Stage 19 of the Tour de France begins in Modan and ends in Grenoble, the nearest town on the circuit this year to Saint-Uze, home of Revol. Since 1789, deep in France's Rhone Valley, Revol has set the benchmark of fine porcelain beginning with Joseph-Marie and François Revol, who developed a non-porous bisque formula that remains a family secret. Revol porcelain is the cream of the crop of culinary-grade ceramics. It is made from kaolin, feldspar, and silica, fired at an ultra-high temperature (2408°F). This ensures that the porcelain cookware by Revol, unlike other high-end clay cookwares, are not only incredibly durable, but amenable to all manner of cooking applicances and temperatures: oven, microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe, Revol is as tough as they come. Due to their aesthetic appeal, they can be used as cookware and servers, allowing every piece to go directly from the kitchen to the dining room without sacrificing on the table setting for convenience. It's what makes it a favorite amongst chefs. Bring a bit of this classic French cookware and tableware to your home with the Revol Grands Classiques Large Poultry Dish. This playful but classic item in the Revol line is an oven to table server allows the gravy or sauce to be conveniently poured from the beak of the chicken.

One of my favorites Revol France Basalt Rectangular Slate Plate. I first saw these at the Dinner Series when we had our dinner #5 with Chef Robert Harries. He served caviar on toast with crème fraiche on the basalt slate plates that made the green-black of the caviar glitter like beads of jewels. Revol is the only manufacturer of black porcelain paste. The Basalt collection is the result of research into how to combine Revol's 100% culinary-grade porcelain paste with a slate colour with a design inspired by the roughness and shapes of natural slate. These plates won't scratch or chip like natural slate, however, and it is nonporous, so it absorbs neither fats nor bacteria. The trays look great as cheeses platters, appetiser trays, and desserts servers. You can even heat it up to keep your baguette hot from the oven to the table. The latest addition to Didrik's Revol collection (announce in our June 11 blog post) are the Revolution Cookware made of a completely new porcelain formula that has the highest thermal-shock resistance in non-porous culinary ceramics to date. Available in oval or round in various volumes and a range of brilliantly colored lids, the Revol Cocottes with lids can be used to make stews to casseroles to fried chicken.

Join us again Thursday July 24th when the cyclist make their last attempt at the yellow jersey with the final stage of the Tour de France ending in Paris, home of Sabre.