Whether it’s a web of Parmesan on a slice of pizza, a long pull from a mozzarella stick or a slice of cheddar blanketing a classic burger, melty cheese is an oddly mesmerizing sight. While fondue and chile con queso have their place, there is a superior, almost theatrical specimen: raclette.
Heated and melted over a variety of edible accompaniments, raclette is a cheesy experience.
“It’s a super easy cheese to like because it has enough personality, but it’s not so bizarre that it will turn people off — and also just the consistency of it, it’s the perfect melting cheese,” says Maggie Bradshaw, owner of Richmond’s Truckle Cheesemongers.
A Swiss delicacy with origins in the Middle Ages, raclette takes the stage Sundays at Truckle Cheesemongers starting Oct. 1 and continues through the cooler months. From noon to 5 p.m., the Museum District shop will break out an entire wheel for a casual, pop-in-when-you-can cheese party.
“I think October is the perfect time; the days are getting shorter,” Bradshaw says of the comfortingly cheesy sessions.
While she receives requests from raclette devotees all year long, Bradshaw honors its seasonality, only offering it in fall and winter. “I need to respect the cheese gods,” she quips.
To enjoy raclette, a mix of edible entertainment and indulgent exploration, a wheel of Alpine cow’s-milk cheese is hoisted and heated atop a special machine. Derived from the word racler, meaning “to scrape,” the raclette will slowly begin to soften and ooze before being laden over a plate of anything from crusty bread to briny cornichons, smoked salami, pickled beets or potatoes — the original, cheese-covered girl dinner. It’s buttery, sensual and shareable.
“You’re choosing your own adventure with every bite; that’s what I like about it,” Bradshaw says, noting that each accompaniment brings forth a different flavor profile of the cheese. “It’s all good, but pickled things, always.”
“I love how communal it is, too,” echoes Truckle monger Brittanni Wyatt. “We sell it by the plate, so not a lot of people just order it for themselves, they’re sharing it.”
Maggie Bradshaw, owner of Truckle Cheesemongers
Truckle is one of the few local sources for this imported cheese, which is often sought out around the holidays. While Bradshaw says a common divide in the cheese world lies between lovers of French and Swiss raclette, Truckle prefers the latter.
“The wheels we get are probably three to six months old; it’s still young enough, and that’s part of what makes it so good to scrape,” she says.
Rich yet mild, a little nutty and a little funky, raclette is also incredibly fragrant — guests are greeted by its pungent perfume as soon as they enter the shop. Launching this raclette residency with a classic offering, Truckle plans to rotate in varieties such as pink peppercorn, truffle and portwein pepper.
“I think there’s a lot of showmanship with it, you know. It’s fun to see the wheel bubbling, also the gooiness,” Bradshaw says. “It’s fun and ridiculous, nothing quite like it.”
