bleudauvergne

Pan, the elegant ladies are slim. I suspect the elegant ladies are drinking water, that non-caloric drink. The brand is immaterial. Yes, it's very chic to order a Perrier in a cafe. Although the price can be reasonable at the corner market in big bottles, Perrier costs more than the average soft drink, which costs roughly 30% more than beer here. It's quite expensive and even more expensive in the prime seats on the place. Some statistics from that evening - all of the people with dogs on leashes ordered Perrier. The dogs were also served tap water in little plastic bowls under the table! When the dog owners left, when the waiter cleared the table, he took the bowl and put it on his tray to carry back to the cafe. THE 5 lb. STALL - I FOUND THE CULRPIT. It was the nuts I've been snacking on for the past three days. Both of the nuts list FARINE (flour) and AMIDON DE BLE (starch) in their ingredients. We had some nuts last night with sparkling water before dinner. Although I had been feeling great all day, I suddenly felt wierd and like something was not quite right. Loic said maybe he thought it was the bubbles in the water. By the end of dinner I was so tired I just went straight to bed. This morning during the walk, I thought I'd check the ingredients of the package. Lo and behold, returning for breakfast, in examining the package - they contain these ingredients. No more nuts for me. I have not gained but I have not lost since we started eating the nuts.

Thank you Rachel! Hmm, haven't seen those at the market, I'll keep an eye out.

Hmmm, that sounds pretty good. Can you tell me more about Masala Chai? Where did you first have it? How long have you been mixing it yourself?

Oh my GAWD.

Hi mags, thank you so much for your encouragement. I've searched on jicama, and am not finding it in the glycemic indexes. Can you tell me more about it? Here is a link to Mendosa's glycemic index. The recommendation from montignac is that when you have a protein meal, you can have as much of anything with a glycemic index 30 and under as you want. I wonder if somehow combinations of foods have an effect on the glycemia level in the blood, so that if something normally has a high glycemic index, when combined with something else it takes on a lower one. In any case, I think he talks about this in Stage II, the maintenance phase.

I have stalled at 5 lbs. It's rather discouraging. I think I haven't been eating enough - and I haven't been eating enough fiber. So today's lunch is going to be all about fiber fiber fiber. This morning, having my breakfast was very satisfying, and I feel like I have much more energy than I did yesterday when all I got was an apple. Getting back on track... What Montignac says about the size of meals: Breakfast: It should be your biggest meal of the day, and should include lots of fiber at least 5 times a week. Skipping breakfast was pretty deadly for me, as you saw yesterday. I am sticking with the Montignac big breakfasts. Just having a piece of fruit is a no-no. Lunch: Lunch should be a rather large meal, including lots of vegetables, and if you are going to have red meat or something rather fatty, lunch is the best time to have it. When preparing my own lunch on weekends, I have to say I am a sucker for soups, but following the Montignac plan, soups are more appropriate at the end of the day. This is something I am going to have to adjust. I also tend to make lighter lunches. But being on the Montignac plan I am going to have to change my ways and have my “dinner” during the day. Dinner: This is where the Montignac plan throws me for a loop. Instead of a multi course meal, like I’m used to, (we normally would start with a little nibble of something, sometimes have a sit down appetizer or amuse geule, and follow with a main dish, salad with vinaigrette, and cheese.) This concept of the smaller meal at dinner is a conflict with my inner drive to get into the kitchen and cook at the end of the day. Aside from being tired last night, I was also a bit on edge because I knew that the cooking in the evenings might become a problematic thing for me. I love my kitchen time. And I don’t want to start giving up my projects, which I often tackle during the week.. Solutions: My lunch options have been rather limited here at the school, because I am at the mercy of the cafeteria and the café. Today I ordered a “plateau fraicheur” at the café which looked good from a distance, like a big salad. However, it was a thin layer of yucky tasting fast food lettuce, a mound of canned corn (off limits for me) which had seeped sweet juice all over a good bit of the lettuce, two deli slices of ham, which upon first bite my refined tastebuds knew right away had been sugar cured, so that was left aside, a large floret of cauliflower (great), and a sliced whole tomato (superb). I was able to eat about half of what was on the plate while sticking to the Montignac rules. I took two pieces of fruit, a peach and an orange, to eat in the afternoon. But I know that a few leaves of lettuce, a stalk of cauliflower and a tomato is not what Montignac recommends for lunch. Therefore I need to come up with a plan. I think I am going to have to start brown bagging it. This means I can cook in the evenings and still have small dinners.

Hey, that's great! Please let me know what you thought of it. Today has really been a test for me. I have been feeling like something that the cat dragged in. I am utterly exhausted. I can't say why, really. I also had a bad craving for something sweet. But I didn't give in. I think it's because I didn't get my bread this morning. Long story short, I did not go to the caviste. Lolo's sister came over and we went out to have a seat on the place de Terreaux, which was full of the most interesting people. Loic had beer, his sister had a Monaco, which is beer with grenadine syrup in it , and I had a Perrier, like the other elegant ladies. (actually I have a long long way to go... ) We sat there staring at people for at least 1.5 hours and I was getting more and more tired by the minute. So when we finally got home, we had a pick me up of some almonds and I nibbled on a small piece of cheese. Tonight was a celebration of the basil and the tomatoes, which were both very good, and the first basil I've enjoyed this season. Drizzled with a little bit of the finest evoo in the house, some fleur de sel, and ground black pepper, and they hit the spot. That was followed by a very small serving (like a tablespoon) of yesterday's hummous, always better on the second day, and then Loic opened a bottle of wine that it turns out Nicolas Langlet had recommended afterall, a remarkably good local wine, a Cote du Rhone with a deceptively simple label, the winery's name is K. Dr. Montignac suggests one way of eating your cheese without bread: on a lettuce leaf and I tried that tonight. However I prefer it plain.

Hi Rachel, If the cork that came out of the bottle does not fit back in, we use air tight stoppers to keep the wine. We don't use stopper that pumps the air out, although one of those would be very cool to have. Normally we put the wine in the fridge when we're keeping it for a few days, although I'm not sure if that's absolutely necessary. We take it out with the cheese plate a couple of hours before dinner.

What I ended up doing was a platter, around the outside was shrimp, and a mountain of stuffed quartered artichoke hearts. Things were rather rushed at the end in getting to the party so I was not able to take a photo of the platter. I did, however, get a photo of the artichokes before they went into the oven. I also made one of those classic spinach dips in the bread bowl. The bread in the boule was slightly moist and flexible, so in hollowing out the bowl, I just pulled it all out with my hands and had a bunch of bread that I could not make into proper dipping pieces. I tore it into little pieces, and toasted it in the oven. the pieces were browning around the edges when I took them out, and I broke them up a little bit more in a large bowl and added I'd say 1.5 cups of creme fraiche to that, a variety of fresh torn herb leaves including thyme, parsley and sage, a good dose of fleur de sel, lots of white pepper, and a cup of grated comte cheese. I had 2 thick slabs of mountain cured ham, which I sliced into sticks, and made cris crosses across the emptied artichoke hearts. The stuffing, which was moist but with the bread crumbs held up quite well, was mounded into the artichoke hearts over the ham, and I baked them at 200c/400f for 20 minutes, until the tops browned. Once out of the oven, I tested them on some people who had stopped by for a bite to eat before we all went to the party to make sure they were acceptable. I then cut the rest into quarters with a very sharp knife, and skewered each one. I made a mountain of them in the center of the platter and scattered large whole green olives all around the edges. The platter as a whole in my opinion was very - martini. Thank you and my apologies for not getting better pictures.

Last night was a very small slightly heavy meal consumed very casually of hummous maison, made with less oil than I usually use, some really wonderful picholine olives, and nuts, followed by 10cl of wine. This morning, we got off to a late start due to the alarm not going off. So breakfast was on the run, a fresh crispy apple. It's the first time since I have begun this that I have not had a rather large breakfast. Lunch was in the cafeteria: 2 small sardines, about 100 grams of pork tenderloin, a serving of ratatouille, and half of a plain yougert. I realized halfway through that I wasn't hungry anymore so I just left the other half. Tonight, in light of the most wonderful news that we are allowed to have wine, I am going to go see my friend Mr. Langlet and ask him to help me choose a nice bourdeaux or burgundy to enjoy at the end of my dinner. Since we will probably only drink about one bottle per 4 or 5 days, I plan to get something really good. If anyone has suggestions of wines and years they know and love, please let me know.

Thank you so much for the information about venus crossing the sun. Lets see. about 120 years back would be somewhere in the 1880s.

FABLUOUS - Your blog was just simply amazing, thank you for sharing all that great food.

Salade de Museau is a local specialty that is made from beef. It has pickles and has been marinated in a vinaigrette. Made from beef, of course, but that's like the English menu I saw in Spain where tripe was translated as a kind of Spanish pork meat. Museau is muzzle, or snout. Oh alright, Bux. I'll admit it. I've been eating cow muzzle again. Blame it on the butcher. But seriously, when I refer to tete de veau I don't say calf head. I say "tete de veau" because it just seems more appetizing that way. Salad de museau. I could say cow nose salad. Hm. I'll stick with cow nose salad. Not. I'm so sorry mags. I just couldn't bring myself to announce that I'd been eating the pickings of a braised cow nose for lunch, I apologise for whitewashing it that way, I'll give all the gory details in the future.

Kathleen, I'm pretty sure you're right! Hi NulloMondo. I can't say where I heard it or read it. Montignac doesn't say it. I will have to think about it. EDIT: Thank you for bringing this up because I have now read this section more carefully! OK. Here’s what Montignac says about alcohol. He says a lot so I am going to try and summarize it for you. I have no idea where this concept that alcohol makes sugar comes from, I think my husband said it. When asked where he heard this, he isn't sure. Alcohol can contribute to weight gain if it is consumed in excessive quantities. But consumed in small quantities, it’s harmless. Even during Stage I you can drink it, however you must limit yourself to 10cl, and wait until the end of the meal to drink it. The point he drives home repeatedly is that it must not be consumed on an empty stomach. He does mention that consumed alone, it creates an “apport energetique”, (which could be interpreted as caloric, or there is some quality about it that makes it give energy), that the body uses first, which can result in the body using less of its fat stores. That can block us from losing weight. However, this result only occurs when it is consumed on an empty stomach. Once the stomach has already been filled, and particularly with protein rich foods like meat, fish or cheese, the alcohol is absorbed much more slowly and has very little effect on the digestion, thus your being able to drink it after a meal. It’s the aperetif that causes problems. He says if you must take an aperetif, try and take wine, and only have it after you have had at least 3 or 4 bites of something like olives, cheese, etc. in order for your stomach to close the “pylore”, which is the sphincter between the stomach and the intestine. Digestifs like cognac and armagnac are discouraged. He gives no reason. But he does say that once you get started with the diet you won’t need any help digesting. (I have found that to be true.) He writes a bit more about wine, and how it’s actually good for you, and that once you get to Stage II of the plan you can consume up to three glasses of wine a day without it causing weight gain. He continues, in his discussion of wine, to say that some experts say that wine in small quantities actually has a desirable effect on insulin secretion. If you are able to limit yourself to one small glass at the end of the meal, your slimming process in fact, will become even more effective by drinking it. He then goes on to describe a way he has come up with for looking like you are drinking during family get-togethers but not actually consuming your glass of wine until the end of the meal. 10 cl of wine. (we didn't have any red open, just the clairette which should be consumed before it loses its bubbles.)

Mags, you are so right. Year round we have about 2 varieties, bell and a long hot one. In the summer, sometimes the Africa man has a few little hot ones. Otherwise, I have to take a trip to Chinatown, which usually has something interesting. It's a pepper barren land here. And if we didn't have the huge North Africa population in this country, the horizon would be even more sparse. Edit to say that the hypermarches do import a good variety of produce. But their inconvenience and unpleasantness when we have time to go outweigh all reasons to go (always long long lines, very crowded, actual cart traffic jams and situations of near gridlock in the asiles, poor organization, constantly having things out of stock, etc). We choose to do most of our food shopping at smaller shops near our home.

Hi Foodie52. I think that following any kind of diet, as a type Eg, would be followed with the same kind of gusto, I bet every member of eGullet can source just about anything they set their minds to. There are a lot of people in this country who don't take advantage of what's available to them, really. I think that if I were in the States again, I'd be all over the variety of ethnicities that contribute to what's available. Hey that's a great idea, an omlette using one egg plus one white. I have also heard about the South beach diet, from my brother who says he weighs what he did in high school thanks to this diet. Can you summarize the main theories on this diet? Although fats aren't monitored or measured in the Montignac Plan, we are encouraged to "be reasonable" and consider reducing servings if we reach a plateau and are eating large amounts of anything. I suspect I will eventually be cutting down on my cheese intake, although for the moment things seem to be working well.

Lunch was rather low fat anyway since we did not discuss my twisted logic about alcohol and eating the next day until we were at the table, and I was complaining about all the time I took to remove the fat from the stock... I strained the chicken stock and had it going in a soup pot. I began taking things out and throwing things into the soup, and then realized - damn I forgot to degrease it. It had a nice thick layer on top because I used the whole chicken to make the soup. Eek! I strained the soup yet again. I degreased the stock: by putting a plastic freezer bag into a large measuring cup, pouring a liter of soup into the bag, letting it sit for about 10 minutes to let the grease float to the top, and then cutting a corner in the bag from the bottom and letting the degreased soup run into the cup, stopping it before the fat reaches the hole. It was completely degreased. beautiful. I then stupidly tossed the veggies, which had been completely coated in chicken soup grease, back into the soup At that point I just gave in and served lunch. The soup consisted of chicken stock with peas and lentils, and pinches from the bouquet. The bouquet: There are plenty of flowers for sale at the market on any given day, and I love them. However, instead of getting a bouquet of flowers, I get a bouquet of herbs, and keep them at room temp in the kitchen - no problem. Give each bunch a quick rinse and put them in a pitcher of water. If I change the water daily, they last about a week. In this country it is customary to give a gift if you go for dinner. Many people bring flowers. I was thinking the other day that giving a generous bouquet of herbs would be about the same price as a bouquet of flowers, and I think that's what I might do next time we go to a friend's house for dinner. At lunch, we put the bouquet on the dining table and each pinched off herbs to add to our soup. We both agreed that the chives were a great addition to the soup. I noted that by pinching the chives, their oils were released, giving the soup a really wonderful flavor. I asked my husband if he thought that it gave more flavor that way, rather than cutting. He said "that's the way it's done". What? What the heck? Feeling rather feisty, I challenged him - how do you know "that's the way it's done"? According to what authority? He responded that maybe it's not done that way everywhere, but whenever his grandmother made a chive omlette, she would pinch the chives into it instead of chopping it up or snipping it with the scissors, even though she had a chopping board and scissors. Hmmm. OK. I concede. If that's the way it's done in Loic's grandmother's kitchen, then that's the way it's done. On a second bowl of soup, I tried thyme blossoms, and that was incredible. It's really interesting how an herb can bring out the flavors of things. The thyme blossoms took the green peas and put them on a pedestal. I think that one important aspect of following any regime is to make sure to maximize the flavor experiences. The main thing that always turned me off of doing any kind of plan in the first place was the prospect of having to eat the same things over and over again. This plan is really pretty good in that respect. Something I've noticed this week is that I am feeling my sense of taste is definitely becoming more sensitive, or at least I am taking more pleausure in my eating experiences, I can't decide which. Maybe it's the foods I'm not eating, maybe it's something chemical in my body. I don't know.

Ondilege 0% fromage frais and strawberry compote maison. WRONG: I was going to cut fat out of my diet today following the reasoning that alcohol breaks down into simple sugars in the bloodstream. However, my husband pointed out that it's highly unlikely that any of that sugar is leftover in my bloodstream. If Montignac allows you to have carb meals and fat meals in the same day, how is it that I would have sugar leftover in my bloodstream for something I consumed last night?

What I prepared for the party: A platter surrounded by shrimp, which had been peeled and deveined (the best I could), but their heads left on for decorum, and in the center a mountain of quartered stuffed artichoke hearts, speared by little skewers, with green olives scattered around it. It was a huge success. I gravely lament not having taken a photo of of it, because i can postitively say it was beautiful. I also did one of those classic quick throw together spinach dip in hollowed out bread bowl. What happened was that a friend called me that afternoon. She had planned to come over on Saturday and we'd planned to do the profiteroles together. She had been to a neighborhood block party and somehow a group from the crowd had continued to her house to continue the party, and they had ended up with a house full of guests the next morning. So I immediately told her to go back to bed, and not even think about coming over, and to drag her tired self over for dinner before we went to the martini party. Appropriately, I made cold cucumber soup, and quickly without taking any pictures, at the same time worked on the artichoke hearts. I then had a hair appointment which took longer than I expected. Loic's mother called while I was peeling the shrimp, and I put her on the speaker while peeling the shimp and talking to her. Not using the speaker often, I didn't hang it up correctly. My friends arrived as expected for dinner and I had just put the artichokes in the oven. She came in and said - we've been trying to call you but you're phone's been busy for hours, we invited another person to come for dinner. At the same time he rang the bell, and in addition to feeding the guests, and thinking about how this person must think we are slobs due to the house looking like a hurricaine hit it, I was preparing the platter, and served them some wine, and then the artichokes came out, and decided to serve some to them. OFF LIMITS. artichoke sighting Dinner was eaten informally around the coffee table, amid the bustle of preparing to leave. It was the cold cucumber soup, and the little plates with artichoke hearts, and clairette de die, a sparkling wine. I poured myself a glass of the wine but did not drink it. No one noticed. When we arrived to the party, it started with some activity sportif. They live on the 6th floor and there is no elevator in the building. Beautiful fabulous building and architecture. Unfortunately, in the scuffle to get to the party, the camera was left behind. I should have gone back to get it the minute I realized it, because we live one block away. But we were in a hurry, because we had received an urgent call rather early from the host asking us to come immediately and bring some fruit juice for three largely pregnant women who were asking for it. I was thinking, poor dears, they forgot to get non-acoholic beverages, and they're too busy to go and get some, but once I'd done the stairs I understood their hesistation to pop down to the corner store. And I didn't take any pictures of the platter! On arrival, laden with platters, food, baskets, juice, booze, cocktail glasses and shakers, etc. we were warmly welcomed by the people who were already there. The host then ceremoniously mixed me a special martini, since we had discussed this at great length in the week leading up to the party. I was obligated to drink it. I did not seek to replenish my glass, but twice more during the evening it was replenished. I then thought to fill it with tomato juice. At the end of the evening there was then some spiced vodka from Poland making the round of the kitchen, and I was curious about it. Needless to say, I didn't get rid of any of the drinks put in my hand. So this morning I am faced with damage control. I have not gained any weight from this terrible digression, on this day, the one week anniversary of my undertaking this endeavor. So what should I do? Orange juice and water. Definitely not eat any fatty food, that's for sure. Today will remain a 0% fat day, but surely, we will eat.

Salade de Museau is a local specialty that is made from beef. It has pickles and has been marinated in a vinaigrette.

Instead of doing the stairs we hit the market bright and early today. We are planning to go to a party tonight where I have been delegated the job of doing a platter of finger food. The theme of the party is Martini. I still have not decided whether I am going to have one or two or not, since things like gin and vermouth are verboten during Stage I. And after two rather generous martinis, the kind made at parties, I may feel the urge to start breaking rules. So I have to keep a tight chain on my participation during this whole event. It is going to be challenging. You may be wondering if I plan to do the finger foods Montignac friendly. Some will be, like shrimp, and artichoke hearts, etc. But others will not. I actually have a whole lot of flour in the cupboard, and plan to use as much of it as possible to get it out of here. That way it won't go to waste. I'll be documenting the things I'm making and have not decided whether they'll go on this thread or not. I don't want people thinking they can eat profiteroles on the Montingac plan. There is actually a chapter on how to manage events, cocktail parties, and being a guest. There is nothing more rude to the French as someone sitting there pouting and refusing to take things that are offered to them when they are guests. Dr. Montignac offers several solutions for disposing of drinks. One is to discreetly slip into the wc, and pour it in the toilet. Another is to place your glass strategically within reach of a known heavy drinker and switch glasses with that person when their supply seems to be getting low. Another is to pour it in a plant although I did not find that amusing, I love my plants and hope that no one would ever pour a martini in one of mine! Anyway, the market was full of scrumptious things to look at. Here's a few of them. Our major shopping for this week is done: Lettuce (3 kinds) sage, a chicken, thyme, radishes, butter (most of this will be used in making the party platter for tonight), cherries, pain integrale, cheese (Bleu d'Auvergne, St. Nectaire, St. Marcellin, Comte), celery root, bitter chickory, fish fillets, apples, chives, cherry tomatoes, chevril, basil, more radishes, onions, parsley and red onions. Three different kinds of fresh fish: Sole, Merlan, and Lingue, a fish we recently discovered and find is quite good. We are learning a great deal about the qualities of fish and how they each act differently. Lunch was a big salad with fresh lettuce, basil, sage, parsley, chevril, chives, cherry tomatoes, lentils, and salad de museau from the butcher. Have a great Saturday!

Bux, the things I'll be cooking today are definitely not Montignac. I am cooking these for my friends to eat -- It's a good way to use up all the flour in the house! Today is the day of the party. Off to the market!

Not only that, docsconz, but there's an interesting chart where they tested the blood glycemia level of someone after eating 50 grams of pure glucose and measured it continuously over a period of 180 minutes. Then they did the same thing with 50g gluscose + 14,5 grams of pectin. Theres a huge spike in the glycemia when the person eats pure glucose, but only a rather wavelike flux of glycemia when the glucose is combined with pectin. So fiber acts to smooth out the reaction to sugar. Bloviatrix was right! But you don't. Chocolate is definitely allowed (as long as it's 70% cocoa content or higher).

If it's a good flavorful stock, and I could do anything with it, I'd whip up a batch of home made pasta and just have the stock and the pasta. Plain. Maybe a few clippings of cilantro or parsley in it.

Interesting statistics (from Montignac's book) - in a study of the eating habits of obese subjects (Pr. Creff), it was determined that 15% just eat too much, 34% eat amounts that correspond with the norm of the rest of the population, and 51% eat significantly less than the norm. Conclusion: Overweight people aren't eating too much, they aren't eating enough good food! I went back to the butcher and got a wedge of bacon. Tonight we begin with the famous Dr. Montignac lentils. The recipe is not his, but the idea is. He says that in the year 1920, the French used to eat 8 times more lentils than they do now. The idea was that this was a staple of the French diet and now people never eat these anymore. Great! I thought. I can look up all kinds of fabulous lentil recipes from my old cookbooks, one from the turn of the 20th century (it's not dated but it is estimated as circa 1900 by the person who sold it to me), the other from 1922. There is not one recipe for any preparation involving lentils in the 1922 cookbook and a vague and sketchy description of a dish in the older book, which is actually a handbook for scullery maids, and the recipe does not even mention bacon! Dude this is crazy! Further investigation and I find out that lentils were considered the "meat of the poor" and no one from the class that would buy a cookbook would ever prepare such a dish. France must have had more than 8 times the number of poor people in the 1920s! I love lentils! I'm poor! This works! Bacon, onion, bouquet garni. Brown the bacon, add the onion and slowly sweat until it releases enough liquid to deglaze the pan. After picking through and washing the lentils (do that because I found a rock and 2 unknown sticks), add them to the bacon and onion, throw in your bouquet, and a teaspoon of salt. This is about as close to Janes Crazy Mixed up Salt as we get over here. Cold water to cover, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Lentils. Enjoy with a generous glass of tomato juice.