Raclette: Venture Off the Beaten Path

Bland cheese, sizzling noisily under the heating element—I’m bored sitting here with my traditional raclette.

So let’s dust off this old-fashioned recipe! Down with the naysayers—long live the diversity of colors and flavors in those little raclette scoops! Let your regional flavors shine, and pair these variations with wine treasures and wines from all over France.

Lotte's Land and Sea: Bacon and Goat Cheese

I’m in the mood for something new, so I take a monkfish cheek, slice it crosswise into two carpaccios, add a thin slice of bacon, and top it with half a slice of goat cheese. The Savoyard surf-and-turf dish is topped off with a bit of flat-leaf parsley: Boom! The dish is served and arrives on my mother-in-law’s plate, as fresh as these magnificent Pouilly-Fumé wines.

Morbier from the Jura

The Jura dish? I chop up some onions and place them on the hot stone/top of the grill—where you sometimes put the potatoes—and let them brown with a few bacon bits. A nice piece of raw-milk Morbier cheese, a bit of rosemary, and I add a dollop of crème fraîche. A red wine from Savoie that will make you regret drinking Burgundy—head to the Jura region and visit Château d’Arlay.

Scallop Gratin

Some cream, scallops, a bit of cilantro or chives—I chop up some mushrooms for a gratin, slide it over a bed of leeks, and pair it with a lovely Chablis from Céline Gueguen. Depending on your budget, go for a Premier Cru or a Saint-Bris for a change.

Flambéed Forestière

Mushroom omelet—I prefer black trumpet mushrooms or truffles, or, if those aren’t available, button mushrooms, which I can flambé on top of the omelet for a bit of a show. Be careful—just 1 cl of cognac! I top it with sheep’s milk cheese and pop it in the oven. I love the delicacy of Pinot Noir with black trumpet mushrooms, so I head to Arnaud Pelletier at Château de Prémeaux.

The Japanese board

Beef Cecina or Bündnerfleisch skewers with cheese. Cut your raclette cheese into rectangles 1 cm thick and wide, skewer them with a bamboo stick, and wrap a slice of dried meat around the “cheese stick.” Let’s go wild—add a little satay sauce: in a small bowl on the side, mix a bit of soy sauce and peanut butter with lemon and honey to add a touch of necessary acidity. Pair this with an Irancy.

Kawaii Veal Orloff

Who says big dishes aren’t just as cute in small portions? Small is beautiful! Thinly slice a roast fresh from the oven, then layer the bacon, thin slices of roast, and cheese in your raclette pan and let it melt. An original take on the dish that can be enhanced with prunes, figs, and apricots.

Croque On Top

Take out the sandwich bread, place it on the plate above the raclette machine, toast the bread until golden brown, and add a few bacon bits if desired. In the raclette pan, layer cream, cooked ham, and melted Emmental cheese. Pour the mixture over the toasted bread, and enjoy with a glass of a smooth, fruity red wine, such as a Côte du Rhône or Gigondas.

Pear with Roquefort and Walnuts

Be sure to try this immediately with a Gros Manseng from Domaine Laballe in the Landes region, which has a delicate honeyed note.

Reblochon Raclette or Mini Tartiflette

Sauté the bacon and onions in one skillet; in the other, grill the Reblochon cheese before topping the potato with the previously sautéed bacon and onions. Serve with a lovely Gamay from the Loire Valley, for its hints of red fruit and light texture.

What would you call a dish made in a skillet, topped with tomato sauce, a few black olives, mozzarella, a bit of Parma ham, and oregano—served on a pita, eaten with naan, or enjoyed with some nachos? I’d pair it with a Côtes du Roussillon to balance out the slight acidity from the tomato sauce and olives.

Nicolas Gravellier