How to Throw a Raclette Party
What I remember best is the cheese.
PARTY GUESTS
Accessorizing Your Raclette Table
Sure, cheese is the superstar when you entertain with raclette, but every leading lady needs a supporting cast to shine.
Carbs. The undisputed partner in the duet that is raclette is the dependable spud. Specifically, boiled new potatoes. Still, mashed potatoes could be over-the- top here, and Keenan makes the ingenious suggestion of tater tots in Melt, Stretch, & Sizzle’s American-themed menu. I personally wouldn’t serve raclette without a crusty baguette, hunk of French bread, or seedy artisan loaf on the table, too.
Condiments and pickles. Marinated olives, garlicky dills, pickled beets, a dish of kraut. On the sweet side, consider dark wildflower honey, sweet-savory tomato jam, spiced cranberry chutney or your favorite marmalade.
Fruits and veggies. Put out mounds of juicy table grapes and slices of tart apple, or a selection of dried California apricots, succulent dates and peel-your- own clementines. Offer steamed carrots tossed with honey and sea salt alongside roasted mushrooms and charred florets of broccoli, or stick with classic crudités. You can also balance the richness of all that luscious liquid cheese with a zingy green salad. I like baby lettuce with watermelon radish, carrots, sunflower shoots and Gold Rush apples in wintertime. Toss the salad with a bright, lemony vinaigrette to cut through the dairy.
Meats. While raclette is doing most of the heavy lifting in this meal, a meaty accompaniment or two can add variety to your spread. These can be as simple as thin slices of your favorite charcuterie or as hearty as saucy Swedish meatballs or slices of roast chicken. Or take raclette’s cook-your-own ethos one step further with thin slices of marinated chicken breast, steak, or fresh shrimp that your guests can cook to order themselves on the sizzling top of party grill.
Whatever you like. There are truly no limits to how you can accessorize your raclette table. Cheese author and Madame Fromage blogger Tenaya Darlington’s Swiss grandmother always made a point to put out canned baby corn alongside the classic pickles and condiments. While Pellicore acknowledges fig jam as the go-to condiment for raclette’s brothy, savory notes, she prefers the bright, summery notes of sour cherry preserves or a ruby dollop of sweet-hot pepper jelly. I’m partial to preserved green walnuts, which you can pick up at Middle Eastern grocers and gourmet shops, or rosy wedges of fresh quince poached in spiced syrup. It’s your party—you can pair what you want to.
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