[2] A cheese melter, used in restaurants and in homes of enthusiasts (available at Raclette Corner).

[3] A home raclette grill from Swissmar, available on Amazon and elsewhere.

[4] Pouring cheese from a Swissmar grill pan (photo courtesy Swissmar).

[5] A wheel of raclette (photo courtesy The Swiss Bakery Online).

Many people like melted cheese. If you’re one of them, dish up some raclette.

Raclette (rah-KLETT) is a Swiss mountain cheese (see below), and also the name of a melted cheese dish made with it. The dish is an Alpine cousin to Welsh rabbit (not rarebit), and a reverse of the technique of that used for fondue.

With Welsh rabbit and fondue, other ingredients are mixed in with the cheese (wine or beer, seasonings). Raclette is pure melted cheese, poured over a plate of crusty bread and other accompaniments.

Originally, the wheel of Raclette cheese was heated by the fire, then scraped onto crusty, dark bread on the diners’ plates. The name derives from racler, the French word for “to scrape off.”

In modern times, restaurants have created devices that hold the wheel in position under a heat lamp, so that the cut surface melts (photo #2).

The melted cheese is then scraped from the wheel, onto a plate laden with bread, small boiled potatoes, cornichons, pickled onions, and dried meats like jambon cru (dried cured ham) and salami (photo #1).

The popularity of the dish generated home grills that make it festive to serve raclette (photo #3).

In another evolution of the dish, vegetables, shrimp, sausage, whatever, can be grilled on the top of the grill, as individual pans (coupelles) of cheese melt underneath. The grilled food is then plated, and the pan of melted cheese is then poured over it (photo #4).
 
 
DO YOU NEED A SPECIAL DEVICE?

The devices provide ambience, but of course you can simply melt the cheese in a double boiler (ideal) or a pot over low heat, whisking regularly.

 
 
ABOUT RACLETTE CHEESE

Raclette is a Swiss mountain cheese, most commonly used for melting. It is made from raw cow’s milk and fashioned into relatively small wheels, about 10 inches in diameter and 13 to 17 pounds (some mountain cheese wheels can be as large as 80 pounds.

Wheels are aged from 4 months up to a year.

The milk comes from two different breeds of cows, Ehringer and Fribourgeois, combined to add a more distinctive flavor to the cheese.

The washed rinds are rough, hard and dark beige in color (photo #5). The paste is pale yellow; the flavor is fruity, creamy and “melt-in-your mouth,” which is why it is such a good melting cheese.

As a washed rind cheese, the aroma of the cheese is pungent when heated.

Trivia: There are actually four cheeses known as Raclette cheeses: Bagnes, Conches, Gomser and Orsières. The different names refer to the locations of the cheesemaking dairies. The name of the village is molded into the cheese’s rind. All four cheeses have the A.O.C. designation.
 
 
RACLETTE HISTORY

Raclette, the cheese, is mentioned in medieval writings in texts from Swiss-German convents dating from as early as 1291 [source].

Served melted with black bread, it was originally fare for peasants in the mountainous Alpine regions of Valais, Switzerland and Savoie and Haute-Savoie, France. In the German-speaking part of Switzerland, it was called Bratchäs, roasted cheese.

Traditionally, cow herders carried the cheese with them as they were moving the cows to or from the pastures up in the mountains. In the evening, the cheese would be placed next to a campfire for softening and scraping onto bread.

As the dish evolved to an indoor dinner, the bread was joined by small boiled potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions, and dried meats such as jambon cru (like prosciutto) and salami.

Accompanying drinks included Kirsch (the fruit brandy also used to make fondue), herbal tea or other warm beverage, or Fendant, a local white wine.

In addition to local white wines, Riesling and Pinot Gris from the Alsace region of France have become popular pairings. A local tradition (myth) cautions that drinking water will cause the cheese to harden in the stomach, leading to indigestion (no doubt an excuse to drink more wine).
 
 
WHAT IS A MOUNTAIN CHEESE?

Also called Alpine cheeses, the term “mountain cheeses” refers to large, firm wheels made in the Swiss and French Alps.

The wheels are well-aged and full-flavored, often sprinkled with eyes (holes) ranging from small to large.
Appenzeller, Emmental, Gruyère, Hoch Ybrig, Raclette, Sbrinz, Stanser Fladä, Tête de Moine and Vacherin Fribourgeois are examples of Swiss mountain cheeses. They are semi-hard cow’s milk cheeses.

According to Caseus Montanus, an international association of mountain cheese producers, a mountain cheese is one produced and aged above 800 meters (approximately 2500 feet altitude).

Mountain cheeses are not restricted to Switzerland, but in any mountains.

Most mountain cheeses are made in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, but any mountainous level works. In the U.S., mountain cheeses are made in Colorado and Vermont.

According to ArtisanalCheese.com, scientific studies on the flavor profile of mountain cheeses have found as many as 100,000 micro-organisms in the flora of the high altitude mountains, as compared to fewer than 10,000 microorganisms in lower prairie altitudes. This intensity of micro-organisms is responsible for the deep and complex flavors of mountain cheeses.
  

Why wait for next fall, when caramel apples are a well-deserved winter comfort food?

We love caramel apples, so we didn’t hesitate to adapt this recipe (photo #1) from Produce For Kids, switching the pears for crunchy apples and using warm caramel.

There are two ways to enjoy this recipe: our way, with warm, drippy caramel; and Produce For Kids’ neater technique, which hardens the caramel before serving the snack/dessert to kids.

No sticks required!
 
RECIPE: CARAMEL APPLES, CARAMEL PEARS

Ingredients Per Serving

 
Preparation #1: Quick Prep

With warm, drippy caramel, this variation is messier to eat…but perhaps more fun.

1. MICROWAVE the jar of caramel sauce for 45 seconds. Check consistency and microwave for another few seconds to liquefy as desired.

2a. PLACE on a plate with the fruit wedges and a ramekin of chopped nuts. Dip a wedge in the caramel, then in the nuts. Eat and repeat. Or…

2b. Place the wedges on a plate and pour the caramel over them, then sprinkle the nuts. You may want to spear them with a fork; and keep a supply of napkins near.
 
Preparation #2: Ready To Eat

[2] Here’s a recipe for homemade caramel sauce, from She Knows.

2. FREEZE for at least 30 minutes to harden the caramel. Bring the plate to the table.

[2] Winter salad of mixed citrus, arugula and ricotta salata. Here’s the recipe from Saveur.

Through Mother Nature and breeding by mankind, some plants and animals have grown larger and larger over time. Big beefsteak tomatoes evolved from a fruit the size of a cherry tomato; the original pig was the size of a cat.

The large citrus fruits of today evolved over millions of years from small, edible berries. Their origin is believed to be either southeastern Asia or Australia [source].

The three original species in the citrus genus—citron (photo #1), mandarins and pomelo/pummelo—have been hybridized into most of the modern commercial citrus fruits we know.

Within the last few thousand years, all common citrus fruits (grapefruit, lemons, limes, sweet oranges, etc.) were created by crossing those original species.
 
 
CELEBRATE WINTER CITRUS

The winter months deliver certain varieties of citrus that aren’t available in other seasons.

Blood oranges, cara cara oranges and ruby red grapefruit are among our favorite fruits. Here, from Good Eggs of San Francisco, are the California-grown fruits you should add to your shopping cart.

You can enjoy these beauties in:

Brighten up winter meals with splashes of color.

You can do that with sides like beets, red cabbage slaw and winter squash. But you can also employ colorful garnishes and condiments.

Green garnishes like parsley and mint have been used for…centuries? millennia?

Here are brighter recommendations in orange, red and yellow:

 
 
We know there are other options out there, so feel free to add to this list!

[2] A line of sauce droplets on the left and piment d’espelette on the right.<
[2] A plain brown sausage enlivened with a mustard zigzag, chile sauce and shishito peppers (photo courtesy Pain d’Avignon).

[2] Red quinoa fried rice topped with an egg, at P.F. Chang’s.

[3] Quinoa tabbouheh, at Andina Restaurant | Portland (photo by Eric Cable).

[4] Harvesting red quinoa: back-breaking work (photo courtesy Tru Roots).

[5] Three styles of quinoa pasta from Pereg Gourmet.

For more than five years, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) has been an “it” food in the U.S. It has been embraced by those seeking more healthful alternatives. It’s a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids (more about that below).

Quinoa is thought of as a grain, but it is neither grain nor cereal but a pseudocereal. Rather, it is a type of seed. It’s gluten free and is often used in place of rice or couscous.

Cereals (barley, corn, rice, wheat, etc.) are grasses. A pseudocereal is not a grass, but is used in much the same way. The seeds can be ground into flour or otherwise used as cereals. Other examples of pseudocereals are amaranth and buckwheat.

High in protein, nutrients and vitamins, pseudocereals are typically gluten free and analogous to whole grains, even though they aren’t related. They are members of the spinach, chard and beet family.
 
QUINOA HISTORY: NATIVE TO THE ANDES

Quinoa is native to the Andes mountain region of South America. It is harvested from a species of a plant called goosefoot (here’s more about goosefoot), and is grown commercially for its nutritious seeds.

Quinoa has been farmed for thousands of years and was an important food in the Andes. The ancient Incas called quinoa the “mother grain” and saw it as a sacred seed.

Traditions paid tribute to its nutrition and other benefits. The first quinoa seed of each year was planted with a golden shovel by the Inca leader [source].

In Chile, Bolivia and Peru, quinoa is a very popular food and used in a wide variety of recipes including soup, bread, and, even, drinks. They can be combined with grains in any number of ways.
 
MODERN QUINOA

Chefs have welcomed the gluten-free grain, turning it into vegetarian burgers, puddings, salads and recipes foods from simple to elegant (see the tabbouleh inphoto #3). They have added quinoa to chocolate bars, truffles, and turned it into snack puffs, snack clusters and other foods.

And, they have turned quinoa flour into pasta (more below).

Other parts of the plant are also used. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable. (Ironically, world demand for quinoa has raised the price so much that the native farmers can’t afford to eat the seeds they grow, and are left with the perishable parts of the plant.)

In many areas around the growing regions, the fruit of the quinoa plant is used as a topical medicine for cuts, sores, and bruises.

Look for it near the rice section in grocery stores, or head to a natural foods store. You can find it in:

 
You’ll find bags of the seeds themselves, microwave quinoa, and quinoa turned into pasta and other foods.
 
 
A COMPLETE PROTEIN

Because it is a complete protein and can be grown worldwide, the U.N. declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. Why is a complete protein so important.

The term “complete protein” refers to essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 different amino acids that can form a protein.

Of these, there are nine* that the body can’t produce on its own. These are called essential amino acids: We need to eat them because our bodies can’t make them.

In order to be considered complete, a food must contain all nine of these essential amino acids, in roughly equal amounts.

According to Greatlist, in addition to quinoa, complete proteins include:

Eggs, meat, milk and other foods deemed to be high in protein don’t come close to complete protein status.
 
 
QUINOA PASTA

If your year’s resolutions include cutting back on empty carbs like pasta, or eating more gluten-free foods, try quinoa pasta. It’s also egg-free.†

The pasta has the same earthy quality as cooked quinoa seeds.

 
 
QUINOA RECIPES

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*The nine essential amino acids are  ” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.

†While fresh pasta dough is made from a from flour, water, salt and eggs, dry pasta usually omits the egg. When eggs are added, it is called egg pasta or egg noodles.