Fuel Your Winter Rides: Recipes for Cyclists with Hayden Groves

We've teamed up with award-winning chef, passionate cyclist and Le Col ambassador Hayden Groves to bring you a series of post-ride winter recipes. Inspired by his love of cycling and rides around Europe following the Grand Tour routes, his recipes are hearty, comforting and easy to make at home after a chilly ride. 

From the classic Italian tiramisu, a dessert Hayden discovered in countless variations while riding the Giro route as part of his three-tour challenge, to the Tartiflette, a clever French creation from the Haute-Savoie region born out of a cheese producer’s crafty idea in the 1980s, these recipes celebrate cycling, travel, and flavour.

For those after something soul-warming and simple, try the Fabada Asturiana, a Spanish bean stew. It’s a one-pot wonder and perfect to start cooking before a ride and come home to a dish that’s as satisfying as the KMs you’ve conquered.

Follow For more Recipes
Close up of tiramisu, cocoa sprinkled mascarpone topping.

TIRAMISU

Serves 6-8

Tiramisu translates as “pick-me-up,” a fitting name for this classic Italian dessert. It’s traditionally made with Savoiardi biscuits dipped in strong coffee and layered with a light mascarpone mixture of whipped eggs and sugar, then finished with a dusting of cocoa. Over the years I’ve seen every conceivable variation—chocolate sponge, whipped cream, even banana—but after riding the length of Italy in 2017 during the Giro d’Italia as part of our three-tour challenge, the only banana I encountered was the squashed one in my jersey pocket.

NB- If you are choosing to make this for Christmas, stock up early on the mascarpone and the Savoiardi biscuits as they always seen to run out the last few days before Christmas

Ingredients:

 4 large free-range eggs, separated 

80g caster sugar (40 g for yolks, 40 g for whites)

500g mascarpone cheese (remove from fridge for an hour so its softer)

2 tbsps of Marsala, you could also use Kahlúa or brandy or of course omit

250ml strong espresso

24 Savoiardi biscuits, or boudoir biscuits 

cocoa powder, to dust

Method

Place the egg yolks and 40 g caster sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Whisk continuously until the mixture becomes pale, thickened, doubled in volume, and lightly fluffy.

In a separate bowl, beat the mascarpone to loosen it. Stir the warm egg-yolk mixture into the mascarpone until completely smooth and lump-free.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they start to increase in volume, gradually add the remaining 40 g caster sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking until you have soft, glossy peaks.

Gently fold the meringue into the mascarpone mixture in three additions, using a large metal spoon. Take your time and avoid knocking out the air, this is what keeps the tiramisu light.

Stir the alcohol into the cooled coffee, pour into a shallow dish.

Dip half the biscuits into the coffee mixture just long enough for them to take on a light coffee colour. Arrange in a single layer to cover the base of a 20 × 15 cm serving dish.

Dust with a generous sift of cocoa. Spoon over half of the mascarpone mixture and smooth the surface. Repeat the layers using the remaining biscuits and mascarpone cream. Finish with a final dusting of cocoa.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow the flavours to develop and the tiramisu to set. Sieve over a little more cocoa just before serving.

TARTIFLETTE

Serves 4

This extremely popular dish from the Haute-Savoie region was originally a clever ploy dreamed up in the 1980s by those cunning Reblochon cheese producers as a crafty way to sell more of their cheese they inadvertently created a new classic.

Top view of Tartiflette, well cooked slices of potato seen underneath golden melted cheese.

Ingredients:  

1.2kg waxy Charlotte potatoes, skins left on and washed

2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half 

50g unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing

250g smoked bacon lardons

1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

150ml dry white wine

250g crème fraîche

1 tbsp chopped chives

black pepper

500g Reblochon cheese

 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C

Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until just tender. Drain and leave to cool.

Rub a deep ovenproof 20cm gratin dish with the cut garlic all over, then smear thoroughly with a little softened butter and set aside. 

Melt 20g of the butter in a frying pan and sauté the bacon until the fat starts to render. Add the onions and the garlic cloves cook until soft and both are just beginning to slightly colour

Add approximately three-quarters of the white wine, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half. Turn off the heat and stir in the crème fraîche and chives.

Cut the potatoes into 1cm slices, heat the remaining butter in a large frying pan and sauté the potatoes until a light golden colour; season with freshly ground black pepper.

 Cut the Reblochon cheese carefully in half horizontally, score the rind of one half in a cross-hatched pattern with a sharp knife, and dice the other half.

Mix the sautéed potatoes with the bacon and crème fraîche mixture, and carefully add the diced Reblochon. Spoon into the buttered gratin dish and top with the remaining Reblochon half, scored rind upwards. Splash the remaining wine over the cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until beautifully gratinated and bubbling. Top tip here put your oven proof dish on a tray, lot easier cleaning a tray than an oven if bubbles over the side of your dish 

Serve hot from the oven with a sharply dressed green salad, some pickles and charcuterie. Crusty bread and a glass or three of dry white wine are simply a must.

Close up of Bean stew, potato and sausage chunks in sauce.

Spanish Bean Stew or to use the proper name- FABADA ASTURIANA

Serves 4-6 (depending how hungry you are or amount of winter hours you’ve just completed)

This hearty bean stew hails from the Asturias region of northern Spain and is the ultimate comfort food for cold winter days. Traditionally made with Fabes (large white beans), smoky chorizo, morcilla, and pancetta, it’s a dish that’s all about slow cooking and deep, rich flavours

 This sounds complicated but actually is really easy and a one pot wonder that you can meal batch and freeze for other occasions, like your winter training long slow and steady Zone 2 will reward you, not just in fitness terms but with flavour and this one here is truly delicious and can be cooking slowly while you are out on your club run (so fellow cyclists I’ve added a bit of a handy steer to incorporate both)

Ingredients:

400g dried fabes or butter beans, soaked overnight in cold water

200g piece of smoked pancetta, soaked overnight in cold water

1 small ham hock, soaked overnight in cold water

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and left whole

6 black peppercorns, crushed 

1 tsp smoked paprika

8 garlic cloves, skin on

1 pinch saffron authentic but not essential 

1 bay leaf

150g smoked chorizo sausages 

150g morcilla sausages

sea salt and black pepper 

50ml extra virgin olive oil 

20ml sherry vinegar

 

Method: 

 

Drain the beans and soaked meat, then add to a casserole pot or large pan with 2.5 litres of fresh cold water. Bring slowly to the boil and skim. (Simmer for half an hour i.e while you are layering up to get changed for that bike ride)

Add the whole onion the crushed peppercorns, paprika, garlic, saffron and bay leaf, and then simmer on a gentle heat for a further 3- 3.5 hour or until the ham hock is tender

(if you are leaving the house or out on your bike, you can place in a low oven 135c covered with a lid or tin foil for longer or in a slow cooker pot) 

On your return, add the chorizo and morcilla and cook for a further 45 minutes.(During this time you can clean your bike, shower or just stand in the kitchen inhaling the smell)

Remove the meats and the onion carefully onto a large plate with a spoon or tongs and allow to cool slightly. Then, using tongs, remove all the meat from the ham hock, discarding the skin. Chop the meats and onion into chunks, no neatness required here rustic is best and return to the casserole, simmer for a few minutes to reheat 

Check the seasoning (there should be enough salt from the meat), add a generous few glugs of olive oil and sherry vinegar.

Serve in the casserole dish with some warm crusty bread.

Two shots of Hayden cycling in Le Col kit.

Follow my adventures on Instagram