We have a Framing Intern at the gallery I work at who is 20 years old and a total sweetheart. She is always asking me questions about myself and surprisingly enough she comes across as being genuinely interested. Win-win. Today she asked me to list all the places I have traveled to. All of the places?? That's a tough question and I was relieved when we got side-tracked at the fourth country I listed, Switzerland, because I didn't want to sound 'braggy' if I happen to have been to more countries then she had. Switzerland was our match. We had both traveled there with our familes and had experienced the wonderfulness/horrid smells of the true 'swiss cheese'. Next thing you know, fondue was being discussed and a fellow framer chimed in asking us if either of us had tried "Raclette" while we were there.
I had no idea what Raclette was, but apparently it is similar in style to fondue - in the sense that it's a good dinner-party dish (which is right up my alley) and indigenous to Switzerland. The Raclette cheese round is headed in a 'Raclette maker' and is often served with small boiled potatoes, pickled onions and dried meat along with sliced peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms, pears, and dusted with paprika and fresh-ground black pepper. You essentially cook your meat on the griddle and then put together an assortment of whichever veggies + cheese you want on your mini-pan and heat it under the griddle in a broiler-esque manner.
That probably didn't make a whole lot of sense - but anyway - it's a traditional Swiss dish and a fun dinner-party option. I am definitely going to try it one of these days!
- Lizzie