Stage 16 | Évian-les-Bains → Thonon-les-Bains - Recipe of The Day

Stage 16 | Évian-les-Bains → Thonon-les-Bains

Filets de perche, precision and a race against the clock

We’re still blaming Tom Pidcock.

After yesterday’s rest day, the Tour begins again in its most unforgiving form.

One rider.

One bike.

One clock.

Today’s individual time trial runs for 26.1 kilometres from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, with 500 metres of climbing between the two Lake Geneva towns.

There is no wheel to follow.

No team-mate to shelter behind.

No tactical conversation.

Just the road, the equipment and the time.

Today’s Ride

This is not a flat dash along the lakeside.

The road begins climbing almost immediately from Évian-les-Bains, reaching the Côte de Larringes after 9.7 kilometres of steady work.

From there, it falls towards Thonon-les-Bains before the final, faster section towards the finish.

The official profile gives the Côte de Larringes as 9.7km at an average of 4.3%.

Too steep for the pure power riders to ignore.

Not steep enough for the climbers to relax.

Every line matters.

Every gear change matters.

Every second matters.

Today’s Kitchen

Today’s cooking follows the same principles.

Filets de perche meunière.

Perch fillets are one of the recognised specialities of the Lake Geneva shoreline around Thonon-les-Bains.

The dish is deceptively simple:

Fresh fish.

A thin dusting of flour.

A hot pan.

Butter, lemon and parsley.

There is nowhere for poor ingredients or careless cooking to hide.

Cook the fish for too long and it dries out.

Use too much flour and it becomes heavy.

Let the butter burn and the whole thing is lost.

Precision rather than complication.

Exactly right for a time-trial day.

Stage 16 Recipe | Filets de Perche Meunière

Ingredients

Serves 2.

• 350–400g fresh perch fillets
• 40g plain flour
• 60g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, optional
• Salt and black pepper
• New potatoes and green beans, to serve

Method

Pat the perch completely dry and season lightly.

Dust the fillets with flour, shaking away every trace of excess.

Heat the oil and half the butter in a large frying pan. When the butter begins to foam, add the fish in a single layer.

Cook briefly on each side until lightly golden and just cooked through.

Remove the fish to warm plates.

Add the remaining butter to the pan and let it turn a deep hazelnut colour. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice, parsley and capers.

Spoon the butter over the perch and serve immediately.

Fast.

Precise.

Local.

Why This Dish?

Sometimes we take inspiration from brilliant cooks such as @jhbfoodiecyclist.

Sometimes we simply let the road decide.

Today, the road begins and ends beside Lake Geneva.

So the answer was waiting in the water.

No mountain cheese.

No heavy casserole.

Just one of the lakeside’s best-known dishes, cooked with the same concentration today’s riders will need on the bike.

In the Workshop

A time trial strips cycling back to its essentials.

The fit of the bike.

The condition of every component.

The quality of the materials.

The accuracy of the person putting everything together.

Good craftsmanship works the same way.

Start with proper materials.

Remove anything unnecessary.

Finish every detail carefully.

Then trust the work.

For the duration of Le Tour, we are continuing to offer complimentary Tour Yellow hand stitching on our handmade-to-order belts and leather apron straps.

Another stage.

Another region.

Another recipe.

Food from the road.
Handmade in England.
Inspired by Le Tour.