How To Host A Raclette Dinner Party
Table of Contents
Raclette Party, a comforting idea for a dinner!
Raclette, like tartiflette, Savoyard fondue, is the perfect evening meal to warm up with friends and brighten up the gloom. These dishes are very popular in French and Swiss cuisine. A homemade raclette party is one of the most convivial evening meals and the best way to spend a pleasant evening with family and friends.
It’s always fun to gather around the table and let everyone prepare their own little raclette dish, cooking the ingredients they love.
Friends and family will appreciate a raclette party for a comforting and enjoyable evening. Many people even choose it for Christmas dinner, as a cozy alternative to roast turkey or baked capon.
Raclette isn’t just the name of the dish, it’s also the name of the cheese that’s the star ingredient.
Raclette cheese pairs beautifully with almost anything. The possibilities are endless: vegetables, meats, charcuterie, fish, bread, and even sweet variations. Still, boiled potatoes and bread remain the must-haves and the most popular accompaniments.
Where does raclette come from?
Raclette is a traditional Swiss dish that is also very popular in the Savoy region of France. The recipe originated in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland, in the 12th century. It was invented by shepherds, who originally called it “roasted cheese.”
The traditional raclette meal was made simply with cheese and potatoes. Over time, other ingredients such as cured meats were added to make it even more enjoyable for everyone.
A true winter classic, raclette is often associated with mountain holidays and ski trips, and today it’s enjoyed almost everywhere.
Raclette Dinner Party
Which cheese goes best with raclette?
If you fancy a nice little raclette, buy some good raw-milk raclette cheese. Today, you can find trays with cheese already sliced and without the rind.
You can ask your cheesemonger for raclette cheese by the slice. Swiss raclette cheese from the Canton of Valais is the original for preparing raclette.
You’ll also find the other must-try cheese, Savoy raclette.
To diversify your raclette cheese platter, you can use other cheeses that melt well.
Some cheeses lend themselves very well to raclette. You can use blue-veined cheeses such as Bleu de Gex or Morbier.
Raclette has become so widespread and fashionable that you’ll easily find trays or tubs of special raclette cheese assortments. You’ll find plain, smoked or peppered raclette cheese and so much more…
Ingredients for a raclette party
NB: You’ll find the recipe card with quantities for 4 servings, printable at the end of the article.
If you don’t have a raclette grill yet, you’ll definitely need one. There’s a raclette Grill for every budget.
Most models serve between 4 and 10 people, but ideally, choose one with 8 or 10 pans unless you’re always dining with just 4 people.
What you need:
The amount of food will depend on the variety of ingredients you offer. The more options you provide, the smaller the portions per person should be. Try to offer a little of everything to satisfy all tastes.
Raclette cheese: Plan for about 200 g (7 oz) per person.
Potatoes: Choose firm-fleshed potatoes, either boiled or cooked in their skins, about 150 g (5 oz) per person.
Baguette: Sliced.
Cold cuts: Estimate 50-100 g (2-3.5 oz) per person. Options include mortadella, smoked or cooked ham, pastrami, salami, sausage, and more.
Meat: About 150 g (5.3 oz) per person, depending on appetite. You can choose sliced chicken, turkey, beef, ground meat, or even fish such as salmon or shrimp.
The meats can be served raw, and everyone can grill them to their liking, lightly cooked or well done. I prefer to sauté them briefly in a non-stick pan beforehand, so cooking at the table doesn’t take too long. For ground meat, I season with salt and pepper, then cook it thoroughly, breaking it up as it cooks.
Vegetables: Peppers, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, broccoli, onions, cabbage, mushrooms, lettuce, etc. For vegetables that require longer cooking times, you can steam them, leaving them slightly crunchy.
At the table, simply reheat them on the top grill. For peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplants, I like to sauté them in a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat, covered, turning occasionally. This way, they’re already tender and only need reheating at the table.
Sauces: Ketchup, hot sauce, pesto, mustard.
Condiments: Gherkins, pickled onions, sun-dried tomatoes.
Fruits (optional): Pineapple, figs, or grapes, they pair perfectly with cheese.
A small salad as a side dish
How to prepare raclette?
Arrange the cheese and cured meats attractively on two serving trays.
Cook the potatoes, either peeled or with their skins on. Place them in a pot, cover with water, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until a knife slides in easily.
Slice the red bell pepper into strips and sauté in a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, stirring occasionally.
Grill the yellow and green peppers, eggplant, and mushrooms in the same way. Arrange them beautifully on a wooden board or large platter.
You can serve the meats raw for guests to grill at the table, or lightly pan-fry them beforehand for about 10 minutes in a non-stick pan. Present them in small serving dishes.
Brown the ground meat in a frying pan, breaking it up as it cooks, and serve it in a small pan or ramekin.
Slice the pickles and place them in a small bowl.
Assemble the salad on a large platter: start with a bed of lettuce, then add halved cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, and mozzarella. Drizzle with vinaigrette before serving.
How to present and enjoy raclette
Start by placing the raclette grill in the center of the table, and arrange the dishes, salad, and bread around it. Don’t forget the drinks, and make sure you have an extension cord handy for the raclette grill.
Each guest takes a small pan, adds their favorite ingredients, then tops them with a slice of cheese. You can also start with the cheese and add the other ingredients on top, depending on your taste.
Once the pan is ready, place it under the grill to melt the cheese. When it’s perfectly melted, pour it over your plate and enjoy.
Alternatively, you can simply melt the cheese in your pan, then pour it over the food you’ve heated on the grill.
The top of the grill is used for cooking or grilling meat and vegetables. You can also use it to sauté minced onions, sausages, peppers, meat, and more.
Raclette table presentation
What to drink with raclette
From what I’ve read, the following wines pair beautifully with raclette:
- Pinot Noir
- Savagnin
- Chignin-Bergeron
- Roussette de Savoie
- Apremont from Savoie
For those who prefer not to drink alcohol, you can serve a Spanish sangria, a raspberry mojito, or simply offer some soft drinks.
Raclette party made easy
How To Make A Raclette Dinner Party
INGREDIENTS
- You can increase some ingredients or replace them with any of the options I mentioned earlier in the article. Below is the suggestion from my last raclette night, the one you can see in the photos.
- Raclette cheese : 200 g ( 7 oz) per person
- 800 g Baby potatoes firm-fleshed
- Cold cuts: 50 to 100 g (2–3.5 oz )per person
- Pastrami or Grisons dried beef: 50 g 50 g (1.8 oz) per person
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 large eggplant
- 500 g sliced mushrooms
- 1 large yellow bell pepper
- 400 g sliced beef
- 300 g sliced chicken marinated with paprika, Espelette pepper, garlic, and salt
- 300 g sliced chicken marinated with pesto and chopped parsley
- 350 g ground beef
- A small bowl of pickles
- 1 sliced baguette
- About 20 cherry tomatoes
- Drink of your choice
Small salad:
- Lettuce of your choice
- 100 g mozzarella
- 1 small can of corn
- About 20 cherry tomatoes
- 1 small onion
- 1 avocado
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Vinegar
PREPARATION
- Arrange the cheese and charcuterie nicely on two platters.
- Cook the potatoes in their skins or peeled. Place them in a large pot, cover with water, and cook for about 20 minutes, until a skewer slides easily into the flesh.
- Cut the red bell pepper into strips and roast in a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, stirring often.
- Grill the yellow or green bell pepper, eggplant, and mushrooms in the same way.
- Arrange them on a wooden board or large serving plate.
- You can serve the meats raw so guests can grill them at the table, but I prefer to sauté them for about ten minutes in a non-stick pan beforehand.
- Arrange the meats in pretty little dishes.
- Brown the minced meat in a frying pan, breaking it up as it cooks, and serve it in a small presentation pan.
- Slice the pickles and serve them in a small bowl.
- Arrange the salad on a large platter. Place the lettuce at the bottom, then add the halved cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, and mozzarella. Drizzle with vinaigrette.
- Set the raclette grill in the center of the table and place all the dishes, salad, and bread around it.
- Don’t forget to provide an extension cord for the raclette grill.
Thank you for your visit and your comments.