World On A Plate

Stage 11 & 12 - Hills & More Hills

Stage 11: Courchevel to Briancon; 173km/107mi
Stage 12: Briancon to Digne-les-Bains; 187km/116mi

The biggest news from today's race is that Manuel  'Triki" Beltran fell on a hill climb suffering a concussion. One of the strongest climbers on the team he has dropped from the race. Did we all see that handsome Frenchman who shared the podium with polka dot jersey winner Rasmussen. That's Morrocan-born and 14-year pro (now retired) former best climber Richard Virenque. He won the TdF KoM seven times! Hmm, right and there was that doping scandal, but isn't he just yummy?

A cooking holiday in Provence is on many food lovers lists.  There's no better way to experience local culture than to taste it. Provencal cuisine uses the best of natural products delectable olive oil, twenty aromates (fragrances) (fresh or dried herbs and spices), sixteen types of fruits de mer, forty-six species of fish known to the region's shores and wines such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape and fresh goat cheeses from the surrounding mountains.

Offering a backdrop of biking, wine cave touring, along with a salt tasting in St. Rémy, a visit to an escargot farm, and lessons in blending pistou, this 7-day trip from Bike Riders Tours surrounds you in food, sights and comfort. Cost (2005):  $3,680 pp

Epiculinary offers a four day trip where on the second day you are biking to your cooking lesson where you may prepare a tomato, olive and onion tart pissaladiere, chicken sautéed in olive oil, rosemary and red wine, tapenade with sun-dried tomatoes; polenta with butter and sage; and perhaps a tart of Muscat grapes.  They will then cart you and your bike back to your villa.  The trip can be put together for a minimum of two people.  Cost (2005):  $1,695.

For those of you who prefer a less active vacation, Patricia Wells, journalist, cookbook author and instructor opens her 18th-century Provence home for hands-on cooking along with trips to vineyards, markets, shops and local restaurants. Cost (2005):  $4,000 pp/lodging not included. (She is Patricia Wells after all!)

Chef and restaurateur Carole Peck and her French-born husband Bernard Jarrier open their home with their Culinary Provence tour. The week-long holiday includes cooking lessons, visits with local chefs, trips to new and favorite restaurants, wine tastings and a workshop at the Institute of Olive Oil. Cost (2005):  $3,200 pp

Les Liaisons Délicieuses week long 'Celebration of Seasonal Delicacies in Provence" offers a heady mix of eating, cooking, drinking and eating again.  There's even an opportunity to "promenade in the Garlaban Mountains to collect “herbes de Provence.” Cost (2005): $3,990

Image:  Jennifer Garant (magnet available at AllPosters.com)

Stage 10 - Born to Rhone

Lance Armstrong & George Hincapie-Stage 10 - Avg speed 60mph!

Grenoble to Courchevel, 192.5 km / 119.6 miles

The mountain of climbs are over for the day--two Category 1 hills--just looking at the grades on the graph makes me bonk.  It's official OLN is driving me crazy.  I prefer the early live early morning race coverage. Tomorrow is the hardest Alpine stage, a 173km/107mi trek over three famed ascents.

I've gotten a few emails asking a few basic questions so I thought I'd share the answers here.  The questions asked were about the various meanings of the jerseys:

Yellow - Overall, also called the "GC" (General Classification). It's worn by the overall first place rider, i.e. adding the times taken to complete each stage so far. Without getting into much detail the lowest elapsed time wins.  Don't panic in the first week or so if Lance isn't winning.  The GC riders compete against each other as do the sprinters. This is a long race, with complex rules like cricket--patience my friends.

Green - Is for the sprint points leader and it's also usually called the sprinter's jersey awarded to the best overall finisher from stage to stage points are also awarded for intermediate sprint points.

Polka Dot - My favorite.  King of the Mountains or KofM, awarded to the first cyclists over the top each categorized climb get points; it is awarded to the consistently best climber.

White - best young rider under 25

P.S:  Chris if I'm wrong let me know!

Stage 10- Born to Rhone Deux

Nestled beneath the impressive Mont Blanc, Europe's rooftop at 15,771 feet, is the Rhone-Alpes region which borders Switzerland and Italy. The area extends out toward the Rhone wine areas west of Lyon.

It's capital, Lyon is the second largest in France and a mecca for gourmands. The region itself offers 24 microclimates allowing for a wide variety of agriculture and food production. So with the chicken farms of the Bresse and the cattle ranches of Charolais, wild game (guinea fowl) of the Dombes, fish from the Savoy lakes, fruits and vegetables of the Rhône valley and the poultry of theForez region are all within easy reach and supply Rhône-Alpes battalion of grand chefs.  There are a total of 62 Michelin-starred restaurants of which five have three stars and 11 have two stars. The 10 Beaujolais crus and the wines of Côtes-du-Rhône, along with a wide range of cheeses including Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage (AOC), Reblochon (AOC) all pairing well with the region's specialties.

Today the start of the race shifted to a different starting point due to a farmer's protest.  They were protesting the reintroduction of wolves in the Alps. So naturally my mind wandered to what these farmers where growing and what the organics looks like here ? 

Organics is still a relatively niche market in France, representing only 0.5% of total retail food sales. More and more supermarkets are outlets for selling organics.  Biocoop is a smaller version of our Wild Oats or Whole Foods. It has over 230 stores today and is expanding everyday--much like Whole Foods.  Health food stores and open air markets make up 35% of total sales; supermarkets 45%.

In 1981 organic legislation was passed; in 1985 the state-approved organic logo started appearing gaining wider acceptance of organics in France and throughout Europe. Products with this logo contain more than 95 percent organic components, and are produced or processed within the EU.

By 1999 more than "60 percent of the organic land is located in the six regions of Basse Normandie, Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and Rhône-Alpes, which account for less than 40 percent of the French agricultural area." (French Ag Report 2003)

The Rhône-Alpes is one of the most dynamic regions in France in the agro-food industries. The irony is that while some of the best producers, farmers and cheesemakers can be found so can the French HQ of Monsanto, one of the leaders in GMOs as does Bayer Crop Science, one of the largest "crop protector" companies.

All of this makes me believe that there is room for opportunity everywhere, much like there is here in the U.S., for organic advocacy.  The region also sounds very similar to the Bay Area and California in general. Well, all except for the Alps.

Image:  Pajaro Street Grill

Stage 9 Mountains of Choucroute

Gérardmer - Mulhouse, 171 km; 105.6 miles

The first of the class mountain climbs today. There's now only 177 riders competing. If you're keeping track--and if you are reading this to do so well I encourage you to go here or here for updates---this here is just one woman's justification for abandoning everything for three weeks without losing sight of its purpose. Michael Rasmussen (Denmark) and his KofM polka-dotted self won today--by a long lead. I'm impressed with the CSC team this year. Right from the beginning with the blazing yellow-jersey winning speed of Zabriskie (USA) and then today's Jens Voight (Germany) won the malliot jaune today. And let's not forget Bobby Julich (USA) and Ivan Basso (Italy) to top world cyclists. Unfortunately Zabriskie abandoned today, saying "his body is not recovering." I can't even imagine the anger, sadness and frustration that races through a rider at this point of decision. The only American to win a stage in each of the three major tours. And he has a dry sense of humour.  He's only 26--someone to watch. 

Team Discovery is down to 6 (from 9) leaving Armstrong with 5 teammates, that includes Savoldelli, Azevedo (Portugal), Hincapie (USA), Popovych (Ukraine) and Rubiera (Spain). But after yesterday's performance the team has rallied.  And for those of you who are new and now are thinking that Lance has no chance--the race has just begun.  The pressure is off him now. He feeds off this type of focus. Overall Lance is third; Hincapie is 10th; Landis (Phonak-Tyler's former team) is 12th; Popovych in 14th. No TDF tomorrow--a rest day for them and the rest of us crazy fools.

The Alsace region, is located on the eastern border of France, and shares a border with Germany and Switzerland. Its capital and largest city is Strasbourg. The region is France's smallest, nestled between the Vosges Mountains to the West and the Rhine river to the East.

Pork rules here in the form of choucroute. The charcuteries offer delicious hams and sausages such as cervelat (smoked pork), Strasbourg (pork, beef and caraway) or Montbéliard (lightly smoked pork). Some of them make their way into choucroute, probably the best-known regional dish. Choucroute refers both to the sauerkraut and to the finished dish where a mound of white cabbage is liberally garnished with sausages, smoked meats and potatoes.The specialty has been contemporized with choucroute de la mer where fish and shellfish replace the pork.

Savuer let me know that the word choucroute has also come to mean "the show-stopping dish, definitive of Alsatian cuisine, of sauerkraut topped with copious portions of pork in myriad forms — but it translates simply as fermented cabbage. The earliest reference to sauerkraut in Alsace dates from the 15th century. For hundreds of years, until the early 1900s, Sürkrüt-schniders, or sour-cabbage cutters, toured the countryside, shredding cabbage to order. Today, the process is left to professionals."  It involves copious amounts of cabbage.

In these mountains pot au feu is given a special twist with the dish of boiled beef being served with an array of salads radish, celeriac, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beets and horseradish sauce.  According to food historians it was here that the first pâté de foie gras en croûte was created in Strasbourg in 1780 and which gained favor with the king.  In Southern Alsace, where there are a lot of ponds filled with carp, fish and chips or  carpes frites, are prepared by dusting the fish in soft wheat semolina for a crunchy exterior, then pan-fried or deep-fried and served with French fries or a green salad.

It's also in this region that Soufflenheim ceramics in the Alsatian village of the same name is made. Soufflenheim.  This pottery has a hand-painted floral pattern on a smooth background and comes in colors of blue, ochre, green, yellow, and brown. The Emperor Barberrouse granted Soufflenheim’s potters the right to extract their clay from the Haguenau forest, a right that continues to this day. Today there are some 20 workshops in Soufflenheim. Although beautiful it is also practical as all the pieces are cast to be used in the oven.

Savuer article on Gewurztraminer

Image: Frankenreich

Choucroute Garnie à l'Alsacienne

Sauerkraut Garnished with Smoked, Cured, and Fresh Pork

excerpted from Saveur Cooks Authentic French

1-1/2 lbs, fresh ham hocks
1/4 cup goose fat
3 small yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped
4-1/2 lbs. sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
3-1/4 cups Alsatian riesling or other dry but fruity white wine
1-1/2 lbs. boneless pork loin
1 lb. smoked ham
1/2 lb. slab bacon
Bouquet garni with 1 head garlic, 3 whole cloves,
   6 juniper berries, and 5 coriander seeds added
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 medium red bliss potatoes, peeled
6 fresh pork sausages, such as saucisses de Strasbourg
3 blood sausages (optional)
1 tbsp. peanut oil
6 smoked pork sausages

Place ham hocks in a large pot. Cover with water and simmer over medium heat for 1-1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt goose fat in a dutch oven, or a large heavy pot with a lid, over medium heat. Add onions, cook until soft, 10-15 minutes, then add sauerkraut, wine, ham hocks, pork loin, ham, bacon, and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook in oven until meats are tender, about 1-1/2 hours.

About 35 minutes before serving, place potatoes in a pot of salted water over medium-high heat and cook until tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

Prick fresh and blood sausages, if using, with a fork, then place in a skillet, cover with water, and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain. Dry skillet, add oil, and heat over medium heat. Brown fresh and blood sausages (if using), turning occasionally, then remove. In the same oil, adding more if necessary, brown smoked sausages, turning occasionally, then remove. To serve, spoon sauerkraut onto a large platter, discarding bouquet garni. Slice pork loin, ham, and bacon, and arrange on platter with ham hocks, potatoes, and all sausages.

Stage 8 - Into the Black Forest

Distance

: 231.5 km/143.8 miles

Pforzheim to Gérardmer-The Road to Germany

This is the second longest stage of the race. The longest I've ever spent on a bike was 123 miles. Riding on two wheels from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon into Zion National Park was an eventful 12 hours. While these elites will finish in half the time that I did they certainly don't have the story of flagging down a Coke truck in lycra.

Germans are great bakers, particularly in the Southwestern region around Bavaria.  According to Spokesman Review, smaller independent bakeries are struggling. "Since 1965, the number of bakeries in southwest Germany has dwindled from 9,300 to just 2,500. While discount giants dominate the marketplace, German specialty shops like bakeries, butcher counters and pastry shops  have managed to survive. In part, that’s due to strict national regulations governing the ownership of the shops. Bakers, for example, must complete a three-year apprenticeship, followed by a public exam. To become a master baker, they must then attend school for another year."

Naturally, the cake that comes first to mind is Black Forest Cake. Originally called Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte it's a chocolate layer cake with Kirsch, whipped cream, sour cherries and a blizzard of chocolate curls. Luscious deliciousness. Kirsch or Kirschwasser is a double distilled, clear cherry brandy made from the small, sour Morello cherry which has a dark red skin.

Mountains will make a first appearance tomorrow where we will start to see grades of 2.9% to 6.8%.  Might be best to have some cake and coffee.

Image: ActivePlaza

Stage Six - Champagne Anyone?

Today: 199km/123 mi; Flat to rolling

And on we roll into the Champage-Ardeen region, where the flat fields will begin to give way to rolling hills, the riders are looking to keep pace and watch for breakaways. 

Sandwiched between Burgundy and Alsace-Lorraine this region is focused on the production of bubbles. Local food specialties include pease pudding, pink Reims biscuits, dandelion and bacon salad, pike, vine snails. Troyes, the starting point today, the  andouillette de Troyes, a savory tripe sausage  made from  pork chitterlings and tripe, seasoned with fresh onion, salt, pepper and stuffed by hand into natural casings is highly sought out. Another regional speciality is potee champenoise--a pot-au-feu consisting of jambon des Ardennes (smoked ham), cabbage and sausage. Troyes, the historical capital is also the departmental capital of the Aube, which produces a quarter of all Champagne’s grapes, although it sends more than half its grapes, grape juice and unfinished wines to be transformed into champagne by the big champagne houses in and around Reims.

Champage, the region is centered around Champagne the drink.  Champagne has been a popular wine region since 816 A.D. It wasn't until the late 1600's that Champagne winemakers discovered how to capture the naturally occurring bubbles in their wine during the second fermentation. Most well-known brands are produced in the Marne area, around the Massif de Saint Thierry, the Valley of the Ardre, the Mountain of Rheims, the Valley of the Marne, the Côte des Blancs and the Sézanne Hills. 

It's here that you'll find locals dipping pink champagne biscuits called Biscuit Rose de Reims into glasses of the sparkler. Its unique texture, soft rose color and delicate icing powder have enchanted for over 300 years.

Stage Five-Chambord

Every year the TDF course changes.  Again, if you consider this fact you will become more impressed with these cycle jockeys.  Every year is different. The various villages along the route bid, cajole and bargain to be included as a stage start or finish.  I imagine that negotiations involve a lot of wine and cheese exchanging hands.

Today the TDF begins in Chambord and rolls on for 183km to Montargis. Chambord is a tiny village in the Loir-et-Cher region. There's only 204 people and might magnificent castle--in fact the largest one in the Loire.  In the reign of Louis XIV, nobility would travel to their chateaux and relax with a snifter of Chambord which has been made by the same family for over 300 years.

The sweet liqueur is made from the finest framboises noire (black raspberries) and infused into a four year cognac. The distinct bottle is a glass sphere with a cap shaped like a metallic crown. Chambord includes blackberries, plums,currants, raspberries, honey and spices.  It will come as no surprise that it is quite intense. As their website states, this is not another creme de cassis, "the cheaper, bitter and worse tasting" liquid that it is. I was gifted with a bottle and have concocted a vodka-based martini of my own making.  It's also great in desserts such as this Flourless Chocolate Chambord cake.

Riders will finish in Montargis,  a place renowned for its honey and its notable confectionery contribution those famous sugared almonds or pralines. According to one often-repeated story and recounted in Larousse Gastronomique it was in this town during the reign of Louis XIII,  that Lassagne, who was chef de bouche (master of the household), to the Compte du Plessis-Praslin, dropped almonds into a boiling cauldron of sugar whether on purpose or accidentally is widely argued. These confections, when cooled, became one of the Duke’s favorites, and he claimed the invention with his name they were named praslines. "Lassagne finally retired to Montargis in 1630 and there founded the Maison de la Praline, which exists to this day."

Purple Tini

2 oz. good quality Vodka (such as Grey Goose)

1/2 oz. Chambord Liquor

Fresh lime juice

      Pour all ingredients except lime into shaker over ice, shake, strain, and pour into glass. Squeeze a few drops of fresh lime juice into glass and top with a lime twist.

Bouchons, brassieres et bistro

This past Saturday was quite a food and wine lover's frolic.  W. and I wandered up to the annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival hosted at Copia.  After a few hours of wine tasting, nibbling and mingling with other like-minded people we rolled down the road to an early dinner at Bouchon.

I've been long confused about these type of French dining establishments called bouchons, brassieres and bistros. For most of us they do appear to be somewhat similar; what I discovered was that there are differences from size, to type of served.

Patricia Wells, an Ex-Pat now living in Paris for over 25 years, food journalist, and French culture and cooking educator, in a 1999 CNN interview, stated, "A brasserie is a large establishment, originally a brewery from Alsace, so in Paris it is a large place selling beer and sauerkraut, and open all hours. A bistro is traditionally a small family place, small menu, just a few tables with limited menu." 

Today, the term 'bistro' has become so blurred these days that I wonder if we know if we are actually sitting in a traditional bistro.  In the States, as in France, a bistro signifies a neighborhood place often small in size with a bit of style and thoughtful, often times, comfort cuisine (cuisine grand-mere) in a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere that is often independently owned and operated.  Many bistros can be identified by the chalkboard menu offering daily specials. Mark Bittman recently went in search of affordable bistros in Paris.  His list includes Chez Michel, Cafe Modern and Alain Ducasse's Lyon-style bistro Aux Lynonnais.

Bistros began as...

Pear-a-dise #2

Cultivated since before the time of the Greeks, there are now over 5,000 varieties of pears. Three common types of pears are grown throughout the U.S.--the “Common” or European pear (pyrus communis), the Oriental pear (pyrus serotina), and the Asian pear (pyrus pyrifolia). Throughout the U.S. we find Asian varieties called 20th Century, Shinseiki, Korean Giant, Shinko, Chojuro, Niitaka and European varieties such as Bartlett, Bosc, D'Anjou, Seckel, Magness, Maxine, Moonglow, Comice. US production comes from states in the Northwest, plus New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and California. Imports come from South America, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The European category tends to have a buttery smooth and sweet flavor; Asian varieties tend to be crisp and depending on the particular variety can range in flavor from mild to tart to all types in between.

Originally grown in Russia's Caucasus Mountains, pears spread over time to locales as diverse as China, Chile, South Africa, France, Australia, and the United States. By the Dark Ages, the fruit had become a delicacy mainly reserved for aristocrats and clergy. According to the The Great Book of Pears the Rousselet de Reims was Louis XIV's favored variety and the court at Versailles delighted in pears.

According to Whole Health MD, Bartlett pears (called Williams outside of the U.S.) comprise 65% of all U.S. commercial production. The Bartlett pear came into existence in Berkshire, England in the 17th century, and pear seedlings came to America with the early colonists. Pears were later brought west in the California Gold Rush.

Bartletts are a summer occurrence with Anjou readily available during the winter. According to a Aug/Sept 2002 issue of Mother Earth News, “Almost all pears sold in grocery stores today are heirlooms, with their origins in 15th- through. 19th-century England, France and Germany. Bartlett, Comice, Bosc, Seckel and Anjou are still popular because they have terrific flavor and melting flesh. A buttery feel on the tongue and yielding tissue combine to create this sensation.

Determining ripeness can be a tricky thing. Bosc, Anjou and Comice pears don't change color when ripe. Bartletts turn from green to yellow to announce its readiness. The Pear Bureau Northwest suggests that you apply gentle thumb pressure near the base of the stem. If it gives slightly, it's ready to eat. If you're not ready to eat that pear, put it in the refrigerator. If it isn't ripe, leave at room temperature checking on it frequently. The fruit will also exude a fragrance when ripe. Pears are available year-round but best from September through February.

Brown-skinned Bosc pears are terrific for roasting due to their low moisture content. The end result is a pear that reduces and caramelizes in its juices. Asian pears also cook well, retaining their crunchy fresh texture when you cook them. There are many ways to serve a pear from drinks, dinner and dessert.

One of my favorite salads is a combination of spinach, sliced pear, blue cheese and toasted walnuts. The subtle sweetness of the pear contrasts perfect with the sharp tang of the blue cheese. However, the pear with young pecorino, black walnuts and honey I had in the hills south of Sienna--a dish so straightforward and too simple s to stand as strong as it does in my mind.

New York’s Craft serves up a ‘Craft Cocktail’—freshly diced pear macerated in Belle de Brillet, a blend of Brillet Cognac and the essence of Williams pears (Poires Williams) grown in the Alsace region of France. Twenty-two pears go into the making of each bottle.

One of my favorite jellies is Napa Valley’s A Perfect Pear’s Cinnamon Pear Jelly. A family recipe the jelly is made with Bartlett pears and has a note of cinnamon. Other products from this specialty food producer include a pear balsamic vinegar and a pear chipolte grill sauce. Pears and cheese are good companions.

Caprial Pence recommends pairing Comice, a creamy-textured, very sweet pear, with Stilton cheese and ruby port; the mellow and juicy Anjou with a soft mild goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc; and Bosc, a hard, almost crispy pear, with aged white cheddar and Cabernet Sauvignon.