Raclette and Homemade bread

I don't remember the last time I spent New Years Eve at home. I think the closest most recent memory I have of spending it home - was celebrating at my cottage for Y2K. I choreographed a dance to S-Club 7 for my cousins and I to perform to our parents and than we waited for the world to end. Now, for the first time in a long time I had an excuse to be low key again.. and for the first time ever I pumped my self a little stock pile of milk so I could treat myself to a NYE drink! and by treat myself I mean by three glasses I threw in the towel spinning, went to sleep and woke up to a headache and sore nipples for days.

I thought about cooking up a big meal for the stay at home event, and some appetizers to snack on etc etc. But Ryan and I had a stock pile of milk and an eventful year to celebrate so I figured our meal should be something a little more laid back so we could enjoy each others company. I was thinking home made pasta or raclette, or cheese fondue... I seriously love cheese fondue... Probably because It's melted cheese and wine. I love wine, I love cheese, wine in cheese, wine with cheese... and I looooooove bread. Cant go wrong.

But we decided on Raclette! It was a little safer.. Ryan kept saying fondue reminded him of cheese whiz and  was grossing me out. Plus raclette is just another extension for my love of wine and cheese. Raclette is a type of cheese (Costco!!) and a traditional swiss dish. Its usually served with pickled onions, gershwin pickles, baby potatoes, dried meats. french bread. The term Raclette translates to a term similar to the meaning "to scrape". A traditional raclette machine is a mini grill to sit in the middle of a dining table to fry meats or onion, with individual skillets underneath to melt your cheese with the meats or any other ingredients you like.. than you scrape it out of the skillet and eat it! Like so....

 

Fun right!!!!???

It's a great brunch idea too! You could make your own little skillets!

We didn't have any baby potatoes so we just boiled some white potatoes and diced them. I left them a little firm so we could still put them in our skillets with the cheese or grill them on the top to serve on the side. We fried bacon on the top skillet with some potatoes, onions and a little Montréal steak spice. We had lots of cured meats to load up in our skillets with the cheese!

Yummmm...

I made a couple baguettes to have with it. Not by choice... It was NYE and all the grocery stores were closed. But it worked out for the best! If you want to make your own bread you will need:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tea spoon salt

1 table spoon  sugar

1 tablespoon herb de provence

1 pkg dry yeast

1 cup of warm water.

This bread recipe isn't going to blow anybody away, it's super simple and doesn't require a mixer or bread maker. Usually I'm using it for pizza dough! It freezes really well too if you store it before you let it rise. This recipe will make you about 2 baguettes.

• Mix 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients
• Add the warm water and mix until all the flour has been combined into the dough.
• Add enough more flour to make the dough kneadable.   
• Flour your counter top and knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball - add more flour if needed
• Lightly coat a bowl with olive oil
• Place the dough ball in the bowl, covered with  a tea towel for 40 min
• Preheat oven to 350. 
• Roll out the dough as much as possible into a rectangular shape
• Slice that down the middle lengthwise.. Round the edges, keeping it fairly flat
• Now let them rise for 25 min
• Put a few slice marks along the top of the baguette so it doesn't get too deformed while its baking.
• Grease a cookie sheet and bake them for 15 minutes. For this particular recipe I like the bread extra crispy soI glazed the baguettes with a whisked egg and let them bake an extra 5 min.

In the future if I plan on sharing a recipe, I'll take better pictures.. Happy Thursday! :)