Traditionally, Raclette was a Swiss meal where a half wheel of cheese would be placed close to the embers of the fire and cheese portions would be scraped off as it melted to top bread and vegetables. The word Raclette refers to both the meal and the Raclette cheese - a firm yet supple texture that melts beautifully when heated.

Today, a more modern and convenient way of enjoying raclette involves using an electric table top grill that has numerous small pans in which each guest melts the cheese with vegetables and other toppings. The great thing about a raclette party is that the host can relax with the guests while everyone cooks their meal together.

All it takes is a little advanced preparation to get the ingredients which can include potatoes, cured meats such as prociutto and ham and cheese of course. If you want an alternative to raclette cheese, there are other cheeses that are perfectly suitable too: - Emmenthal, Gruyere and Jarlsberg to name a few.

To buy your very own raclette, prices range from $40 to the fancy SwissMar model sold at Williams Sonoma for $140.

Amy Chan, partlySunny Contributor

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