Raclette and Cheese Fondue. Alps, France

February 2020

Make no mistake about it, I love cheese, pretty much every type of cheese, so you would think these dishes would be a dream come true for me.  And I do love them in small doses, I just find it difficult to comprehend eating such a vast quantity of cheese in one sitting – where almost the whole meal is melted cheese. 

Raclette is a Swiss cheese, nutty and sweet with earthy undertones, which has become popular in the French Alps.  Around 200g of cheese per person is melted under a table top grill and scraped off as it cooks, on to a plate of boiled potatoes, gherkins and charcuterie.

Cheese fondue is a mix of firm, mountain cheeses such as gruyere, emmental, comte and beaufort, heated with white wine, a little garlic and Dijon mustard.  The communal ceramic pot is placed above a burner in the centre of the table for everyone to dip bite-size pieces of bread in to, using a long, thin fork.  It is delicious, especially when topped with a splash of Kirsch, although you have to be quick before it solidifies, and having to fish for lost bread in the pot is an occupational hazard of this meal! 

Fondue Bourguignonne is a variation whereby oil is heated in the communal pot, and pieces of raw meat are dipped in until they are cooked to your liking.
Find them at most mountain restaurants.  My favourite cheese fondue is at La Metairie in La Plagne Centre.

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