Stage 18 | Voiron → Orcières-Merlette

Tourtons du Champsaur, the return of the mountains and everything made by hand

We’re still blaming Tom Pidcock.

Yesterday belonged to Jasper Philipsen.

After seventeen stages and more than a few near misses, he finally found his way through the sprint in Voiron to take his first victory of this Tour.

Tadej Pogačar remains in yellow.

Pidcock recovered from an early crash, finished safely and remains eighth overall.

Today, however, the sprinters give the road back to the climbers.

The Tour leaves Voiron and heads for Orcières-Merlette.

And the mountains are not easing themselves gently back into the conversation.

Today’s Ride

Stage 18 covers 185.2 kilometres with 3,900 metres of climbing.

The road crosses the Côte d’Engins, Côte de Monteynard, Côte des Terrasses and Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes before the final ascent to Orcières-Merlette.

The finish comes after 7.1km at an average of 6.7%, at an altitude of 1,825 metres.

It is long.

It is mountainous.

And unlike yesterday, there will be nowhere to wait quietly for the final kilometre.

This stage will begin asking questions early and continue asking them until the finish.

Today’s Kitchen

The road finishes in the Champsaur valley.

So today’s dish could only be:

Tourtons du Champsaur.

Small parcels of thin pastry filled with potato, leek, shallot and cheese, then fried until crisp and golden.

The Orcières tourist office describes tourtons as one of the valley’s flagship specialities and serves them with garlic salad and local charcuterie.

They are simple enough to understand.

More demanding to make properly.

The dough must be rolled thinly.

The filling must be soft but not wet.

The edges must be sealed firmly.

And the oil must be hot enough to crisp the pastry without making it heavy.

No machinery required.

Just ingredients, hands and attention.

Stage 18 Recipe | Tourtons du Champsaur

Ingredients

Serves 4.

Pastry

• 250g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 20g melted butter
• Salt

Filling

• 250g boiled potatoes
• 50g fromage frais
• 40g grated Gruyère
• 150g finely sliced leek whites
• 30g chopped shallot
• Butter
• Salt and black pepper

Method

Mix the flour with the eggs, oil, water, melted butter and salt.

Knead until smooth, then cover and leave the dough to rest.

Cook the leek and shallot gently in butter without browning.

Mash the potatoes and combine them with the leek, shallot, fromage frais and Gruyère. Season carefully.

Roll the pastry very thinly.

Place small mounds of filling over one half, fold over the pastry and press firmly around each mound.

Cut into small parcels and seal the edges.

Shallow-fry in neutral oil until golden on both sides.

Drain and serve immediately.

Crisp pastry.

Soft filling.

Exactly the sort of food a mountain stage deserves.

Why This Dish?

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

Sometimes we simply let the road decide.

Today the road finishes at Orcières-Merlette, in the Champsaur valley.

The local speciality was waiting for us.

Tourtons are not elaborate.

But they demand care.

The dough has to be right.

The filling has to be balanced.

Every parcel has to be shaped and sealed individually.

It is food built from repetition, skill and small details.

Which sounds familiar.

In the Workshop

Handmade does not mean roughly made.

It means each stage is controlled by a person.

The leather is selected.

The pieces are cut.

The holes are stamped.

The stitching is completed.

The edges are finished.

And the final article is checked before it leaves the workshop.

Tourtons work in exactly the same way.

One piece at a time.

No shortcuts hidden beneath unnecessary decoration.

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

Today the mountains return.

Tomorrow, we head towards our friends at Beefeater Bend on the road to Alpe d’Huez.

@tdfbeefeaters

Another stage.

Another region.

Another recipe.

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