Party Round-Up: Tour Finale

Last Sunday’s Tour de France party was a big success, if I say so myself! Great guests, good food and plenty of competition. This photo is of Jill and Stacey watching Contador win the race.

Food
I stuck to the basic menu I’d planned out earlier in the week. I made the big veggie tray first, blanching the asparagus quickly by pouring boiling water over the spears. I prepped the tart in advance too, mixing fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in a tart pan and covering them with a crumble mixture. Sandwiches were assembled right before the party. Tip: only bake the cambozola until it is just barely melted, otherwise the oils separates and it gets a little gross.

Decorations
I made a yellow rose and flowering basil arrangement the night before. The dining room table had on my “frenchiest” tablecloth on along with a bowl of fruit and artichokes.

Drinks
We went with Red Bicyclette wine and Fat Tire beer.

Contest
The Tour de France challenge was the best part. Each guest was assigned a bike team name and earned points for various challenges during the commercial breaks. We had tour trivia, card games, drawing contests and a race to inflate a balloon with a bicycle pump. Plus, bonus points for dressing in theme and for completing a marathon earlier in the day (Stacey and Ben). Prizes include a bike cap, reflector stickers and a pack of vintage bicycle playing cards.

Eric was our grand prize winner for the day!