Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Wine & Food of le Tour 2021, Stage 17: Muret to Saint Lary Soulal Col du Portet

Where are we? Spending more time in the Pyrenees.

Muret: A suburb of Toulouse. Le Tour has a park for us to visit: Clément Ader Park
Created on the initiative of Vincent Auriol, then mayor of Muret in 1925, the park is a tribute to Clément Ader, Muret-born pioneer of aviation and inventor of the first flying machine, the Eole. It is a testimony to aviation, whether national or international, as evidenced by the commemorative steles that adorn the park. It has been listed as a Historical Monument since 1999.
The Envolée d'Icare statue dominates the Clément Ader park. In this park there are also other sculpted works: The stele of peace, Crossing the Atlantic and Crossing the Mediterranean... These aerosteles were built in honour of Louis Blériot, who crossed the English Channel, Roland Garros who flew over the Mediterranean, Nungesser, Coli and Lindbergh who attempted, with or without success, to cross the Atlantic Ocean

Saint Lary Soulal Col du Portet: Le Tour has a suggestion I would not be able to resist: House of the bear The House of the bear invites you to discover the history of the most fascinating symbol of Pyrenean wildlife and heritage. An animated exhibition (audio spots) and a game of footprint discovery are offered to families. You start by learning to recognise the footprints of the different animals of the Pyrenees. Then we move on to practical work in order to create footprint casts. The highlight of the visit is the Bingo bear in its den.

Le Tour specialties: 
Muret: Le Tour lists none
Saint Lary Soulal Col du Portet: Black Bigorre pork, spit cake, garbure, etc

Christian Prudhomme says: The Tour resumes from the bottom of the Pyrenees to face them differently with this stage that has two faces, with a big chain ring on over 100 kilometres before taking on three major obstacles in a row: Peyresourde, Val Louron-Azet and to finish off, the 16-km climb at an average gradient close to 9% of the unforgiving Col du Portet. Big efforts required for what promises to be quite a show.

The stage: Up and away for Bastille Day.
The break of the day:
With one hundred kilometers to go, their gap was around eight minutes.
At the sprint point, contested well after the break had gone through, 9 points to Matthews, 8 to Cavendish, so no real change in the green jersey competition.
Attacking from the bunch were Poels, Quintana, Gesbert and Latour, in search of polka dot jersey points. They got a small gap, but could not hold it, though Latour stayed away. 
It was quite lovely. As they continues, both the peloton and the break grew smaller, with only Perez, Turgis and Godon remaining in the front group.
Meanwhile: On the road: On the col du Portet, the lead group continued to shrink. Remaining were: Tadej Pogacar, Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates), Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), Richard Carapaz, Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers), Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation), Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hansgrohe), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Sergio Higuita, Rigoberto Urán (EF Education-Nippo), Ben O’Connor (Ag2r-Citröen), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Dylan Teuns, Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious). It would grow smaller as they continued to climb.
At ten kilometers to go, Perez had 1:40 to the yellow jersey group, with Godon in between.
Perez would be caught and passed after an attack by Pogacar upped the speed. He would bring a group, but then attacked again. Staying with him, Vingegaard and Carapaz. That might very well be our final podium in Paris.
Pogacar would keep attacking, but was not losing his companions. Eventually, after looking weak, an attack by Carapaz. Pogacar would stay with him. As they got closer, Vingegaard would catch them. Riding away for the stage win, Pogacar.
Stage:



GC:


The wine:  Domaine de Souch Jurancon Cuvee de Joe Dressner 2010
This was a joy.
This is what the team at Chambers Street Wines have to say: Run don't walk, this is just an extra-ordinary bottle of sweet wine, at a fantastic price. Joe Dressner, the famous and very-missed importer who helped introduce to America some of the most soulful European vignerons, imported Domaine de Souch for a number of years. As a tribute after he passed away in 2011, Madame Yvonne Hegoburu selected three superb barrels of her remarkable cuvée Marie-Kattalin (a 100% Petit Manseng grown on a plot called La Palombière, richer in red clay bringing more concentration to the berries) still in aging. These barrels, which were showing more depth and concentration, tasting almost like a Vendange Tardive (a rarely used special mention in Jurançon for the latest picks), were kept a little longer to age for a total of 18 months. Now 10 years old, the wine is barely showing any sign of evolution! It tastes so fresh, with an explosion of tropical fruit, ilang ilang, lily, dried apricot and yellow plum. The palate shows some herbal notes as well, especially dried lemon verbena, orange blossom and saffron. It will be very hard to guess the real sweetness of the wine as the balance with the quince-like acidity is thrilling. This is a real treat, you can still keep 20 years at least - the wine will probably take more and more white truffle note! A special one, to sip by itself or enjoy with a confit rhubarb and wild strawberry almond pie  or a kumquat and alfonso mango soufflé

The food: Ah, yes, our fine fried the spit cake returns. From my post last year: You can only see spit cake listed so many times before you need to find out more, The BBC tells me that: Made by pouring layers of batter on a rotating conical-shaped mould over an open fire, the cake on a spit, called le gâteau à la broche in French, is a typical Eastern European recipe. But according to legend, when Napoleon's soldiers were withdrawing from their invasion of Russia in 1812, they brought it back with them to France. There, the recipe had been transmitted orally, with no written record of the original version. Although the cake is considered rare, according to Slow Food, the tradition is alive and well in two French regions: Hautes-Pyrénées and Aveyron.

(serves 120 people)

Ingredients:120 eggs 3kg sugar 3kg flour 3kg butter 2 litres rum2  cups Ricard While the fire is being prepared, mix the egg yolks with half the sugar. Add the rum and Ricard, and then fold in the flour. Stir in the melted butter. Separately, beat the egg whites, adding the remaining sugar once soft peaks form. Continue beating until they look like ‘snow’, and then combine with the yolk-sugar mixture until a deep yellow dough is formed.Cover the big, conical-shaped wooden mould with baking paper and place it on a spit in front of the fire, turning it constantly. After about an hour, begin gently pouring the dough on it. Continue adding the dough and turning the spit for about five hours.
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Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Wine & Food of Le Tour 2021, Stage 16: Pas de la Case to Saint Gaudens

Where are we? Leaving Andorra and heading back to France.

Pas de la Case: A tourist resort in Andorra. Because it amused me, I checked out the CIA listing for Andorra: The landlocked Principality of Andorra is one of the smallest states in Europe, nestled high in the Pyrenees between the French and Spanish borders. For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a unique coprincipality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from 1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Bishop of Urgell). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the introduction of a modern constitution; the co-princes remained as titular heads of state, but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy.
Andorra has become a popular tourist destination visited by approximately 8 million people each year drawn by the winter sports, summer climate, and duty-free shopping. Andorra has also become a wealthy international commercial center because of its mature banking sector and low taxes. 

Saint Gaudens: The local tourist site tells me that: The inhabitants of Saint-Gaudens will tell you: if you only see one monument during your time here, it should be the Saint-Pierre church! Renowned as one of the most beautiful churches along the Way of Saint James, it is one of the most recognisable symbols of Saint-Gaudens.
At the heart of the old town, this building is impressive for its dimensions and impressive bell wall. History and architectural buffs, take notice: the collegiate church, dedicated to Saint Pierre and Saint Gaudens, is a true masterpiece of Romanesque art, built between the 11th and 12th centuries.
This is the largest Romanesque church in all of the Comminges (and in our opinion the most beautiful)!
The pretty cloister is a great place to linger and admire the surrounding architecture.
The kids’ discovery circuit, organised by the Saint-Gaudens tourist office, offers young visitors a fun way to explore the Saint-Pierre collegial church!


Le Tour specialties:
Pas de la Case: Escudella (pot au feu), trinxat (cabbage, potatoes and bacon), mountain meats, Andorran-style river trout, cold meats, cheeses, wines and craft beer
Saint Gaudens: south-western gastronomy, duck, confit

Christian Prudhomme says: The Yellow Jersey contenders could enjoy a moment of truce and the hilly stage profile seems to favour breakaway riders who will still be fresh enough in this third week of racing. They will have to shake up the race if they don’t want to miss out on one of the last clear opportunities of shining.



The stage: Well, I watched the stage. But my internet was down until about forty kilometers to go. On a positive note, it did seem to be a stage for the break and there had been limited drama, despite a late start due to the cold and rain. Also, Lachlan Morton made it to Paris!
Thirty six kilometers to go and Konrad went solo.
As they continued to climb, there was a chase duo of Colbrelli and Gaudu. On the downhill, Colbrelli was struggling, which slowed the chase. Twenty kilometers to go and Konrad had forty five seconds.
Really nice win for Konrad!
After that finish, a split in the field for the peloton. It looked like most of the top ten riders were there, making it a rather strange move.


Stage:

Pos.		Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe4:01:59
2Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious0:00:42
3Michael Matthews (Aus) Team BikeExchange
4Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fra) Cofidis
5Franck Bonnamour (Fra) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
6Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Astana-Premier Tech
7Toms Skujins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo0:00:45
8Jan Bakelants (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
9David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ0:00:47
10Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux0:01:03


The wine: Domaine du Moulin Mauzac NV
Christy tells me that: Sparkling wines made from the mauzac grape are wonderfully unfashionable. And wonderfully delicious. If you're craving something that's a little less fruity than prosecco, a little softer than a cremant or champange, and a little more classic than a cool-kid petnat, this bottle could be just what you need. It's tasty, apple-y, all-around yummy goodness.

The food: Le Tour tells me that: Mounjetade, which takes its name from the Occitan word munjeto (white bean), is the Ariège version of cassoulet. It is also the traditional dish of Comminges and Saint-Gaudens. Google found this recipe.

Ingredients

. 500g of pre-soaked Tarbais beans
. 1 pork knuckle
. 1 rind sausage
. 500 g of sausages
. 2 confit goose legs
. 1 ham bone
. 500 g of tomatoes
. 1 onion studded with cloves
. 1 head of unpeeled garlic
. 1 head of peeled garlic
. 1 minced onion
. 1 bouquet garni

Preparation

- Soak the Tarbais beans for 12 hours in cold water.
- Drain them, cover them largely with cold water. Blanch them, then discard the water.
- In a frying pan, melt the tomatoes, garlic and onions.
- Pour the vegetables into a large casserole dish.
- Add the rind sausage, the pork knuckle, the ham bone and the beans.
- Cover with two and a half liters of lukewarm water.
- Add the bouquet garni, the head of unpeeled garlic and the onion studded with the cloves.
- Simmer for at least 3 hours.
- ½ hour before the end of cooking, add the defatted confit.
- Pepper.
- The “cassoulet” sauce should not be too short.
- Add water during cooking to obtain the right consistency if necessary.
- Put the fresh sausage previously pan-fried on the beans.
- Gently brown for 1 hour, possibly adding cooking liquid.
- The "mounjetado" is ripe when the cooking liquid creams on the edges.

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Sunday, July 11, 2021

Wine & Food of Le Tour 2021, Stage 15: Céret to Andorre la Vielle

Where are we? Heading to Andorra!

Céret: Le Tour shares some art history: The destiny that would lead Céret, a small town in the Pyrénées-Orientales, to become a beacon of modern art in the history of painting began the day four young artists decided to travel from Paris to the South of France, to take a break in the sun, in Catalonia.
These "discoverers" were Déodat de Séverac, Frank Burty Haviland and Manolo Hugué, soon joined by their "leader", Pablo Picasso.
They were later emulated by Gris, Herbin, Kisling, Picabia, Dunoyer de Segonzac, and later still by Brune, Masson, Loutreuil, Krémègne, Soutine, Chagall, and many others such as Dubuffet, Dufy, Gargallo, Chapiro, Blatas, Pignon. Painters and sculptors, but also poets Max Jacob, André Salmon, Guillaume Apollinaire, Tristan Tzara.
It was here that unfailing links were forged with local artists and intellectuals such as Aristide Maillol, Pierre Camo, Victor Crastre and Ludovic Massé.
The international fame of the small town of Céret is thus the result of a succession of coincidences, of the meeting of individual destinies that give the peaceful capital of Vallespir a destiny and gave it its nickname: "The Mecca of Cubism".

Andorre la Vielle: Let's hear about the area and cycling: A good part of the peloton will be back home after this stage and for the rest day in Andorra. Julian Alaphilippe, Egan Bernal, Dan Martin, the Yates brothers and many others have settled in the Principality, which is gradually replacing Monaco in the hearts of professional riders, both for its tax status and for the immediate proximity of the summits. It was also in Andorra la Vella, where he lived, that Nicolas Portal, the sports director of the Inéos team, died in 2019.
Due to its privileged position, the Principality and its capital have hosted many cycling events, such as the Tour of Catalonia, la Semana Catalana, but also two of the three Grand Tours, the Tour de France and the Vuelta, because of their border location. In 1964, Julio Jimenez, the future three-time king of the mountains of the race, inaugurated the Andorran prize list of the Grand Boucle. Since then, Andorra la Vella has mainly served as a launching pad for stages that ended on the flat, the last time being in 2009, when Luis Leon Sanchez won in Saint-Girons. The Tour's most recent visit to the principality was in 2016, when Tom Dumoulin won in Arcalis before a rest day in the capital.
The Vuelta also visited the Andorran capital regularly between 1965 and 2015, when Mikel Landa won there ahead of Fabio Aru.

Le Tour specialties
Céret: Céret cherries, hazelnuts
Andorre la Vielle: escudella (pot au feu), trinxat (cabbage, potatoes and bacon), mountain meats, Andorran-style river trout, cold meats, cheeses, wines and craft beers

Christian Prudhomme says:A start in Céret for the first ever time, a first stop in the Pyrénées-Orientales area since 2009 and Thomas Voeckler’s victory in Perpignan, a journey through Prades, Font-Romeu, the col de Puymorens, the Port d'Envalira and Beixalis with slopes that are as tough to climb as they are tricky to descend: the Principality will crown a real king of the mountains.

The stage: Lots of climbing, but also a downhill finish. Also, it was quite warm. Again, lots of attacks as riders wanted both polka dot jersey points and a chance to get into the break for a stage win. At kilometer thirty five, there were thirty two riders in the lead. That group would split and come back together. After the intermediate sprint point, won by Matthews, they had 8:45 over the peloton.
The riders in that group were: Wout van Aert, Steven Kruijswijk, Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Dylan Teuns, Wout Poels, Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Vincenzo Nibali, Kenny Elissonde, Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo, David Gaudu, Valentin Madouas, Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ), Dylan van Baarle, Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers), Julian Alaphilippe, Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Michael Woods, Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation), Neilson Powless, Ruben Guerreiro (EF-Nippo), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic), Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange), Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Lukas Postlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Ion Izaguirre (Astana-PremierTech), Aurélian Paret-Peintre (AG2R Citroën), Sergio Henao (Qhubeka-NextHash), Mark Donovan (Team DSM) , Ruben Fernández (Cofidis), and Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels).
Abandonment, Bouhaini, who had been riding solo, twenty minutes down. He had been injured in a crash earlier in the race. Speaking of sprinters, at a but over one hundred kilometers to go, Cavendish would drop from the bunch, with teammates.
Meanwhile, up front, the race for points was the focus.
With that result,  Michael Woods had 60 points, Wout Poels 59, Wout van Aert 51 and Nairo Quintana 50. 
Behind, after the descent, the Cavendish group had made it back to the bunch. They would likely drop again, but it was a good sign. I was once again wondering if a Go Fund Me would make sense to fund a grupetto cam.
The fact that Cavendish was still in the peloton was a sign that they had not gone very hard yet in the main bunch. Normally there would be many groups on the road by this point. Would there be attacks to come or would those be limited to the breakaway group? As if they heard me, the peloton sped up and Cavendish was dropped. Ahead, the polka dot jersey battle continued to provide excitement. 

KOM provisional standings after col de Puymorens

1. Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation), 62
2. Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), 62
3. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), 56
4. Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic), 50
5. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), 41


On to Andorra they rode!

As they continued on, both the break and the peloton were shrinking. Forty seven kilometers to go and the gap had dropped to 6:50. The attacks from the front group would start, with the race for king of the mountain points on. Setting off was Quintana. He would crest the kom point solo. In the points quest:  Nairo Quintana, 10 pts, Van Aert, 8 pts, Poels, 6 pts, Woods, 4 pts, Valverde, 2 pts, and Gaudu, 1 pt. Behind them, the peloton had been dramatically reduced, with Pogacar isolated and Martin losing ground.
Ahead, Quintana would be caught and there was a group of seventeen in front.
Next up. Attacking again was Quintana and that reduced the group quickly. Soon though, he would be dropped. At the front of the group, Kuss would get a gap and looked very strong. Far behind, Martin was losing time and looked to be dropping from his spot in second. An attack from Carapaz in the yellow jersey group behind. With so much action in progress, we did not have eyes on every move. Chasing behind Kuss was Valverde. In the yellow jersey group, they were almost taking turns attacking each other.
At the front, Kuss crested the top of the climb with twenty seconds over Valverde. 
Behind, more attacks came in the yellow jersey group. Pogacar had covered all of them.
Ahead, Kuss was maintaining his lead over Valverde. Three kilometers to go and he had twenty five seconds. He would hold on!
Stage:


GC: 




The wine: Res Fortes Red Blend 2018 Easy to drink and perfect with a pizza at a cabin near Yosemite. From the producer: The Res Fortes winery in Roussillon in the foothills of the Pyrenees has well-established vines, some of which have been growing for over 80 years. The combination of these vines, the mineral-rich schist terrain and a perfect grape growing climate means that exceptional fruit is produced consistently every year.
Hand-picking all our grapes and carefully selecting only the best fruit, nothing is harvested until Moritz tastes it. Each of our vineyard terroirs has its unique qualities which dictate how we choose to ferment and blend the grapes and then age the wine.
Our methods borne of years of passionate winemaking study has brought Moritz Bak’s innovative vision to fruition with amazing speed, as recognised by experts worldwide.

The food: Andorran trinxat
This is undoubtedly one of the flagship dishes of Pyrenean cuisine. In Andorra, as well as in Alt Urgell and Cerdanya, it is very popular and occupies a prominent place on the menus of the great restaurants. Heir to the popular gastronomic tradition, its recipe is a fine example of the cuisine of leftovers and proximity, always with quality products (green cabbage, potatoes, garlic, bacon...). The base does not vary much, if at all, among the different recipes of the regions where this typical dish is found. A local touch or the interpretation of the chef in the kitchen can sometimes lead to a slight variation. Trinxat is proof that a dish that is easy to prepare, with simple ingredients, can be a quality gastronomic reference. As a good winter mountain dish, it also provides the necessary calories to fight against the cold.
In Andorra, "lo trinxat" can be found on the menus of the bordes, which often offer the traditional cuisine of the country.
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Saturday, July 10, 2021

Wine & Food of Le Tour 2021, Stage 14: Carcassone to Quillan

Where are we? Hanging out in the Aude and heading to a first time stage town.

Quillian: Hi, Pyrenees. We've been waiting for you. Le Tour suggests that we visit a castle: Located on the right bank of the river, it has dominated the lower town of Quillan since the 14th century. With a square plan, flanked by four watchtowers, it was entered through a majestic tower-gate several storeys high. It was the seat of the administration of the Archbishops of Narbonne and could, on occasion, serve as their residence. Destroyed for the first time during the Franco-Aragonese wars, it was levelled and transformed into an artillery battery.
After being used as a stone quarry for the construction of buildings, it was the subject of three excavation campaigns and the beginning of a restoration project.From the top of the castle you can enjoy a beautiful view of the town and the surrounding mountains.

Le Tour specialties:
Quillan: blanquette of Limoux, cassoulet, foie gras.

Christian Prudhomme says: Rather calm until Lavelanet, the journey into the Pyrenees rapidly becomes a roller-coaster ride as of Montségur: the citadel of vertigo and its rough climbs, then the Col de la Croix des Morts and Col de Saint-Louis that the riders will reach by riding on the spectacular Viaduc de l'Escargot, will sharpen the appetite of the hungriest climbers.

The stage: We have spent the race watching Tim Declercq at the front of the peloton day after day. Today it would be a question of whether"The Tractor" could make it through after yesterday's injuries. With one hundred and ten kilometers to go on the stage, the break had still not been firmly established, but riders had already dropped from the peloton. With the sprint point coming up, the teams in search of points had kept things close. 
One hundred kilometers to go and there was still no break, despite repeated attempts. With eighty kilometers to go, Cattaneo came across to Poels and Woods. They were 40'' ahead of  Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), Omar Fraile (Astana), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert), Esteban Chaves (BikeExchange), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo). Peloton was at 1'40''. 
Those groups would merge, leaving ten at the front with four chasers between them and the main peloton. With just under sixty kilometers to go, the quartet of Madouas, Gesbert, Rolland and Pacher would reach the front group.Meanwhile, I was checking on Declerq. He had made it to the green jersey group!
Yikes, Woods slid out, but would be back riding soon. As Woods got back to the group, an attack by Mollema.
Also of note, Martin was in virtual second on the road! Sure enough, we saw Uran's team move to the front of the peloton to try and reduce the gap.  Attacking from the chase group was Higuita, with company. At the top of the climb, he had one minute. Ten kilometers to go and it was still over one minute. As he closed in, the peloton was at six minutes, leaving Martin in the chase, still in virtual yellow. The Cavendish group was twenty minutes behind.
Well done. Stage:

GC:


The wine: Le Petit Domaine des Gimios Muscat d'Octobre Pet-Nat 2019
Christy says: Muscat love. This is delicately floral, dry, gently sparkling and pretty much irresistible. It's not inexpensive, but when you consider the care and attention that goes into growing these very low-yielding grape vines, it's a relative bargain. It's the liquid version of beguiling. Let's keep the alliteration flowing... give this bottle a try and you'll be bewitched, bothered and bewildered in all the best ways!

The food:  Ah, yes, the Pyrenees. Time to pull out your favorite cassoulet recipe and dig in.

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