Stage 17 of the Tour de France, the Queens stage as they call it. This is the stage of all stages, the one all the fans wait for. It doesn't happen every year. So when Alpe d'Huezis on the route you can't help but be excited. Alpe d'Huez is filled with 21 hairpin turns filled with over a million fans that have been camped out and waiting for over a week. Part of the appeal of a mountain stage is that the riders move a little slower. On a flat or downhill stage that can go up to 50 or 60 mph. Thats a lot of waiting for them to whiz right by. Here is a picture of Alpe d'Huez with the route highlighted. The other thing about stage 17 is that when the get to Alpe d'Huez, they have already gone over two other huge mountains. There are cars that can't do it, much less a human being.
So what is more perfect for a stage in the Alps...... Fondue Savoyarde or Cheese Fondue. Fondue is mostly known as a Swiss dish, but Fondue is derived from a French word, fondre (to melt)or fondu (melted)The recipe I made was a very common one using just white wine, Gruyere, salt and pepper and Kirsch. I cut up some baguette and made some more roasted potatoes as well as some asparagus and sauteed mushrooms. It was very good and very filling.
I used the Martha Stewart Fondue set from Macy's, it is very lovely and comes with all the pieces. But there is nothing that works better then the one my mom gave me that she got in the 70's. It is a horrible orange color and plugs in but it works better then any other one I have ever used. Maybe Martha can make a electric one in Martha blue.... that would be a lovely idea....
