Fondue means melted. Raclette derives from the French verb racler, meaning to scrape. Both words conjure the timeless allure of a gathering with friends to enjoy a meal centered on luscious, melted cheese.
We spent an evening with Michel Baumann, chef and co-owner of Chantecleer Restaurant. An anchor of East Dorset, Vermont for 42 years, Michel and his wife, Melanie, closed their restaurant in 2024. Fortunately for us, this chef continues to make occasional guest appearances in the Northshire. He kindly shares his intel on authentic raclette and fondue, national dishes of his native Switzerland.
Raclette and fondue center on melted cheese paired with accompaniments including boiled baby potatoes or cubes of sturdy bread, pearl onions, and cornichons. Upgrade the meal with steamed or roasted vegetables (mushrooms are particularly delicious), sliced apples, cured meats, and sausages.
What distinguishes raclette from fondue? In raclette, the molten cheese is scraped over the top of the plated accompaniments. With fondue, the elements are speared on a long fork, then dipped and swirled in the pot of melted cheese.
Raclette is both the meal itself and the specific cheese: a semi-hard Alpine cheese renowned for its smooth texture, melting quality, and nutty, buttery flavor. Its aged, washed rind lends an earthy undertone. Here in Vermont, we’re fortunate to have two creameries producing their own raclette-style cheese; both received thumbs up from the Swiss chef. Check out Spring Brook Farm’s Reading and Woodlawn Creamery’s Southwind.
Raclette began as a humble meal for Alpine shepherds who nourished themselves with melted cheese scraped over potatoes. A traditional Swiss raclette involves a half-wheel of that cheese gently melted in front of a fire or wedges of the cheese heated under a tabletop raclette oven. At home, you can melt the cheese in a small, nonstick pan placed in an oven and heated slowly until the cheese becomes just-golden on top and bubbling slightly on the edges. Scrape that ooey deliciousness over your plate of accompaniments and feast on.
Fondue fun fact? The dish was popularized in Switzerland in the 1930s as a means of increasing cheese consumption! Fondue sets were distributed to military units and marketed to event organizers who quickly promoted the trend. Fondue traveled across the Atlantic and became an American craze in the 1970s. Scour the web to track down vintage fondue sets from that era in avocado green, harvest gold, and flame orange.
While cheese fondue is most common, consider branching into chocolate fondue (pieces of bread or pastry or sliced fruit dipped into the melted chocolate). Or keep it savory with fondue bourguignonne—small chunks of meat cooked in hot oil—or fondue chinoise, which uses boiling broth or stock to cook vegetables or proteins.
Throw a raclette or fondue party this winter and make it as simple or elaborate as you wish! The point is to spend an intimate evening with friends, lingering over a cozy, cheesy meal.
