Cheese "Raklet": description, history, useful properties and reviews

What country gave the world Racklet cheese? Switzerland has more reasons to consider itself the birthplace of this delicious sour-milk product. The first written mention of a dish with this name is contained in the medieval monastic book, where it is told that in the cantons of Nidwalden and Obwalden the shepherds cook nourishing "roasted cheese" on open fire . However, France also claims that the Raclet appeared in its Alpine valleys. In addition, this type of cheese is traditionally prepared in the provinces of Savoy, Franche-Comte and even far from the Alps of Brittany and Auvergne. The country appeals to the name of the cheese. After all, Raclette originated from the French verb racler, which means "scrape, scrape". A strange association for cheese? Not at all, if you know how the Raclet prepared. In this article we will tell you how to make this cheese, we will open the main recipe of a dish from it, and also we will advise what to replace this imported product.

History

This is the rare case when it is not the product that gives the name to the dish, but vice versa. Cheese "Raklet" is named so because it is scraped. Shepherds, driving the flocks along the slopes of the mountains, did not have the opportunity to cook themselves full-fledged dishes. The only thing they could afford was to light a fire and put a piece of cheese on its edge (or put it on a spit). When he began to soften, melt, he was scraped with a knife. Warm nutritive mass spread on bread or seasoned it with corned beef. Probably, the recipe of the dish was born simultaneously with the shepherds and with the Swiss, and the French side of the border. More correctly, it was created by the wit of a man who adapts to severe natural and domestic conditions.

Brief description of the cooking technology

But not every cheese can be eaten in a dish called Raklet. Its distinctive feature should be the ability to melt well and evenly. You say that all the hard cheeses have it? Not really. The Raklet cheese does not bubble when heated, it does not flow. It just softens, and so it can easily be scraped off with a knife. The flesh of this Raclette should be dense, but rather elastic. And when it melts, it should emit the scent of raw mushrooms. To get such cheese, high-fat cow's milk is not brewed. Cottage cheese is simply pressed and so kept for four or even six months. The head of cheese for this time is covered with mold, which forms a thin golden brown crust. The flesh remains elastic. But unlike the soft "mold" cheeses, the "Raclette" is rather dense. Most often, whole heads are sold, weighing from four to seven kilograms. So the fragrance of "Rakleta" is preserved. But sometimes the product is packed with bars.

Rakletnitsa

Many people far from Switzerland already know what fondue is, and even got special equipment for its preparation. For the dish "Raklet" now special desktop electric furnaces are produced. Like fondues, they are designed for a festive pastime in a large company. The kit includes small wedge-shaped coupelles, marked with color, so that everyone watches the degree of heating of his portion. In rakletnitsu there is a special box for cheese of the same name, a grill. The set also includes a roquelette cheese - a special scoop for scraping the molten product. Good equipment is where the cheese bed is pulled out or turns around the axis. We still talk about what to replace the cheese "Raklet" in the preparation of the dish of the same name. But instead of special equipment you can not use anything else - if you want, of course, spend an evening in a friendly company. But if you just want to serve a dish reminiscent of Raklet, you can cook it in an oven with a grill function. Will be as delicious, but everyday.

Cheese "Raklet": recipes

If you have special equipment, we will make a traditional dish of mountaineers. The head of cheese is pulled out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking so that it "breathes". Also ahead of time you need to pick a bow. We shredded it with rings, mixed it with a few spoons of mustard and poured a glass of white wine. So the onion should be marinated all night. Before the festive feast begins, let's boil enough potatoes. We serve the table. We put separately a dish with potatoes, pickled onion, sausage and ham cut (you can replace meat with seafood), salted cucumbers, a plate with raw quail eggs. On the box of the included goiter set the cheese head. Guests put in their individual frying pans products. Scrape off the head melted cheese and grill on the grill.

Swiss soup "In a country way"

Cheese "Raklet" can be used for cooking other dishes. Including soups. First, prepare 0.75 liters of any broth. You can use cubes for this too. Half a chopped onion, fry in a saucepan with 50 grams of butter. When browned, pour the broth. Add a glass of dry white wine, a pinch of salt, pepper, nutmeg. Let's boil on minimum fire with a quarter of an hour. We will pour broth into ceramic refractory pots. In each of them we put a slice of white bread and a piece of cheese "Raklet". We put the pots in the oven with the grill function. It is important that the melted cheese covered the bread and formed a "cap" before the slice becomes wet in the broth.

The price of pleasure

Equipment for Rocket Party is already available in Russian online stores. It, like fondyushnitsy, there are different models. Most of them are electric, but there are also those where grilling and melting cheese are cooked on coals. But such equipment is more expensive and difficult. They also vary in size - there are for large companies (eight or ten frying pans), there are for the family. Therefore, the prices for equipment fluctuate in a wide range - from three to eight and a half thousand rubles. Similarly, through the online store, you can purchase and Raklet cheese. Price brusochka in three hundred grams - from four hundred and sixty to five hundred rubles. The head for four or seven kilos, in view of its high cost, in Russia is very difficult to acquire.

How to serve raclette parties

Cheese "Raklet Sherdinger" (300 g) is well complemented with pickled or pickled cucumbers, meat sliced, onion, mushrooms. And, of course, to such a party you need to stock up a bottle of good dry wine or beer. Although the Swiss often use this dish with hot tea.

Cheese "Raklet": what to replace

Previously, this product was made solely from the fat milk of alpine cows, without any aromatic additives. But times change. Now you can find "Raklet" and from goat's milk (very tasty and useful), with paprika, chili, garlic, herbs. All this gives grounds to believe that there is nothing irreplaceable in this cheese. Of course, Raklet has a more specific flavor than the Gruyere used for fondue, and is distinguished by a more oily texture. But this is not the main thing. We need cheese with 45% fat content. And it should melt gradually and evenly, and not drown like oil. Therefore, to replace the "Rakleta" should be treated with caution. But the original cheese, made in Switzerland or France, is too expensive. On the assurances of the chefs, you can use "Maasdam", "Emmental", "Edam", "Gaudu", "Cheddar" and even "Parmesan" instead of "Raclette". Suitable and German varieties "Appenzeller" and "Tilsiter."