Welcome to Musette du Jour.  My musette (lunch bag) of the day is my annual journey through the culinary highlights of the Tour de France.

For those of you that don’t know I am a closet viewer of the Tour de France and a self confessed eater of all (well, most) things.  Actually, I am probably lucky that my mum does not use the Internet: she might have something to say about all those years I spent refusing to eat peas…

I love food.  I love the discovering, the making, the baking, the eating and the sharing.  Funnily enough I like cycling somewhat less, yet I find there is something seductive about the 21 days ‘Le Tour’ spends winding its way through the French countryside.

Now, I know what you are thinking; but it has nothing to do with men in lycra.  For me the race has strategy, thrills and spills, and the eloquent, amusing commentary of Phil Liggett (comparable only to that of Terry Wogan’s magnificent Eurovision efforts).  Add in some breathtaking aerial panoramas from the live feed, the occasional nudie run from an Aussie backpacker, and the pièce de résistance: the nightly cameos from celebrity chef Gabriel Gaté and you have a complete package of entertainment to keep me up to the wee hours for 21 nights straight.

So, as an armchair cyclist and sometime gourmand, I decided in 2013 to double-dink with Gabriel Gaté through the 21 stages of the 2013 Taste le Tour as he tantalised us each evening with the merest hint of the gastronomic indulgences each region had to offer. In a sporting version of Julie & Julia, I set out to cook each dish from Gabriel’s travels, the day after it aired on SBS – and yes, I made it all the way through!

Joining me on this gastronomic Tour de Force was a fearless team of ‘guest eaters’ ready and willing to sacrifice their waistlines to put my efforts in the kitchen to the test (it’s a hard job, but as they keep telling me ‘somebody’ had to do it!’).  They jumped in with gusto to sample and critique my dishes along the way and enjoyed themselves so much they have requested this as a regular event to accompany the Tour.  And who am I to deprive them?

So, come along, indulge and join me as I tag a long on le Tour from the comfort of my kitchen… you never know, if I rack up enough followers next year we might take the blog on the road!

Cheers

Madelyn