Radically Retired

“Swiss”mas Eve

Written by

Terry

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My Christmas gift to myself this year was a raclette grill.

A part of my heritage is Swiss and many years ago, I enjoyed a raclette evening at the home of a nurse friend and colleague who had, as a young teen, immigrated with her family to Canada from Switzerland.

The evening and the meal was so enjoyable that, over the years, it was never far from my mind whenever I was planning to entertain.

This year, I finally purchased the grill and planned the meal for Christmas Eve with hubs’ brother and his wife.

It was relaxing and enjoyable. Each person grilled whatever they wanted from the variety of foods available, and the raclette cheese was constantly melting in the little shovels that sit under the grill.

Missing in my feature photo are the cooked baby potatoes and cooked mini carrots. There was no room on the table for them. The little ramekins on each plate held individual carrot salads.

The melted raclette cheese was rich and smooth without the long strings like melted mozzarella would have, and was a perfect topping for the potatoes.

It was a brand new dining experience for everyone but me. It was a brand new food prep experience for me.

We’ll definitely do this again, and often!

Comments

15 responses to ““Swiss”mas Eve”

  1. Lori Pohlman Avatar
    Lori Pohlman

    I have been wanting one of those grills ever since I read about them in a cookbook my daughter gave me last year for Christmas. I should have asked for one for Christmas! I love the idea of everyone participating. And the melted cheese! 😻

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  2. Betty Avatar
    Betty

    I have never heard of a raclette grill. Sounds like a fun thing to do for a dinner party!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      It’s definitely a fun and relaxing way to enjoy a meal, Betty. The nice thing about the food is that there’s a lot of variety, so each person can prepare exactly what they want and cook their chosen meats to their personal desired doneness. Can’t blame the cook for anything then 😉

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  3. Forestwood Avatar
    Forestwood

    My german language teacher was Swiss and she brought a raclette grill into class one day. I would love to have the experience one day. I can only imagine what the smooth cheese takes like. Your family is lucky and I love that you reignite the customs of your heritage.
    I do have a small fondue set so one day will try that.

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    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      It’s fun to keep our heritage alive as much as possible, and foods/food traditions seem to be the easiest way to do that, Amanda. That’s why there was lefse included on the bread tray in my photo – as a nod to my husband’s Norwegian heritage. I’m envious that you were studying German. My grandparents on both sides spoke the language and so did my parents – but they didn’t teach us. They switched to German when they didn’t want us kids to know what they were talking about, lol.

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      1. Forestwood Avatar
        Forestwood

        Learning a language through immersion is the fastest way to competency, I think. At least I imagine it would be.
        I can guess at some of the reasons your grandparents and parents decided not to teach you German, and that is okay, but it is such a lost opportunity for you. Mind you, the child also has to show an interest and many children don’t want to ( not saying this was you, but I have seen that in second generation families).
        For me, I have had to learn back the language of my ancestors the harder way, through lessons, either self-taught or formal, and watching foreign language movies, visits and trying to use the language whereever possible. (in writing to friends overseas or on social media, in accidental or deliberate meetings with foreign speakers) but still it is not enough for me to learn it well enough to speak and understand the spoken word competently. I understand chunks or spoken short sentences only. But in the written form, I can understand much much more.
        I was always fascinated with the traditions of old, as most had been lost in my family, or left fall by the wayside- in only two generations. I guess, to me, it feels like a way to connect with those whom have passed.
        Although we cannot speak to them, they seem remembered and honoured in some way through baking lefse or raclette cheese! And much more.
        Even my Norwegian and Danish friends might speak quickly or revert to a dialect if they wanted to say something that not everyone would understand. Mind you, 99% of the time they spoke English as they felt it was rude to speak in Norsk when I was in the room. I countered that saying, please speak in Norsk, as it helps me to tune my ear to the spoken word. It is a way for me to learn, even if I feel confused.

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  4. Lana Avatar
    Lana

    What a great idea Terry! You guests must have been so happy. I have never heard of a raclette. I just saw they have some on Ebay but I really don’t have any space left in my kitchen 🙂 I do have a fondu pot though as melted cheese is just the best.

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    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Thanks, Lana! Everyone enjoyed and because you’re forced to eat quite a bit slower than usual while you heat/cook your ingredients, smaller amounts fill you up. Hubs and I did a lot of fondue early on in our marriage, but eventually, when downsizing our home, we sold the equipment. Raclette can be either French or Swiss, but when I researched, it said the Swiss is much milder, so that’s what I chose.

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  5. Chuckster Avatar
    Chuckster

    How cool is that! For some reason I picture all the novice grillers standing around the stove slicing and cooking like Teppanyaki chefs in their double-breasted, kimono-style jackets. That’s undoubtedly not how you set it up.

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    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Haha! We’ve been to a Teppanyaki restaurant and this is quite a bit different. Cool vision, though 😊

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  6. annemariedemyen Avatar
    annemariedemyen

    That does look like fun for an informal meal. Is it electric?

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    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Yes, Anne … the grill is electric, but doesn’t get extremely hot because it would be too hot for those sitting around it, so most of the food is somewhat pre-cooked and just reheated or finished on the grill. It truly is fun!

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      1. annemariedemyen Avatar
        annemariedemyen

        I see! I love it, but our house (the one Dan was born in) was built before people put a lot of thought into electrical outlets. They are few and far between – and positioned to be useless. 🙃

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Dwight Hyde Avatar
    Dwight Hyde

    Terry – what a great gift for yourself! It’s 8:17 AM and I’m now craving all that yummy food.😃

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    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I know we’re going to get lots of enjoyment out of the grill, Dwight. Even though most of the food was pre-cooked to varying degrees on the day before, the meal itself took the better part of two hours. It’s truly a lot of fun!

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