Posted on 09/29/2018 5:48:07 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I recently discovered Raclette – which term can refer to a type of cheese, a kind of dinner party, or a unique table-top grill. As a dish, Raclette is similar to Fondue, and evolved from the practice of Swiss cowherds taking cheese with them as they tended their herds in the mountains, and melting the cheese over campfires to eat on bread. Traditional accompaniments are potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions, and various cured meats.
It looks like a fun way to entertain in that it’s a dish or dinner where everyone is involved in choosing and cooking their own portion; but it’s less messy than fondue, and offers more variety in terms of ingredients and ways to cook them. You can grill or warm over various meats and vegetables on the top of the grill, while melting portions of cheese in the little pans underneath. And if you don't want to make a meal of it, I'm thinking it could be a nice break-the-ice hors d'oeuvre with drinks, to get a dinner or cocktail party started.
It also seems uniquely suited to low-carb eating, adding interest and variety.
Raclette cheese can be be purchased online; but it can be difficult to source locally in many areas of the US. I believe it will become more available, but in the meantime you can substitute Gruyere, Emmental, Fontina or Appenzeller.
Here, from the website Viva, is a typical recipe for two:
http://www.viva.co.nz/article/food-drink/raclette-and-vegetable-grill-recipe/
and here’s an ad/demonstration for one of the popular brands:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wfqts9weaY
Raclette machines come in various shapes and sizes; I think I’m in the market for one, and if anyone has one they like, let me know!
Here are reviews of some of the other brands; the Boska Holland ‘mini’ looks great if you just want to try it out, or want one just for your small family:
*****************************************************
I also discovered ‘Texas Tornado Cake’, from Phyllis Stokes of ‘Southern Frugal’; it’s a cake with fruit cocktail, brown sugar, nuts and coconut; a little more complicated than the average ‘dump’ cake, but looks really wonderful. There are lots of variations on this cake, including one using canned pineapple instead of the fruit cocktail. Phyllis includes links to the recipes she used/adapted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8jyrEl31vs
*************************************************
I’ve been an avid birdwatcher all my life, and while searching for something bird-related I happened to find the YouTube channel of Maurice Baker, a gentleman in Shropshire, England who photographs the feathered life in his garden. He has many informative and beautiful videos about birds, but also many of Nature and wildlife in general, with outstanding photography accompanied by restful, ambient music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN73qE3TWmg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_fzRygNIUY
About Maurice:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MauriceBaker100/about
-JT
(Disclaimer: I am not associated/compensated in any way with regard to the promotion of the various appliances and other items - or the websites - that I write about on this thread. They are simply things that I’ve personally found interesting and want to share.)
Here’s another, just as yummy!
PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING
There are several recipes on the net; King Arthur has one fit to serve a king.
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pumpkin-bread-pudding-recipe
And this, for Carmel Apple Bread Pudding is certainly one to plan for this fall.
https://cakescottage.com/2017/09/14/apple-pie-bread-pudding/
I was afraid you would say that.
Gotta tell the truth at all times.
I have made a variation of the fruit cocktail cake by mixing a yellow cake mix with a 16 oz can of fruit cocktail, and baking it. It makes a very heavy, dense, moist cake, with a pleasant, but different flavor. I didn’t put eggs in it, but that would probably make it a little fluffier.
I’ve mixed a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple into an angel food cake mix, and that turns out awesome! I didn’t see the instruction that said not to overmix it, and I mixed it with my kitchen aid for a couple of minutes. It made a huge amount of batter, which I baked in my 10x7x3” pan. Don’t grease the pan. It’s supposed to be baked in a bundt pan, but there was way too much batter. It was AWESOME and addictive. Tasted like a very rich white fruit cake. Of course, except for my occasional cheat days, I’m doing a low carb diet, so I haven’t made anything like this, lately. If anyone is interested, there’s a great recipe for low carb eclairs, which are, of course, high in calories, but very low in carbs.
I’m jealous! The only type of beans I can have are soybeans, which I don’t eat. I’ve made white bean soup, and split pea, but not lentil.
That is a pretty wreath. Our lily of the valley blooms in May.
The fruit cocktail cake sounds delicious AND simple. ie: Almost like a white fruitcake, especially if nuts are added.
I love Aldi, too, but they just reopened one they made into a larger, more trendy type store, and they have raised a LOT of the prices, so I’m kinda miffed. They still have some good buys, but not sure if it’s worth driving 30 miles, unless I’m going that way, anyway. But the Sprouts Store is right across the street from them, and they have really good specials, plus they have a lot of exotic vegetables and ingredients that I can use in low carb cooking, that I can’t find in closer grocery stores.
Meant to post——uses fabric flowers.
No wonder they look so perfect! LOL
We used to make ‘Amish Friendship Cakes’, where you ferment canned fruit for weeks, and then add it to cake mix with coconut, pudding mix, sometimes nuts.
It was a wonderful cake, but I always wondered if it would really taste much different if you didn’t even bother with the fermentation.
It might help if you have a big overbite ;-)
That looks nice. One of the things we learned in Jr. High Home Economics was making a Jelly Roll cake - nice presentation with very little work.
It also might help to like apples on the core. :-)
Personally, prefer them baked or in a pie. Believe an apple in a daily school lunch bag burned out the appetite for fresh apples. Pear on the core, yes; apples, not so much.
Oh, I remember those. I never had the foresight to get that sort of thing done ahead of time.
I’m going to try it without the fermenting. I really don’t think that the taste will be much different. And it will be a nice, lighter ‘fruitcake’ for the Holiday time.
I’ll let you know.
Sounds good!
Agreed......when I first tackled a jelly-roll, I thought it’d be complicated. But it was so easy.
I like the fact that the cake bakes fast and rolls up in a jif after cooling in the kitchen towel.
Mine looked so pretty.....I sprinkled sugar crystals on the towel before rolling up to cool.
The sugar also added a nice bit of crunch to the finished jelly roll.
I’ve also filled them with lemon, chocolate but they are good (and pretty) with plain old jelly.
Lemon sounds good.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.