Chamonix Activity Report: 21st July 2005
After a cracking weekend weather wise we had some amazing storms at the beginning of the week – a whole day of thunder & lightning was pretty spectacular but not so good if you'd planned to take a trip up the Aiguille du Midi for the view. As usual it cleared as quickly as it came and the temperatures are back to high 20s with some amazing alpine glow sunsets. Walking around town confirms that the summer tourist season is in full swing, with a real buzz in the shops, cafes & bars.
There hasn't been much time as yet for getting out and about as we've been frantically trying to get our place ready for our friends this weekend (the bedroom is now built!) – a quick sprint round with the duster should make us presentable before they arrive.
As France is famed for it's gourmet contribution to the world, and as we've got an action packed weekend coming up, we thought we'd fuel up with one of the Haute Savoie region's best loved dishes: Tartiflette. It's a typical hearty Alpine dish (i.e. involves copious amounts of cheese) and you're likely to find it on every menu in town & especially up in the mountain restaurants where it is cooked in giant wok style pans. The key ingredient is, of course, the cheese; Reblochon is the one to look out for but you could use something like Camembert which is far milder if you have trouble sourcing it. This recipe is our version of it and makes a main dish for 2
You need…
· Approx 5 medium potatoes (sliced just under 1cm thick)
· 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
· 1 large clove garlic (crushed)
· 100g lardons (cubes of smoked bacon rashers)
· ½ glass dry white wine
· 3 tbsp crème fraiche
· Approx 1/3 round block of Reblochon (approx 100g)
Then you…
· Boil the potato slices until almost cooked then put to one side & meanwhile sauté the onion, lardons & garlic in a large non stick frying pan
· Add the wine & reduce down until almost all the liquid has evaporated
· Drain the potato slices & add to the frying pan with the crème fraiche, mix well & dot the slices of cheese on top until melted.
· Keep it cooking on a low heat until the cheese & crème fraiche gloop all the other ingredients together
(You can put all the ingredients into a dish & cook in the oven until the cheese melts & turns golden rather than continuing to cook it in the pan if you prefer)
It's a good idea to serve this with a salad as it is really rich & needs something fresh along side it. Carb-tastic and probably not advisable for anyone on a low calorie/low carb diet but definitely one to try when you're out here – apparently the high altitude & low temperatures of the Alps mean that your body can burn a lot more fat than usual. Excellent news, I'll be considering it essential muscle food from now on!
Coming up this week
Taking the mountain bikes up to either Le Tour or Les Houches and our first experience of rock climbing
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index
Useful Links
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research
French Avalanche Research Institute
Meteo France - Mountain weather and avalanche conditions bulletins (in French)
Henry's Avalanche Talk - popular avalanche training sessions based in French Alps as well as translation of current avalanche conditions
PisteHors.com - Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News in English for the French Alps. Excellent coverage of avalanche safety and advice
Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
