats etc on their plate, your guests can then scrape their own portion of melted cheese on top with a wooden paddle or spoon. Leave the jug of vinaigrette on the table so it can be drizzled over the potatoes or salad leaves to taste. Serve with crusty bread on the side.

HOW TO MAKE RACLETTE

Steps:

• If necessary, cut the raclette cheese to fit the coupelles or small trays under the raclette grill.
• Turn the raclette grill on to medium-high heat.
• If you are using bacon, place the bacon rashers onto the grill plate and cook until your liking.
• Use the bacon fat to cook the other ingredients.
• If you are not using bacon, simply brush the grill plate with some oil.
• Place some meat and vegetables on the hot grill plate.
• While the meat and vegetables are cooking on the grill plate, place a slice of raclette cheese into the coupelles or small trays, and place them under the heating element.
• The melted raclette cheese is usually served over the warm potatoes on your plate, which you should slice just before adding the cheese. But it is also common to place the melted cheese over the cooked vegetables. Some people even put slices of potatoes into the coupelles so that the cheese melts directly on top. Do as you please!
• Be careful to not overcook the meat on the grill plate.

RACLETTE

Steps:

• Have a knife ready and small plates to serve. Arrange potatoes, pickles, onions, caper berries, ham, and tomatoes on a serving platter. Place cheese on a clean stone or a heatproof board or tile as close to the fire as possible. As the top of the cheese melts, scrape off cheese onto potatoes and accompany with garnishes. It takes some time between servings for the cheese to continue to melt, so have some wine or kirsch handy to keep guests happy.