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bleudauvergne

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by bleudauvergne

  1. We should probably begin a whole new thread for les puces and the vide greniers... Because of the puce my spoilt kitty eats her rabbit from secondhand limoges teacups. Pretty ones at that. We awaken before dawn on the Sundays meant to be sunny and with friends score the most amazing things. My friends know my passion for kitchen cooking and food and always call me over to say 'hey' when they spot something good.
  2. My experience in Lyon from an insider is that it depends on what you are here for. It is something quite bragged about in some arenas Michelin stars and all that. People come thinking it's the land of milk and honey from a tourists perspective and forge their opinions from there - from the cooks perspective, the possibilities are endless, your choice. There still are many really good places to eat if you plan to spend a year here. A good long list. Lots of good local restos to choose from, not much ego and just quality involved, which is a good thing if you plan to spend time in the city. Good quality of life here and availability of ingredients, especially if you can score a good kitchen and cook.
  3. Dear Abra, if you go to Beaune, you will be within an easy day trip to Lyon as well. Coincedentally, I have been exploring the region lately and it is very pretty country. Wine country and lots of good food. You can read on my blog where we've been exploring around there. Contact me personally if you need help locating a rental.
  4. I love that savon noir. I like the doorknobs and drawer knobs that you wouldn't find in other countries. Gardening stuff, terra cotta pots which are often local. I got Loic a wine bottling corking setup from one of these places which was quite cheap and proves amazingly effective for putting up wine bought in bulk at the source. Love the vinegar distilling pots and butter coolers.
  5. Coming across this bag of twigs hanging with the candy treats in a neighborhood sundries shop the other day I asked Loic if he had ever gnawed on them as a child. 'But of course! That is licorice!' Um, ok. Does anyone have fond childhood French memories of this 'delicious treat'? I found chewing into it unpalatable. I felt that licking it just to kind of taste the flavor was kind of nice but would never have amounted to a "secret d'enfance" unless maybe this is some remnant of a time when sugar was rationed and no candy or sweets were available. Liquorice is really strong over here in Europe, that's for sure. Loic came back from Italy with a gift for me, assuming with proper married logic that because he loves liquorice I do too, never questioning that I would have a die hard love of hard liquorice flavor. These pastilles were just completely over the top and I have a hard time with just one. They will last years, I'm sure. Perhaps this is one of those things like cinnamon flavored candies being unpalatable to many French? Should I wash the sticks?
  6. Maintenance seems to be the problem... I went to see my French nutritionist today and she basically said two things. 1) She does not want me going back on this diet because she thinks that many of the factors leading to me gaining weight in the first place are related to my eating habits and passions, thus re-learning "equilibrium" as a key word is her mission, and Montignac cannot maintain this in the long run. (and I guess I agree, unless one is a a monk, never drink beer or alcohol, eat a sandwich, or have frites with your steak ever again). 2) She thinks that after following her regime strictly for two months (which is one that includes absolutely everything) if I still am not losing enough and fast enough, we will consider more "hard" methods... (hmm, sounds nice) So I have not been approved by my medical advisor to get back on this diet. I have been with her for about a year and a half and have hit a plateau after about 15 pounds loss. She wants me to lose another 15. So I am going to quit the desserts (the blog has been recording many passionate forays into that), and perhaps begin a new thread on the regime she has made for me and which I have been admittedly very loosely following for the last few months (might explain the plateau).
  7. For the parsley and garlic seasoning, you may want to remember "en persillade". Bon appetit!
  8. Considering Silly Disciple's wonderful project of opening a pasta production stall on site in a market in Barcelona, I would simply adore if he might do an experiment with quinoa and pasta. From what I understand, quinoa is not a grain at all, but is a plant. And totally Montignac friendly in any form whatsoever, including ground into flour. This is the same with buckwheat.
  9. The decision has almost been made to get back in the saddle with Dr. Montignac, the French way. I talked to my sister the other day and she's doing quite well on the plan, something she didn't mention during previous discussions, I think she wanted to see if it would work before she told me. I got jealous when I heard how much she'd lost. I am ready for a spell on the plan again. Since this thread began 3 years ago, I have been yo-yoing. In the last two days I have consciously made Montignac decisions and not done much to alter our eating habits except eliminate baguette, etc.... Since it is jam season, I might decide to go fructose this year and have begun eying the 100% integrale (whole) loaves available at various bakeries round the neighborhood. Tomorrow I have an appointment with my nutritionist here in Lyon and I am going to bring the book. I don't know what she's going to say. She is a doctor with opinions, sometimes strong ones, and she is a nutritionist, endocrinologist, among other specialties, so whatever she says goes. But I'll ask.
  10. I think your point about the traditional borders that historically fell within a countryside is a really great way to begin, Ptipois. There are many maps to France. Although we maneuver through this country with the contemporary divisions lined out on paper and roads to follow clearly by color and size, sometimes the markings of the food maps are not as clear. Taking in the history and geography that created the traditional Pays is so important. It is a very good thought to begin. Thank you for doing this series. I'm going to have lots of questions. I hope you don't mind. I would like eventually to learn about butter in Normandy, being completely and utterly a butter freak.
  11. Yes now the cherries are starting to look good for putting up. It's a nice idea, Margaret. I haven't been noticing many black cherries about yet, but soon we'll have so many different kinds... Lots of yummy berries for jam starting to come out in any case. I was thinking also about putting up griottes and also soaked in alcools - I think your sugar content Margaret is going to depend on what kind of cherries you use. Has anyone ever tried Confisuc? I have never tried it, but some people swear by it.
  12. Yoo Hoo! I like my Poulet de Bresse in a croute de sel, recipe on the Poulet de Bresse thread.. I also like to cut it into pieces and do a nice fricassee with a cream sauce and echo pirate and Ptipois's opinions about creamy sauces. If you are looking for good Bresse chicken recipes, why not pick up one of George Blanc's books? I have been happy with the one I have. One of my favorite recipes these days for cooking at home in which you can really use either rabbit or chicken Incorporates trompettes de mort and I have never felt that the taste of the mushroom overwhelms the dish. Perhaps there was something else in the sauce you prepared, Sharon, that brought out an overwhelming flavor? What kind of stock were you using? How else did you season the sauce? You might also consider that trompettes de mort are in season in the month of November. They won't last more than a day or two fresh picked even in season. Were you using dried mushrooms in the sauce? Often dried mushrooms can give an overwhelming flavor to a preparation.
  13. My thoughts are with Esilda. We'll miss Bux a lot.
  14. I'm glad you enjoyed Chez Pierre & Goumet de Seze - Also try on Rue Martiniere in the 1st arrondissment, not far from Magali & Martin, the restaurant Potager des Halles has a new chef who has gone solo after working in Bocuse's brasseries. It's a local neighborhood place that does a very good execution and interesting plat du jour like truffled soups and sweetbread fricasee last time I ate there - you'd probably be able to get in at short notice if you find yourself in the neighborhood.
  15. I'll see if I can find a photo of the 13 desserts that my family does every year. For the project, a symbolic facsimile of this presentation could be done, considering that the 13 desserts is realistically open to interpretation by family and adjusted according to means. Every family prepares it differently.
  16. Dave, your photos are gorgeous. This is an amazing blog already.
  17. That's starting to look good right now. The hens are simmering, we're way behind schedule, my idea of lobster ravioli in the poule de bresse conssomme had to be ditched due to budgetary constraints, sister in law is now announcing that she plans to arrive late once again and this will have us eating dinner well into the wee hours of morning because her family refuses to touch even a salted peanut until she arrives.
  18. Wow John, thank you ever so much for these links. Phonetics are always really important and I always pay a lot of attention when I learn a new word to ensure that I can speak it as well as hear and understand it. These are really good resources. Strats Place has really good pronunciations, i.e. in the recordings it's a person who speaks the native language, for the most part. Here's a really good example of Gewurztaminer, for example. I always get tongue tied when pronouncing it, mainly because I never bothered to go over the pronunciation correctly. Now this Christmas I will have no problem.
  19. Thanks so much! I ended up cutting them into chunks, steaming them, and adding a garlic infused oil, fresh herbs and fleur de sel to them, serving them warm aside the beans with the lamb saddle. Sorry no pics, our night time lighting situation is really awful at the moment, we need better lights! Paul, I knew there was a reason I got a second Exopat. I never thought about putting things in between them before. What a great idea. I think they did lose some of their color intensity even from steaming. Cooking with oil is probably the best way to go. I think I remember seeing an article in a magazine about this type of potato. I'll try and remember where. I think I can do better with this kind of potato. Time to start thinking. If anyone else has guidance or ideas about other uses, I'd love to hear them.
  20. I picked up some vitelotte (aka all blue) potatoes at the market this morning and am wondering how I might incorporate them into a dinner. Does anyone have any experience with this tuber? What I'm looking for is a dish that will put them in the spotlight, highlight their unique color, add some interest to the plate. Other things on the menu are smoked autumn pepper soup (oranged color), mini leek tartelettes, boneless saddle of lamb roast with rosemary infused soissons, mixed greens with arugula, herbs, and black radishes, cheese plate, and individual cheesecakes with salted butter caramel coulis. Fresh herbs on hand are thyme, parsley, rosemary, chevril, chives. I also have white stock on hand, cooked duck and chicken wing meat, apples, dates, nuts and pineapples. What to do with the vitelotte potatoes? From photos I see they take on a homogenous powdery ultraviolet blue color when well cooked. They taste like regular potatoes. I thought I might slice them ultra thin, give them a quick poach in stock, and float the slices atop the soup with crisped duck wing meat, but what else? Ideas from garnish to centerpiece are welcome. How to work the vitelotte into the courses I have established?
  21. Great looking blog, eje, and a really nice market. I was especially impressed with the mushroom selection you've got.... Did you get a taste of the truffle? What was the price and where did they come from?
  22. I made my order for the bird yesterday. The vollailler knows me very well so they didn't write anything down. That threw me off a bit. I asked them just to be sure if they wanted to write my order down, and they said no no they know what I need. Her son, in his early 20s said - "pour 'Sanksgiving'" to the other customers around. He said it about 4 times, individually to each of the other customers just to be sure everyone heard. I guess it will be max 6 kilos. They supplied my bird last year and I was happy with it. A question for the expats - are you going with a traditional meal or are you doing something as a special tribute to France? Since I usually have lots of French guests we start with 2 entrees (a soup and either a slice of terrine or stuffed fish) and then move to the feast style meal. We also have the traditional apero plus at the end a cleansing salad and the cheese plate before dessert.
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