Raclette American Style Recipes

Steps:

• TO DO AHEAD, steps 1 - 5 (about 30 - 45 minutes prep time: Cut rind off Raclette cheese and slice about 1/4" thick and in a size to fit your raclette trays. Slice the cheddar cheese the same way. Arrange on a platter, cover and refrigerate.
• Slice the Portobello mushrooms 1/4" thick, (or buy already sliced). Slice the peppers in long strips. Put mushrooms and peppers into a Ziploc bag. Mix or preferably emulsify together Good Seasons Italian dressing package with balsamic and olive oil. Pour into the Ziploc, close and gently shake to coat everything. Marinate for no more than half a day. Arrange on a platter, (We put it on an oval one, red pepper strips in the middle and mushrooms on each end - pretty!), cover and refrigerate.
• Brown the sausages on all sides in a skillet. When nice and browned, boil them until just done, still a little pink in the middle. When they are cool enough to handle, slice them about 1/4" thick and on a slight diagonal. Arrange on a platter with the ham slices, (step 4).
• Separate the proscuitto and ham slices. Cut them in half and arrange them on a platter - we took each slice and made a sort of rosette out of it so they were easier to pick up and put the sausages in the middle with the hams on either side.
• Put shaved beef in a Ziploc bag. Pour in your marinade of your choice, close the bag and shake to mix well. (We emulsified together some olive oil, bourbon, a garlic clove, about a T. of Grey Poupon mustard, a splash of balsamic and black pepper.) Marinate for an hour to several hours. Drain the marinade off the steak; try to separate the slices, make "rosettes" and arrange on a platter BY ITSELF since it's a raw meat; cover and refrigerate.
• AN HOUR BEFORE EATING, step 6: Take everything out of the refrigerator (at least an hour before eating) so they're room temperature.
• ABOUT 20 MINUTES BEFORE EATING, steps 7 - 9: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes till just done - fork tender but not falling apart. Drain and place in a covered dish.
• Put your greens in a salad bowl. No more than 20 minutes before eating, toss with your favorite vinaigrette (we made our own with wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar and dried dill), orange sections and walnuts.
• Turn on your Raclette grill. I taped the grill's electric cord to the table so it wouldn't be accidentally jerked off if someone tripped over the extension cord. Of course, I tripped over the cord - thank GOD it was taped down!
• DINNER'S READY!!: Put everything on the table and enjoy! We used sandwich plates instead of dinner-size plates and everyone had their own salad bowl, which we dished up and took to each person at the table. We also used fondue forks for stabbing and grabbing. DELICIOUS!!! And a lot of fun!
• For those of you who've not done this yet: Each person takes the cheese they want and what they want to grill on the top of the raclette maker and then"cooks" his own meal. The Raclette (or cheddar) cheese is melted in small pans underneath the grill top. When the cheese is melted it is poured over the potatoes. The meats and veggies are grilled on the top of the appliance. DELICIOUS!!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with water to just below the basket and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes to the basket and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the steamer basket and allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, combine the fontina, Emmemtal and Gruyere in a medium bowl and toss with the cornstarch until evenly coated. Scatter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Bake until the cheeses are completely melted, about 15 minutes, then whisk briefly until smooth. Serve immediately with the steamed potatoes, sausages, baguette slices and cornichons.

Steps:

• Have a knife ready and small plates to serve. Arrange potatoes, pickles, onions, caper berries, ham, and tomatoes on a serving platter. Place cheese on a clean stone or a heatproof board or tile as close to the fire as possible. As the top of the cheese melts, scrape off cheese onto potatoes and accompany with garnishes. It takes some time between servings for the cheese to continue to melt, so have some wine or kirsch handy to keep guests happy.

Steps:

• In a large pot combine 8 cups water, potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt. Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• If you have oven-proof plates, preheat a broiler. If you do not have oven-proof plates, preheat oven to 250 degrees. When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Divide the warm potatoes, cut-side up, evenly among four plates, arranging them in a pinwheel pattern.
• Arrange one quarter of the cheese slices in a single layer over each portion of potatoes, taking care to completely cover all potatoes. Broil or bake until cheese melts, about 3 minutes in a broiler or 10 minutes in an oven.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, garnished with scallions sprinkled on top. Cornichons, pickled onions and pickled cauliflower are optional accompaniments. If desired, the dish may be served with a green salad.