Aimer faire plaisir à ceux qu'on aime

Raclette and Fondue:
Two Classics Reinvented

Switzerland gave humanity two great gastronomic classics: raclette and fondue.

Raclette, which emerged during the Middle Ages in the Valais region, is made traditionally with a raw-milk cheese called Raclette. Fondue, which is usually made with Gruyère or Emmental with white wine and kirsch, comes to us from the area of Freiburg. As the following suggestions show, these two classics are only limited by your imagination. Here is a delicious variety of cheeses to make Quebec-style raclette and fondue.

To Each
Their Own Raclette

Of course, everyone knows that traditional raclette is served with potatoes, fine foods and a green salad. You can widen your horizons by offering your guests different cheeses like :

Depending on everyone’s preferences, you can melt cheese on top of the selected accompaniments on the bottom of the individual raclette pans or grill everything on top of the raclette itself. The beauty of raclette is that everybody uses their own creativity.

Feel free to use your imagination

Serve your guests a choice of garnishes so everyone finds something appropriate: lardoons, ham, various sausages, shrimp, scallops, seasonal vegetables and pickles, etc.

Fondue in
all its Forms

Our cheeses are featured in this
fondue recipe, which you can enjoy
with family and friends.

Ingredients

30 ml (2 tbsp.) plus 15 ml (1 tbsp.) flour
30 ml (2 tbsp.) butter
125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine
300 g (10 oz) Agropur Grand Cheddar Réserve Spéciale, grated
300 g (10 oz) de bleu Ermite or other blue cheese from here, crumbled in small pieces
150 g (5 oz) de riopelle de l'Isle or other soft cheese from here, in pieces
1 baguette, sliced
Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add 30 ml (2 tbsp.) of flour and incorporate well. Add milk and let thicken to obtain a béchamel sauce.

Increase heat to medium. Pour in white wine and mix well with the béchamel sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, mix Agropur Grand Cheddar Réserve Spéciale with remainder of the flour (15 ml or 1 tbsp.). Gradually add the Agropur Grand Cheddar Réserve Spéciale, approximately 125 ml (1/2 cup) at a time, to the béchamel sauce and heat on medium low, stirring thoroughly with a wooden spoon after each addition, until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is consistent. Add bleu Ermite and riopelle de l'Isle, mixing well until the cheese melts. If necessary, add a little milk if the fondue gets too thick. Add salt and pepper.

Pour the preparation into a fondue pot. Serve with the small pieces of baguette, vegetables and fruit of your choice.

4 variations to the basic recipe that will impress your guests.

1. For a cheese and fine herbs fondue, add 60 ml (1/4 cup) of fresh chopped herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley, etc.) to the cheese.
2.Head south across the Alps with this Italian cheese fondue. Simply add the following ingredients to the cheese:
- 425 ml (14 oz) Italian stewing tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves (or more), finely chopped
- 15 ml (1 tbsp.) pesto, homemade or store-bought

3.For a non-alcoholic fondue, replace the white wine with white grape juice and you’re ready!
4.Raclette From Here and Clos St-Ambroise are a winning combination when you replace the wine in the fondue with beer. Beer fans will love it!

Planning Your Quantities

Whether it’s raclette or fondue, plan 200 g to 250 g (7 to 9 oz) of cheese per person.

If you serve fine foods that are made for fondues, like sausages and seasoned ham, plan 90 g to 120 g (3 to 4 oz) per person.

If you prefer seafood (shrimp and scallops are a delicious treat), plan 45 g to 60 g (1 1/2 oz to 2 oz) per person.

Offer your guests hot blanched vegetables (approximately 250 ml or 1 cup per person) : mushrooms, small potatoes, broccoli, etc.

Give your guests a choice of bread to accompany the raclette or fondue: baguette, rye bread, pumpernickel, etc.

Don’t forget the accompaniments (pickles for example) and seasonings (salt and pepper).