Raclette Season

Well it’s official, winter is here.

OK, I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “now hold your horses Sara Louise, winter doesn’t start until December 21st” and you would be right, except in Le Petit Village (and the Southern Hemisphere of course). Here in The LPV winter starts when the Raclette starts and the first Raclette was Friday the 30th November, at Chez Gatz.

That’s right. I said Chez Gatz. He finally moved out of his grandparent’s house and into his very own apartment (they grow up so fast) and feeling like a grown up, decided he wanted to host an evening, and what better way to Christen one’s new home, then with melted, gooey cheese.

We (and that we includes Fifty) arrived just in time for l’apéro and my first surprise of the evening…

Gatz’s kitchen table was set with a table cloth and place mats. SAY WHAT NOW?! 

Who are you and what have you done with my husband’s husband??? 

And then as if Fifty wasn’t already on cloud nine by just being invited, his first surprise of the evening occurred when Honey Jr and Honey’s Honey arrived. I thought my little furry homeboy was going to freak right the F out. The excitement was almost too much for him. And then he saw this plate of Charcuterie, and almost passed out. 

Unfortunately for Fifty, he got an unpleasant surprise when I told him that none of it was for him, but Tonton Gatz had a nice bowl of water if he was interested. (Have you ever seen a dog make a sad face? It’s heart breaking, I assure you).

Now a large platter of meat is all well and good, but a Raclette just isn’t a Raclette without the cheese…

{And on the 8th day, after a rest, God created cheese}

BEHOLD! CHEESE!

So we sat down and got to it. 

Boiled potatoes (skin left on) were plopped on top of the grill and the mini skillets were slid inside.
As this is my third Raclette Season, I have learned that not everyone Raclettes the same. For instance, Honey Jr and Honey’s Honey like to place the meat on top of the grill and cook it a bit, while The Husband and Gatz, don’t even bother. They simply pour the melted cheese directly on top of whatever is on their plates. I on the other hand, like to place a slice of meat under the cheese and then cook them both together. It’s what works for me. (When the cheese is melted all gooey on top of the meat, I take it out and pour it on top of a mashed up potato… it’s mmm mmm good.)
Besides the set table, and perfectly plattered meats and cheeses, Gatz had another surprise up his sleeve… Champagne… which he decided to pour like he works on a cruise ship or something…
Surprisingly, he only spilled a sip. 
But since Champagne does not a digestif make, Gatz broke out the Disaronno and Grappa (he works in Italy a lot). I went with the Grappa and after a couple of sips, it was like all that cheese had never even happened. 
Digestif accomplished. 
{Husband Approved}

All in all, it was the perfect Winter kickoff and Gatz was the perfect host. Thumbs up Gatz. 

Color me surprised.

bisou

33 responses to “Raclette Season”

  1. LOVE RACLETTE! Such a fun way to eat…and that cheese! YUM! We did a raclette new years eve party last year and now I need to buy my own!

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  2. Can't wait to bust out our fondue pot again! 🙂 Danica

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  3. I'm not a fan of the Raclette, give me a gooey fondue any day.

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  4. I do prefer a cheese fondue, but I'm happy to force down a raclette too (but not at the same time). :)I'm very impressed with Gatz's entertaining skills.

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  5. Poor Fifty. Probably for the best though – I don't think cheese agrees with puppy dogs!

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  6. Whoa all those raclette cheeses, I want them now! I got my mom a raclette last year for Christmas and I am pretty sure she has yet to use it. So for Christmas this year, she's getting cheeses paha

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  7. Table cloth and everything? Mon dieu! Looks like a gooey fun time was had by all anyway

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  8. PS, do you think his granny realises she's now missing her best table decor? ;o)

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  9. I like all of the things in this post but mostly I LOVE the way you write. everything sounds like such an adventure!

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  10. Oh that cheese looks sooooo good!

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  11. What a fun dinner party! I just tried raclette for the first time in Zurich and loved it! How could you NOT love melted, gooey cheese?

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  12. Who knew? so proud of Gatz. Guess he's been paying attention at your house.

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  13. Oh, I love Raclette so much! It is fun to spend all evening eating! 🙂

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  14. “And on the 8th day, after a rest, God created cheese”I always had a feeling those early biblical authors left something out…

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  15. ohhhh…looks so delicious!

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  16. i never knew about raclette before I read your blog.

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  17. Oh wow! Place mats? That really was a serious dinner party! Well done Gatz!

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  18. We love raclette, and probably even more than fondue. We had a fondue in Sablet earlier this fall to kick off the season while we were still in Provence. We can get French and Swiss raclette cheese here in Northern California but always in a block and the only downside to having a raclette is slicing the raclette cheese. Thankfully in Sablet, our cheese lady slices it all up nice for us. Oh I know you can buy it already sliced at the Intermarche but I like my cheese lady and she only has wheels of cheese.

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  19. Thank you so much for this extremely informative and detailed post about Raclette. We're doing Raclette for Christmas for my mom and she does NOT get the concept…like at all. “I'm flying to France fuh Christmas to make my own dinna?” is what she keeps asking. I just sent her this link so I'm hoping it will click. Warning: She just learned about leaving comments on blogs. If you receive an incomprehensible comment in all lower case, it's probably her. My apologies in advance. : )

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  20. i just love gatherings with lots of cheese at wine o'clock! 🙂

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  21. oh! such a sumptuous first xmas dinner 😉 envy much here. http://www.phioxee.com

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  22. Great post! My husband is obsessed with Raclette – I can't believe we haven't done one yet this year. You have inspired me! And oh yes, the importance of the digestif afterwards….oh la la

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  23. Oh I love raclette sooooooo much! Looking outside at the dark rainy Dublin Winter day and would love to eat some tonight. I really like reading your blog, so well written and funny. Found it through Expats Blog website while browsing it. Happy raclette!

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  24. A) I love cheese, and 100% agree that God probably created cheese on the 8th day. Well done, G. B) Your husband looks a little bit like Bradley Cooper in that photo. 🙂

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  25. Oooh you're making me want raclette… it'll have to happen!

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  26. I love raclette – but only from time to time! Have you tried: sliced mushrooms marinaded in a mix of olive and spicy pizza oil, then cooked on the top part and served with aioli. MMMMMMMMMMM! Or sliced peppers, similarly marinaded.We also like thinly sliced steak/pork/chicken cooked on the top part as a change from charcuterie. You can buy it in Carrefour, ready to go.My MiL tried it with fish too, but I'm not convinced by that – though scallops might work cooked on the top. But maybe not with cheese…

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  27. Holy fancy pouring skillz!

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  28. Absolute heaven, I would be in absolute heaven! Grappa even?! Dude, I want that so bad!

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  29. omg! Gatz is all grown up!!!!PLEASE for the love of all the cheese in the world, make me a raclette. I want some melty cheese and potatoes so badly!! WANT WANT WANT!!!

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  30. oooh a raclette sounds SO GOOD right now. le sigh…

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  31. Everything about this is pure perfection.

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  32. Gatz's kitchen table was set with a table cloth and place mats. SAY WHAT … raclettefondue.blogspot.de

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