How to Host a Raclette Party

There's something about subjecting a good melting cheese to direct, fiery heat that virtually guarantees scrumptious results. And what better way to achieve them than raclette?

- DAVID GIBBONS

From the French verb racler, meaning "to scrape," raclette is based on the age-old practice of scraping the melted side of a half-wheel of cheese onto potatoes. Ranking right up there with fondue as a beloved tradition in the French and Swiss alps, it's simultaneously a dish, a cheese, a device and an occasion.

Modern times have seen the advent of two principal types of raclette devices: One a melter with a cheese-holding stand and infrared lamp, the other a tabletop contraption with a griddle on top, an electric heating element in the middle and trays underneath to melt individual portions. The melter stand is the more traditional and picturesque option, while the griddle oven is more convenient, versatile and participatory. Both augur a deliciously drawn-out, convivial gathering.

In 2007, Sonja Hoffmann gave stateside raclette fans reason for celebration when she launched Raclette Corner (raclettecorner.com), a one-stop shop for all things raclette. "There's no wrong way to do raclette," Hoffmann says, adding simply, "Be creative."

Hoffmann harbors fond memories of summers at her grandparents' home in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. Her website carries an authentic local cheese, Alp Maran, via the Adopt-an-Alp program started by another Swiss raclette-meister, Caroline Hostettler of the importer Quality Cheese. (Go to adopt-an-alp.com to learn more.)