HAPPINESS IS...

How To Throw A Raclette Party

Usually when I tell people about the annual family raclette party I host every year around the holidays, I get a bewildered smile and nod.  I've noticed that most people here in the States are in the dark about raclette.  Simply unacceptable, friends.

If you're unfamiliar, raclette is a strong and pungent semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Switzerland.  Similar to fondue, it's a popular winter social event in the alpine areas of Europe.  You melt slices of raclette on individual trays inside a special raclette grill - drizzling the cheese over an assortment of potatoes, pickles, meats and veggies.  You can get as inventive as you want with your ingredients.  Everything pairs well with cheese, right?  We go all out with ours, vegetarian style.

Other ingredients we've tried and loved:  pears, balsamic mushrooms, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, brussels sprouts, zucchini, roasted garlic, red pepper sauce and fresh herbs.  Some people like to include bread.  But I prefer my raclette parties without - otherwise it's too similar to fondue.  Feel free to go simple and traditional.  I'd personally be happy with just raclette, boiled potatoes and pickled anything. 

Don't be afraid of the stink!  When melted, the strong raclette aroma settles down and you'll be able to appreciate it's salty/sweet/nutty flavor and creamy texture.

Sometimes raclette can be hard to find in stores.  If it's in season, we get ours pre-sliced from Trader Joes.  And depending on the size of your party, raclette can get pricey.  So we usually go halvsies with gruyére.  Any alpine cheese that melts well will work.

The party grill.  Put this at the top of your appliance wish list!  It comes with 8 individual cooking trays to heat your slice of cheese.  And the top can be used for grilling your ingredients if they haven't been pre-cooked.  Before the cheese melts, I personally like to add chives and gobs of fresh ground black pepper to seal the deal. 

Now the fun part.  Pour your melted raclette over the goodies on your plate and savor every bite!  The trays are non-stick, so the cheese usually slides right off.  Sometimes - after a glass or two of wine and invigorating conversation - you forget about your cheese bubbling away and it overcooks.  That's why the grill comes with individual tools that scrape all the cheese off your tray - brilliant.

Tell me friends, are you a raclette connoisseur?  Or is this your first introduction?  With Valentine's Day just around the corner, why not host a romantic raclette party for two?  Nothing says love more than cheese! 

Wholly Yum 01: Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Well hello friends. Hope you had a nice relaxing long weekend. We had a stormy one, which means indoor fun. And that indoor fun just so happened in the kitchen. I'm starting up a new whole foods column for my cooking adventures, starting with my favorite: cheese! My dear friend, Melanie, gave me an Italian cheese-making kit for my birthday and I was finally able to put it to use.

My mom is an experienced cheese-maker and in the last few years, I've watched her play with curds and whey, experimenting with a vast assortment of exotic cheeses. It's definitely one of those things that gets better with practice. Many things can go wrong and they probably will. So I suggest starting with a simple cheese in the beginning, like mozzarella. Plus, it doesn't need to age. Instant gratification!

Here are the basic steps...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 gallon of raw or unhomogenized whole milk (not ultra-pasteurized)
• 2 tsp citric acid dissolved in a ¼ cup of cool distilled water
• ½ vegetarian rennet tablet dissolved in a ¼ cup of cool distilled water
• 2 ml of calcium chloride (optional: some say this helps if using store-bought milk)
• Salt to taste
• 5 to 10 ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Steralize all equipment with boiling water before use.
2. Poor milk into a large pot.
3. Stir in diluted citric acid (and optional calcium chloride) into cold milk.
4. Heat slowly to 90˚F (32˚C), stirring gently.
5. Take pot off burner, stir in diluted rennet, and let sit for 30 minutes.
6. When solid, gently cut curds with a long knife into 1 inch cubes (should make a clean cut).
7. Put pot back on stove and slowly heat curds to 90˚F (42˚C).
8. Take pot off burner & prepare two bowls of water: one boiling, one cold w/ ice cubes & salt.
9. Using a slotted spoon, separate the curds from whey into a cheese cloth lined colander.
10. Scoop curds and submerge them in the hot water bowl (or you can microwave for 1 min).
11. FUN PART: Stretch and kneed curds with your hands until it has a smooth elastic texture.
12. Form curds into balls and place them in ice water bath for 10 min before eating. Or eat hot!

There is nothing better than a caprese salad with your own homemade Bocconcini. I mixed them in with yellow cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, lemon olive oil, salt and lots of black pepper.

Here are 3 cheese-making kits I recommend for your very first batch, all of which I've personally used or gifted to others:

1. Mad Millie
2. Urban Cheese Craft
3. New England Cheese-Making Supply Co.