Raclette at home

The joy of melted cheese

We have our Welsh rarebit. When I say we, I mean the people of These Islands, and I think the Welsh, being a generous people, don’t mind sharing. It’s a tough one to get just right and recipes vary. Yes, there’s always a hard cheese, and mustard, and beer; but what about the flour that some include? To be honest, I’ve yet to crack it and I sometimes dream of the Welsh rarebit I used to have as a savoury in the Garrick Club in London when, as a reciprocal member, I used dine there occasionally. The food (and the wine list) was, and I suspect still is, very good. There's also the advantage that it now admits the other half of the human race.

But I digress. As toasted cheese goes, you can’t beat Raclette for ease of execution. The most easily found cheese for this Alpine dish is probably Apenzeller but the best is undoubtedly Raclette itself, made in Valais and Savoie expressly for melting. We got some of the Savoie one from the estimable Whelehan’s Wines (where The Silver Tassie used to be, deep in SoCoDu). They have an outpost of Iciar, the charming French cheese bar beloved of customers at the Frascati Centre in Blackrock. And they were kind enough to slice it appropriately for the traditional melting.

This was done on a heavy cast iron pan placed under a hot grill for a minute or two until the cheese bubbled, but was not allowed to brown. It was scooped onto our plates and consumed with our local serious sourdough from Vinilo Bakery in Lismore, cornichons - as is traditional, some charcuterie - ditto, and, eccentrically, with some sliced Egremont Russet apples.

Why this departure from convention? Well, I reckoned it would compliment the very appropriate wine that David Whelehan suggested Les 13 Lunes Ami-Amis Savoie, made from one third each Altesse, Grüner Veltliner and Jacquère, so not exactly the usual suspects. David reckons it’s got pear and apricot, and I would add russet apple to that attractive mix. Sure, it’s not cheap and nor is Raclette du Valais, but this was a treat for Saturday lunch and where would we be without an occasional treat

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I would add that if you’re in the market for wine with a difference and some excellent advice, Whelehan’s is the place to go. And you can order online.