In short: Berries and marshmallows make the quickest raclette dessert there is: raspberries, strawberries and blueberries in the pans, a few pieces of white chocolate, then marshmallows that puff up and brown under the grill in 3 to 5 minutes. Tangy underneath, gooey on top.
Chef’s tip
Let’s start with a confession: no cheese here, not a single crumb. The pan has worked hard all through dinner, it deserves a sweet second career. The idea comes from American s’mores, those marshmallows toasted over a campfire, except that here the campfire is your machine’s heating element and nobody drops their marshmallow into the embers.
The real secret is the berries. Their sharpness balances the sugar of the marshmallow and white chocolate; without it, the dessert quickly turns sickly. In midwinter, raclette season, frozen berries do the job perfectly, as long as you drain them. And watch the grill like milk on the stove: a marshmallow goes from golden to charcoal in thirty seconds.
| Prep time | 10 min |
|---|---|
| Cook time | 5 min |
| Total | 25 min (incl. 10 min macerating) |
| Servings | 4 people (adjustable) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 150 g raspberries
- 200 g strawberries
- 100 g blueberries
- 16 large marshmallows
- 60 g white chocolate
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 lime (zest only)
- 4 shortbread biscuits
- A few mint leaves
- Equipment: a raclette machine with its pans and a pair of kitchen scissors
Preparation
- Prepare the berries. Hull the strawberries and cut them into quarters. Mix them in a bowl with the raspberries, blueberries, sugar and lime zest, then leave for 10 minutes: the fruit releases a little juice.
- Preheat the machine. Switch on the raclette machine 10 minutes ahead, on full power, so the grill is really hot when it’s time to toast.
- Fill the pans. Share the fruit between the pans, two thirds of the way up, with a spoonful of juice. Don’t pack it down: leave room for the marshmallows, which puff up.
- Add the white chocolate. Roughly chop the white chocolate and tuck a few pieces between the berries. It will half melt in the heat and coat the raspberries.
- Cover with marshmallows. Cut the marshmallows in half with wet scissors and lay them cut side down on the fruit, packed close together, so they cover the whole surface of the pan.
- Toast under the grill. Slide the pans under the grill for 3 to 5 minutes and don’t walk away. The marshmallows puff up, then brown: take them out as soon as they are golden to light brown, before they blacken.
- Serve. Crumble a shortbread biscuit over each pan, add a mint leaf and serve straight away with a teaspoon. Careful, the marshmallow stays scorching hot inside for a good minute.
Chef’s tips
- Dip the scissors in cold water between marshmallows: they stop sticking.
- With frozen berries, thaw them in a sieve and keep only one spoonful of juice per pan.
- Large white marshmallows brown better than small coloured ones, which melt before they toast.
- Do a test pan first: every machine heats differently, and you’ll know the right timing for the rest.
Variations
- Tropical version: mango and passion fruit instead of berries.
- Dark chocolate version: swap the white chocolate for 70% dark chocolate, more bitter and less sweet.
- Crumble version: a base of crushed biscuit and a knob of butter under the fruit, for a real crunch.
Which wine to serve?
A well-chilled glass of Muscat de Rivesaltes goes with the berries without piling on more sugar. Otherwise, a rosé cider or, for the kids, a milky hot chocolate.
Frequently asked questions
Does this dessert contain cheese?
No. “Raclette” just means it cooks in the pans, under the machine’s grill, after the cheese.
Is it vegetarian?
Not always: most marshmallows contain animal gelatine. Gelatine-free marshmallows made with agar-agar exist and toast just as well.
Can I use frozen berries?
Yes, it’s actually the answer in winter. Thaw and drain them, or the pan fills with juice and the marshmallows slide off.
🧀 The right grill: To toast marshmallows without burning them, an even grill across its whole width helps: the best raclette grills, our comparison.
Read also: all our raclette recipes.
