Raclette

If you are reading this in Brazil, this post probably is not for you, at least not right now(summer time) but this is perfect for those of us in the North Hemisphere where the winter got to us late but it decided to come strong..."better late than never" right?

So this morning in Versailles was -10°C(14°F) and I couldn't think of anything better to eat tonight then Raclette, especially because I was in Switzerland until yesterday!

Matterhorn in the Valais, Switzerland

The Raclette is a Swiss dish, from the region of the Valais, made from cheese and potatoes. This is the base and then you can add bread, cured meat, pickled onions and cucumbers, etc..

Raclette is also the name of the cheese used to make the dish, it's a round cow's milk cheese that weights approximately 6 kg.

When it first was created, people used to cut the cheese into half a circle and melt the center by putting it next to an open fire, and then with a wood spatula they would scrape the melted cheese into a plate and eat it with boiled potatoes. That's why the name raclette which comes from the french term "racler" which means "to scrape".

Today the dish is served in restaurants, usually in the french and swiss alps with an electric plate with sliced raclette cheese or a big electrical resistance that fits half or a third of the whole cheese and you scrape it yourself by the table(which is much cooler).

When we went to have fondue at Caveau des Vignerons in Montreux, the waiter told us that you should always have cheesy dishes like raclette and fondue with white wine(not too cold)or a hot drink, he explained that you shouldn't drink anything too cold like water or soft drinks, because it makes the cheese hard in your stomach and it will cause indigestion.  I'm always looking for this kind of excuses, so I can drink more wine, it's like "No, it's not good for your health NOT to drink wine", so you have to, right?

The wines that are good to pair with it are white wines, not too acid, in France is common to drink it with a Savoie wine, in Switzerland with a Fendant from the Valais, but you could also pair it with a Riesling that is easier to find!

Christmas decorations at La Calèche 

I guess that's it, oh and the best place I ever ate Raclette was in Chamonix, a ski resort in the french Alps, next to the Mont Blanc. The restaurant is called La Calèche, and the ambiance is adorable, you feel like you're actually in a chalet on top of the Mont Blanc(well, you're not really that far from it!!!).

Bon Appétit!!!