“Raclette” is derived from the French word for racler, meaning “to scrape.” Modern day raclette refers to a classic Swiss dish where cheese is melted under an electric broiler then scraped and topped on a wide variety of ingredients, traditionally roasted potatoes, cornichons (tiny pickles) and onions. My raclette machine has a granite top that – when heated – serves as a grill plus it has 8 removable toaster trays that rest under a broiler to cook the accompaniments, like melted cheese. Check out my suggested ingredients below!
Raclette In Action
Going out on the town is always fun, but hosting small gatherings in your own home served with a stylish and unforgettable presentation of food makes for priceless memories and great times – that’s why entertaining is one of my passions! We love inviting friends and family over to enjoy fun and unique dining experiences enjoyed at home. Our raclette machine is always a big hit as the centerpiece of many fun indoor grilling gatherings.
Let’s watch a brief video of the racelette experience:
Why Raclette Will Make You A Hero
Like fondue, raclette is best enjoyed as a social eating experience. We like to jazz things up and make a big spread of all kinds of veggies, meats and seafood so our guests can get creative … and they do! The culinary combinations are entertaining, endless and delicious.
Sidekicks: Butter, Olive Oil, Pesto, Olives, Bread, Mini Fillo Shells, Seasonings, Wine + Your Favorite Friends And Family
From sweet to savory – once you’ve gathered your ingredients let your inner foodie’s creativity guide your meal: Melted cheese and onion topped on prosciutto, apples with gooey cheese on top, grilled shrimp with bacon, and one self-proclaimed masterpiece we created called “bananas fauxster” – sliced bananas sprinkled with brown sugar, butter, Texas pecans and then toasted. The recipe for this sweet delight is below!
A Few More Raclette Tips
Since you cook-as-you-go when you raclette, it’s usually a fun process that can easily last an hour to several. We like to start with veggies and savory meats … take a break then have a delightful dismount with the sweets.
Mini Fillo/Phyllo Shells were one of my favorite unexpected discoveries. You can find them here in Austin in the freezer section at HEB. They require no defrosting; simply fill the cups with your favorite ingredients and toast them for a few minutes and you’ve made crispy, melty magic. One of my fillo favorites is to pour a bit of Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce into the cup then top with a wedge of melting cheese. Place your dish in your toaster tray under the raclette grill’s lower level. When it toasts up, it’s a-ma-zing!
You’ll undoubtedly have leftover ingredients after the big meal. We tossed small potatoes, onions and veggies into our silicon egg rings, topped with eggs and cheese and made some delicious “omelettes raclette” – you can do this on the raclette itself or on stovetop (see pic below).
So now on to the “Bananas Fauxster” recipe! With origins to the 1950s in what has become a famed French Quarter restaurant “Brennans” Bananas Foster is a delicious ending to any fantastic meal. My raclette version (a.k.a. “fauxster”) adapts the original recipe for the raclette and it incorporates two of my favorite Texas ingredients: Texas Pecans and Pecan Street Rum, which is distilled outside Austin in Pflugerville. Step 1: Place sliced bananas in your raclette tray and top with pieces of butter, some brown sugar and a sprinkling of chopped Texas pecans and a splash of the Pecan Street Rum. Place the grilling tray to the lower level of your raclette and let it toast-up 2-3 minutes or until bubbly brown.
Step 2: Transfer the bubbly banana mixture to a bowl or serve inside a fillo shell. You can also accompany the dessert alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra decadent treat.
Ready To Raclette, Right ?!
If you’d like some suggestions for where to score your very own raclette magic, try these retailers:
A Guide To Shopping Austin Texas – Photo Courtesy Of Flickr User “JustinJensen”
Ladies and Gentlemen – Start Your Shoppers’ Engines!
[ Sidenote from Joe: One of our recent Instagram followers in Australia asked us for our shopping recommendations for her upcoming trip to Austin. We realized we hadn’t yet shared a list of our local favorite shopping spots so here are our local retailers who we think are doing their best to make Austin a great place to shop. ]
First Thing’s First – Austin Bags Bags
As of March 1, 2013, The City of Austin implemented a flyaway plastic bag ordinance designed to help the city be more Earth friendly and reach its goal of becoming a “Zero Waste” city by the year 2040. So what this means for local shoppers is that many retailers who offer single use or plastic bags do so no longer, so let the buyer beware – bring your reusable shopping totes or get ready to carry smaller purchases sans bags. Here’s a fun video about the “Bring It Austin” movement:
The 50,000 Foot Shopper’s View
Austin shopping features many locally owned small businesses that are scattered about town. You really have to explore city neighborhoods on foot, pedicab or your own 2- or 4-wheeled favorite form of transportation to find many of them, which is what really makes Austin unique.
Really love to shop? Better wear your comfy shoes as you’ll likely be making a full day or more of shopping when in Austin. My word of caution: There are a lot more hidden gems to be found in Austin, but below are some of our top picks. We threw in some restaurants too, because what’s a great shopping trip without cocktails and food?!
South Congress Shopping – Picture Compliments Of Barbara Slough (Flickr User “Merbrat”)
South Congress
South Congress – or “SoCo” as the locals refer to it – is the best place to be able to park, walk, shop and eat. In addition to some vintage and thrift stores, there is also a large antique store called Uncommon Objects filled with unique finds. There are also some other cool stores like Tesoros Trading Company and Ten Thousand Villages where you can find interesting folk arts and crafts from around the world. Lucy in Disguise is a fun and funky costume store packed with every disguise imaginable. A must do is Allen’s Boots where the smell of leather makes you feel like an instant cowboy. Several clothing stores and boutiques are also located in this area such as American Apparel and Austin’s home grown favorite By George which was named one of the country’s Top 10 Boutiques by Lucky Magazine [ listen to this heavenly choir sound effect of what receiving this award must have felt like! ].
Eating Soco: There are many dining options from food trucks to sit down restaurants. dog-friendly Italian restaurant Botticelli’s, South Congress Cafe, Guero’s Taco Bar, Hopdoddy Burger Bar, and HomeSlice Pizza are local favorites. Be prepared to wait in line during peak feeding times! There’s no need to get dessert at anywhere other than Big Top Candy Shop which has been satisfying sweet tooth of kids of all ages since 2007. The folks at Big Top have over 2,000 kinds (not pieces) of candies and an old-fashioned soda fountain and shaved ice bar. A must-see-do-enjoy!
Downtown Austin
Centered around the flagship Whole Foods Market World Headquarters at Lamar and 5th and 6th streets in downtown Austin, there are lots of shopping choices including West Elm, Anthropologie, Free People, Paper Source, and others. Nadeau, The Khazana and Jaya Furniture are globally inspired, artisan and eco-friendly furniture stores in the downtown area. Just up Lamar is Whole Earth Provision Company, an Austin original since 1970 with earthy goods and unique gifts – a place Home Style Austin Brand Director Patrick says he can’t walk into without leaving with some fun purchases.
All this shop talk has made us hungry. If you’re in this area try 24 Diner – as it’s name implies it’s open 24 hours daily (except 1 am-6 am on Wednesdays) and it has some of the greatest food we’ve eaten in Austin. A great place for conversation! Better wash down your 24 Diner treat with one of Austin’s favorite ice cream shops – at Amy’s. There are Amy’s scattered around the city (see a list here) and if you haven’t tried their Mexican Vanilla ice cream yet, your life is one maraca shy of a full set.
The Clarksville neighborhood around Lynn and 12th Street is a nice place to take a stroll. Although there isn’t too much shopping, there are a couple unique stores like Nau’s Enfield Drug, an old fashioned soda fountain, Fresh Plus Hometown Grocer and Sledd Nursery.
Eating Clarksville: There are also several great local restaurants in the neighborhood: Cipollina, Zocalo Cafe, Josephine House and then Jeffrey’s if you are feeling extra special.
North Austin
If thrift shopping and vintage clothing and furniture are your thing, you’ll want this local guide to many of the stores in the area with the Vintage Around Town Guide. Aside from Downtown and South Congress there really isn’t one walkable area where you can see a lot of independent stores at once outside of a mall or strip-mall format. Burnet Road in North Austin has a higher concentration of these types of stores, but not exactly “walkable.”
The North Lamar Central Market location is a must stop if you are in the North Austin area (there is also another location on South Lamar with a Whole Earth Provision and a Cavender’s Boot Citynext door). Central Market is the most amazing grocery store born in Austin and you could spend hours shopping, drooling, resting and repeating! Delight your inner foodie and have lunch at the Central Market Cafe and sit out on the big deck to enjoy your feast. On weekends you can catch live music. Also in this shopping center there is a neat Hardware Store/Gift Store combo shop unique to Austin called Zinger and a nice pottery and gift store called Clarksville Pottery. You’ll also find a Gap, an Origins and our latest obsession ~ Paper Place Austin, which will surely delight your inner artist with cards, stationery, pens, colorful papers and a wide assortment of unique objects … we left with an armful.
East Austin
East Austin is in a state of change where old multi-cultural neighborhoods are being gentrified with hip urban lofts and trendy nightlife. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of culture, history and an urban vibe yielding a source of local controversy.
The East 6th Street District is a great place to walk and check out a few unique spots. More known for bars and food trucks, there are a few interesting shops to see. Clayworks Studios sells stoneware items made onsite. Green & White Grocery sells a super funky mix of herbals, spiritual paraphernalia and Latin American religious items. The owner is a true ol’ Austinite. If you like gardening, East Austin Succulents is a peaceful place for a stroll among nature’s art for the eyes. There’s a coffee truck on site, too!
West Austin
One very cool shopping experience that is a bit of a drive on the West side of Austin off Highway 71 in Bee Cave named Revival. Revival is a fun architectural salvage and vintage furniture store with a lot of repurposed items and unique home decor items. “Hamlet the Pig” and a few chickens also wander about the outdoor areas of the store so you’ll truly feel like you were in an authentic shopper’s paradise. Also in the area is a retail shopping area called Hill Country Galleriawith a Whole Foods, Dillard’s and other major chain stores along with a few boutique shops and restaurants, including another Amy’s Ice Cream Shop!
If you were to keep heading into far west Austin (ok, let’s call it day-tripping from Austin), you’d land in the amazing Texas Hill Country. Beautiful views will treat your senses to a different form of “shopping,” while one of my favorite cities – Fredericksburg – offers some of the best shopping in all of Texas. Wine country? Texas has it and you’re right in the middle of over 35 area wineries scattered throughout the Central Texas hills. More information is here regarding the Texas Hill Country Wineries. A visit to Austin without a visit to this part of the state requires a return adventure! Think we’re bragging? Maybe a little – this year the Texas Hill Country was a Top 10 wine travel destination in the world by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
Shopping Malls
The Domain is the newest of Austin’s large shopping malls. In fact, a Phase 3 was recently announced and will be anchored by Nordstrom. The Domain is an outdoor urban mall with all of the major upscale retailers and nice dining options like Gloria’s Latin Cuisine, and North Italian Restaurant. There is also a new Whole Foods that just opened here with tons of seating for having a bite to eat with a side of live music, too, so check our their events schedule.
If outlet shopping is your thing, you’ll want to visit the Round Rock Premium OutletsNote: There’s an IKEA nearby which is sure to please your wallet.
Barton Creek Square is a Texas-sized shopper’s paradise with all of the major retailers including Nordstrom and more than 170 speciality shops. No true shopper leaves Barton Creek Square empty handed!
We could go on and on about what to specifically check out or eat at these Austin favorites but if you’re still reading this you can only imagine how much my fingers ache from a blog post this long!
In between power shopping sprints, if you’re looking for places where you can eat and hangout with your four-legged friend, check out our post for Austin’s Dog Friendly Hangouts. It’s packed with our favorite places throughout the greater Austin area.
Please email us with any specific questions – we’re glad to help a shopper out!
Raclette In Action
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