February 18, 2012
Our long-awaited Winter Dinner finally took place. After last year’s adventurous fondue feast, we celebrated our gathering with a hearty Raclette theme.
A healthy number (24!) of cheese enthusiasts met at Ma Cuisine, one of Monsieur Chatte‘s outlets, located in an industrial building in Chai Wan.
The cheese was served in a more traditionally French way, a bit different than in Switzerland from where the decadently melty cheese originates.
The evening commenced, the Raclette started to melt, and the cheese was scraped by Chef Sabine and Mademoiselle Caroline Chatte in generous heaps onto some cut boiled baby potatoes and was garnished with a French Rosette “Salami”, cooked ham, pickles, and salad. A simple but delicious preparation. And of course, since we were here to eat cheese “a la discretion” (meaning one should go for more), we enjoyed second helpings of Raclette.
We paired the Raclette with a white wine from Savoy called Mondeuse, a variety of Sauvignon Blanc, that had a bit more acid to help cut the fat content of the cheese. But, as always, we were free to bring our own wines, and we were treated to some interesting wines spread over the long table.
To top off the rich meal, we were served pear tart for dessert with an accompanying shot of eau de vie de Poire Williams.
The atmosphere was wonderful, complete with much conversation, laughter, newly forged friendships, and even some new members to the Slow Food HK family!
