An evening of Raclette

I was invited to a French Raclette by my friends Oliver & Cecile last night at their home along with some other mates of ours.  This is the first time any of us have ever experienced a Raclette (aside from the hosts of course).  Raclette basically is a type of cheese made from cow's milk, but it's also the name of the dish which originated from Switzerland, France and Wallonia.  The term "raclette" came from the word "racler" meaning "to scrape" in French.  In the centre of the table was placed a Raclette machine with 8 individual serving trays (one for each of us).  Once the machine is heated up, we can then place a slice of cheese on the serving tray to grill it till it's melted.  Meanwhile, you're meant to prepare your plate with the things you want to have with the cheese.  We had boiled potatoes, and smoked cuts to go with it.  It was simple, but delicieux!!  After 2 slices of cheese, I began to improvise!  I half melted the cheese, then put a thin slice of potato on top, sprinkled abit of basil, cumin and red pepper and put back to grill until the cheese completely melted.  It was so much fun, it was like cooking and eating at the same time. Don't forget Raclette should also be accompanied by good wine. It really reminded me of 火窩, similarly it lasts up to a few hours.  The best part is always having great conversations with great company. 

After dinner, it was time to work off the pounds we've put on, and we did that by playing Wii!  We played boxing, golf, and bowling.  It was such a wonderful evening! Oliver, Cecile, thank you guys so much!  Can we do it again soon? haha... My arms are really aching today from the boxing... what a great work out!

Have a great weekend peeps!

Peace, light & nirvana,

薑