Regions: Start of Race in Champagne > Finish in Loire Here we are again! Barbara over at Winos & Foodies has wrapped up everything that's great about wine, food and cycling and France into one big Gastronomic Tour de France. Here's the full list of participants, their blogs and links to keep your own pace by. Every year the course for the Tour de France changes some stages ever so slightly. In 2005, Stage 6 began in Troyes. Fast forward 5 years and today's stage begins in the commercial capital of the Champagne region, Épernay just 88 miles east-northeast of Paris. Stage 5 is made for sprinters and for champagne drinkers. Built on a chalk foundation the town is the key commercial center for the production of champagne. Most visitors will find themselves on the L'Avenue de Champagne where many well-known champagne producers including Moet Chandon, Perrier-Jouet and Champagne Mercier can be found. Most tourist information you will come across will say that this avenue is the most valuable--more so than Fifth Avenue or Champs Elysees due to the many bottles of champagne stored in the chalk cellar caves below. (I’m happy to house sit!) Specialties of this region include 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 it is highly sought out. Another regional specialty is potee champenoise--a pot-au-feu consisting of jambon des Ardennes (smoked ham), cabbage and sausage. And if... Continue reading

I am working on reconnecting with writing and finding a place where I can create and learn all at the same time. I have had this site for nearly five years. At times more productive than lately. I thought the discipline of an event such as the Giro would help to getting me closer to understanding what it is that, or why it is that I feel the need to keep this very site going. So there may be some fits and starts along with some bumps along the way as I get my rhythm back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stage 4: Time Trial; 32.5 km | Savigliano to Cuneo Stage 5: 168 km | Novara to Novi Ligure Today marks the first of series of posts focused on Italian regional cuisine as measured by the progress of one of the epic cycling events of the year, the Giro d'Italia. Although there is no "Lance factor" with the Giro it is still a great challenge to watch and yes, it goes on for weeks--that's the fun of it. The other two big races take place in France (July) and Spain (August). Today and tomorrow find us at Stage 4 and 5 and through the Northwest corner of Italy through the region of Piedmont, an area surrounded on three sides by mountains. What many don't know is that this region is home to grissini (gruh-SEE-nee). Not those bland, ubiquitous sticks found at standard bearer Italian restaurants. A true grissini is made by hand, pencil... Continue reading

Best pork sandwich lunch for $4.50 (with great thick chips!). via www.worldonaplate.org Continue reading

Cranberry sauce making with friends: 1 pound fresh cranberries, 1 1\2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cider. Combine in pot on low-med heat. Stir. Cranberries will burst takes about 12-15 minutes. Makes about a pint. Continue reading

October in the Bay Area is, in most years, the best month to enjoy Mediterranean-like weather. However, this weekend skies were gray and reports of heavy rains are forecasted for the days ahead. It's hot chocolate weather. However I wanted something sweet alongside that treat. So while it may come as a surprise to some, that for two years I have tried to replicate a pumpkin-chocolate chip cookie offered at the coffee shop in the little hamlet where I live with no success, I decided to try again. The taste of this cookie: pumpkin with the hint of allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon makes it a "seasonal" cookie in that I only eat it in the autumn. I tried many recipes but they weren't of the cake-like consistency that this version turns out. It's like a firmer pumpkin muffin. Perfect for a fall afternoon tea break. Pumpkin Nut & Chip Cookies 4 oz unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup canned organic pumpkin 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups flour, all purpose 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 3 tspns pumpkin pie spice 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream softened butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer. Beat in, one at a time, pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,... Continue reading

Last week, a friend and I found ourselves at the weekly microbrew tasting at the Jug Shop. We tasted 7 releases that were special collaborations. As the beer poured several guys kept were espousing about the history of I.P.A. (India Pale Ale). No one seemed to know the full story. So I did some digging. Imagine, if you will, a country, England, filled with people who love to drink fine ale. That country establishes one of the great naval forces of all time, and in so doing its leaders encounter many challenges. Not the least of which is the importance of keeping beer on hand for the navy sailors, soldiers and colonists in settlements around the world. Soon realizing that the porter ales didn't travel well across the great ocean blue arriving sour and flat after time and shifts in temperature. Enter, at the end of the 18th century, an enterprising brewer named George Hodgson, brewer at the Bow Brewery in East London, who was motivated to solve the problem. In doing so he invented a new style of beer--India Pale Ale--which is where it was its key destination for the Royal Empire. His approach included brewing it to a high alcohol level and using more hops than any previous beers. High hop levels can preserve a beer’s flavor in two ways: they have a limited ability to protect beer from spoilage by some microorganisms, and, more importantly, theirbitterness can mask stale flavors. While there is not enough alcohol in... Continue reading