Raclette Party Round 1

I have been fantasizing about throwing a raclette party for months now. The main question was if I should buy the matching that requires a half of a wheel of cheese and broils the top layer so that you can tilt it and slowly pour the melted goodness onto an edible vessel, or get one of the ones that has 8 tiny trays to melt individual portions into and a top griddle to grill veggies and meat on... I went with the latter because having an entire wheel of raclette at my disposal was going to be too tempting.

I ended up buying the local Vermont version of raclette from Spring Brook Farm called Reading, and a French raclette, and them some Jarlsberg as back up which ended up being way disappointing after the first two were happily devoured.

This was going to be my first get together since moving in, and I was so excited to have people over and make new friends. It ended up being a small group of us, including my two Airbnb guests that I'd invited over for a glass of wine while I had something in their unit repaired. They were great sports and I made them promise not to mention the invitation in their review lest future guests be disappointed. My friend Sam and her partner brought over charcuterie smuggled in from Montreal and baguettes, my housemate Lexi manned the griddle, Jenna and Jacob from Baird Farm were a wealth of helpful information for someone new to the area trying to figure out the lay of the land. They had also given me a metal bucket and tap to tap my maple trees when the time comes as a welcome to Vermont gift. I couldn't have asked for a more generous gesture.

Raclette meis en place captured by Lexi

We drank Champagne, a chilled sparkling red from Vermont, and two bottles of Tessier Pinot Noir, one from Santa Cruz Mountains, and the other from Anderson Valley. I served platters of Vermont meats including Dakin Farm cob smoked ham, Linguica, Kielbasa, and Spanish style chorizo. Then there were slices of roasted Kobacha squash, blanched haricots verte, broccolini, mini sweet red and yellow peppers, sliced onions, and baby potatoes done in the unmatched Syracuse salt style. Crisp apples and a selection of pickles made for great palate cleansers. For dessert I made a chocolate cake with brown butter frosting and white chocolate ganache.

It was a great night, and I went to bed feeling very welcomed, and excited to make this a regular thing.