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Tartiflette

We discovered this Savoyard dish on a week-long visit to Chamonix a few years back. I made it a few times at home, trying to find the right substitute for the Reblochon cheese ( which you cannot buy in the US because it is unpasteurized). Gruyère is acceptable, as is raclette, but not authentic in taste. But recently our guide from the Tour du Mont Blanc trek, knowing how much I like Tartiflette, sent me a whole Reblochon wheel (weighing 450g, so not huge). So before the weather turned too warm for this "winter food", I made the dish for dinner last night. It was every bit as wonderful as what we had in Chamonix.

With apologies to vegetarians and anyone who follows a Kosher or Halal diet, I will share the late Anthony Bourdain's recipe, which I modify a bit in execution but not in ingredients.

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tartiflette

Posted by
5239 posts

I don't recall seeing taleggio in my visits to the US but if it is then I would consider it a suitable alternative to reblochon.

Posted by
16025 posts

Good suggestion. I see Taleggio is made from pasteurized milk, and is available from some online sources here in the US. I can check with the specialty cheese shops in Seattle.

Posted by
752 posts

What a coincidence, I made tartiflette last night for dinner, too! First tasted it in Samoëns while at a stage of the Tour de France in 2006. I do use taleggio which I find at Whole Foods and our local cheese stores. Potatoes, bacon, onions, cheese and a splash of white wine... mmm.

Posted by
16893 posts

Lola, I'm living proof that we have access to an excellent cheese selection in Seattle, a lot of it distributed by Peterson Cheese. You'll certainly find Taleggio next time without much trouble.

Posted by
752 posts

Another thought on the Reblochon substitute... have you tried Délice du Jura? I was just at my cheese store and they suggested it as an alternative. Made in the same area, using similar production. It tasted similar to Reblochon, as far as I remember it. I’m in California, so probably your cheese stores have access to the same regional importers as ours do.

Posted by
16025 posts

I just had some of the leftovers for lunch. It is so rich, I just had a bit with a pile of arugula.

The funny thing is, I usually do not care for cheese, especially aromatic ones.

Posted by
2916 posts

I don't recall seeing taleggio in my visits to the US

Taleggio would probably be a decent substitute for Reblochon, and I do see it at shops here. From what I remember, Reblochon used to be available in the US many years ago. Since I'm sure Reblochon has always been raw milk, the US import rules probably changed, or else their enforcement changed. That's happened with a number of raw milk French cheeses, which have had pasteurized versions created with new names. Delice du Jura might be one of those (one web site refers to it as "A close cousin to Reblochon".).

Posted by
475 posts

Great dish Lola! One of my favorite and most satisfying winter dishes to make, especially apres-ski.

I first came across this recipe on how to make it.

Tartiflette
There's a local market here that had a Roblochon-type of cheese, not sure exactly what it was but, it was labeled as Roblochon substitute so, could've been anything.

Posted by
16025 posts

Thanks! I may look for that cheese the next time I visit my son's family in San Francisco. I like that they specify "drinkable" white wine.

Tartiflette seems to be trendy right now. Last week the New York Times offered a recipe, although without mentioning Reblochon; they just say "semi-soft cow's milk cheese".

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9166-tartiflette