I recently visited London's Borough market for the first time, and in this lovely corner of the UK, I was introduced to a version of the famous dish known as raclette. Raclette, an irresistibly salty, medium-soft Swiss cheese, was melted directly under an enormous hot iron and then slathered by the pound over a mountain of French fries, cornichons, and onions. I ate many incredible things during my time wandering aimlessly around Europe, but this heavenly concoction was one of the highlights of my trip.
We tried to capture the personality of this Raclette in a macaroni and cheese and found that the combination of cornichons and creamy, salty cheese takes to pasta with irresistible grace. You can also replace the pasta with french fries or other potato-based finger foods. —SS
ALTERNATIVE CHEESES: Spring Hill Reading, Sequatchie Cove Raclette, any noble Raclette or Swiss cheese
WINE PAIRINGS: off-dry Chenin Blanc, off-dry Riesling
ADDITIONAL PAIRINGS FOR THE CHEESE: stone-ground mustard, potatoes, cornichons, caramelized onions
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain through a colander and set aside.
Step 2
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté onions until they are soft and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Heap pasta into 4 bowls and top with onions.
Step 3
3. Fire up the broiler and brush a piece of aluminum foil lightly with oil.Put cheese, rind side down, on foil and place directly under heating element. As soon as the cheese has bubbled and melted, which should take about 2 minutes, tip it over a bowl of pasta and scrape a quarter of the cheese off; repeat for the other three bowls of pasta. Sprinkle with cornichons and serve; eat immediately, as the cheese cools off quickly.
