Thursday, January 3, 2008

Again and again

Raclette is a wonderful cheese from Switzerland that is melted in trays in a special tabletop grill. The melted cheese is then used for dipping tasty morsels such as vegetables, potatoes, seafood or anything else that suits your imagination. For this fun variation on a fondue party, you will need a special raclette grill that has a melting tray for each of your guests.

Apart from the magnificent Swiss Alps themselves, Switzerland's greatest natural resource is the cow.
Farmers living in in the Alpine regions take full advantage of the moist alpine pastures with its pure and clean air and move their livestock up the mountains to graze during the summer season.
Their prime breed of cattle enjoy grazing on the succulent grasses and in turn provide the country with the rich milk supply that produces high quality cheese.
The variety of naturally growing grasses in the upper altitudes contain a higher protein and fat content and are highly nutritious.
It is also no wonder why that smooth creamy Swiss chocolate has become so famous.
Raclette cheese is made on both the Swiss and French sides of the Alps but the cheese bearing the name Valais Raclette is the most famous .The Valais Raclette (namely cheese made in the Valleys of Bagnes, Goms, Les Haudères and Orsières) is made according to ancestral methods. There is no denying that the unique climate and alpine meadows in the area have an effect on the quality of the milk produced there. A semi-hard cheese made from unpasturised cow's milk Valais Ralette cheese has a distinctive aromatic flavour, brushed brown/orange coloured rind, light-yellow coloured body, fragrant creamy texture, with scattered holes and has an ideal fat and moisture ratio that prevents the cheese from separating when melted.

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