Monday, July 15, 2019

Wine and Food of Le Tour 2019: Stage 10: Saint-Flour > Albi

Where are we? Saint Flour: LeTour has a sad story: The recluses of Saint-Flour: From the 12th to the 16th century, a particular and cruel tradition was taking place on the Old Bridge: the recluserie or reclusage. In the middle of the bridge was a small cell of a few square metres, in which a young woman or a young man lived or at least survived thanks to the gifts of the population. By her or his prayers, the recluse was meant to protect the city from epidemics or attacks. These young people, most of them women, were locked up voluntarily until their death. The confinement took place after a ceremony involving the whole population: a religious service was held at the cathedral and then the procession took the recluse to the bridge. The families of the recluse were ennobled. For the most part, recluses survived from a few months to a year (five years for the most enduring). They had to face the most extreme conditions: wind and fog in the mid-seasons, freezing cold in winter and the living conditions led to anaemia, fever, rheumatoid arthritis ...
As part of the biennale of contemporary art, Chemin d'Art, artists have been inspired by this tradition of recluses. Isabelle Tournoud, with her sculpture Saint-Lunaire, evoked the dress of the recluses. François Davin paid tribute to these hostages of faith by setting his work, The recumbent recluse, in the bed of the river Ander. Finally, Viviane Riberaigua, with her installation for 150 recluses (it is believed that 150 persons were locked up this way), created 150 wax figurines connected by the same filament, each death calling for the next.

 Specialties: cheese (Fourme d'Ambert, Cantal, Bleu d'Auvergne), truffles, aligot, Salers and Aubrac meats, Pounti (meat stuffing with herbs and prunes), Tripoux, blond lentils.

 Albi: LeTour has happier news in Albi: Since the classification of the Episcopal City of Albi as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the city's tourist attendance has increased by about 25% and allows the city to receive more than 1.2 million visitors a year.
The Episcopal City of Albi presents a complete and representative ensemble of this type of urban development in Europe, from the Middle Ages to the modern and contemporary times. Its monumental and urban elements are complementary and well preserved, in subtle agreements of tones and pace through the widespread use of the fairground brick. It bears witness to the simultaneously defensive and spiritual program implemented by the Roman bishops, following the eradication of the heresy of the Albigenses or Cathars in the 13th century. The Sainte-Cécile cathedral is the most remarkable monumental symbol, in a unique southern Gothic architectural style, completed in the 15th-16th centuries by a systematic painted interior decoration, a choir and a late-Gothic statuary. The exceptional value of the city is finally expressed by a well-preserved and authentically medieval landscape. (UNESCO notice)

 Specialties: salted liver radish, Albi tripes, duck, repountchou (omelette, salad or custard dish), Lautrec pink garlic, traditional pastries, navettes. Gaillac AOC wines (dry, sweet and pearly white, red and rosé), Albi distilleries, Belin and Thuries chocolate makers.

 The stage: The break or a sprint? That seems to be the question of the day. Our break of the day: Tony Gallopin (AG2R-La Mondiale), Michael Schär (CCC), Natnael Berhane (Cofidis), Anthony Turgis (Total Direct Energie), Mads Würtz Schmidt (Katusha-Alpecin) and Odd Christian Eiking (Wanty-Groupe Gobert). They were not being allowed the sort of gap that we saw yesterday.



 
Along they went with the gap not going out very far.



 
Splits in the peloton! Unexpected excitement as Ineos accelerated towards the front.



Among those caught out: Pinot, Fuglsang, Uran, and Porte.



Twenty five kilometers to go and that reduced peloton caught the break. 
The gap to those behind was continuing to grow.


 
The Pinot-Fuglsang group was 15'' behind with 15km to go. 
Wout van Aert! What a fun win. And wow, tons of time lost by some of the GC contenders. 

 Stage:





 GC:





The wine: Laurent Cazottes Wild Quince Liqueur from CopakeWineWorks
Time for the annual bottle of Cazottes. This year: quince!
From Wine & Spirits: Since 1998, Laurent Cazottes has been making what are possibly the most painstakingly crafted liquors you can buy. He begins by growing his fruit biodynamically on his estate in Villeneuve-sur-Vère, in the southeast of Bordeaux. Then the fruit is hand-harvested, peeled, cut and seeded. A portion of the prepared fruit is crushed, fermented and distilled to make an eau-de-vie, while the remaining fruit is steeped in grape eau-de-vie for at least six months. Then the two are blended together to make an incredibly rich, clear snapshot of orchard fruit. The Cédrat (citron or ethrog) is beautifully golden in color, fragrant with sweet and fl oral citrus peel, and redolent of both candied and fresh citrus. The Quince is amazing—tart, bright and pure. These are two liqueurs you’ll want to enjoy simply, on their own.

 The food: Navettes, from Saveur
These boat-shaped, orange-blossom-scented sugar cookies, named after an unmanned boat bearing a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that arrived in Marseille during the 13th century, are a signature Marseillais treat.



Yield: makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3⁄4 cup sugar
  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tsp. orange blossom water
  • 1⁄8 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups flour

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°. Using an electric hand mixer, beat sugar, butter, orange blossom water, salt, and eggs until fluffy, 1–2 minutes. With the motor running, slowly add flour until a stiff dough forms. Transfer dough to a work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Divide dough into sixteen 1¾-oz. pieces.
  2. Working with one piece dough at a time, and using hands, roll dough into a 6″ log about ½″ thick.
  3. Flatten the ends of the dough.
  4. Transfer log to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Using a knife, cut a ¼″-deep slit lengthwise in top of log beginning and ending about ¼″ from each end.
  5. Using fingers, splay dough open slightly. Bake until pale golden and slightly crisp, about 20 minutes. Let cookies cool completely before serving.
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