bleudauvergne

Bux is right, they don't refrigerate eggs here, although suddenly once they get home there's a panic (by my French husband) if they don't go directly in the fridge - go figure...

Infuse it in vodka.

What does the color do when you cook it?

This is how I am going to get rid of all of the flour I have in the cabinet. Yes, I was also thinking of smoked salmon profiteroles. JAZ, where did you see the recipe for the marinated shrimp?

Artichokes description of the biscuits brought back memories. Thanks.

Another American friend of mine here in Lyon is throwing a "Martini Party". I have quizzed him on the issue and he is from the old school - Martinis with gin and vermouth for him. However, I mentioned the idea of stuffing the olive with blue cheese - something I learned about here on eGullet, and he's curious! His wife who is French will have none of that - she wants a whole range of cocktails. I believe their common goal is to get everyone plastered. I have already decided to do a small platter of olives stuffed with various different things, perhaps even a seperate platter of them, since olives are plentiful here and it would be a fun thing to do, and another platter of eats for the rest of the guests... I have already taken cuisina's suggestion of purchasing a device that pits the olives (and cherries too). Has anyone seen finger food platters at cocktail parties that struck them as interesting? What, in your mind, is the perfect accompaniment (aside from olives) to a martini? I want to do something that tastes good with gin and will take the edge off, since I know this is not a sit down dinner. They asked me to do the platter, knowing I am type eG. Suggestions will be well rewarded with photos. p.s. Although I am currently on a "regime", my platter does not have to be, i.e. I can do breads and feuilletée things, just need ideas!

Wow that pork looks amazing. I'll be living vicariously through you, Nessa! That pie looks divine. Mmmm thank you very much!

A word about fats, and how to best use them when on the Montignac plan. He breaks them down into the following groups with their sources: 1) saturated animal: butter, the fat in meats, sausages, eggs and whole milks. 2) monounsaturated: olive oil, duck and goose fat, foie gras. 3) polyunsaturated vegetable: margarine 4) polyunsaturated animal: fish, shellfish The source of lipids that augment cholesterol in the blood are : saturated animal fats: charcuterie, butter, cheese, lard, whole milk and palm oil. The source of lipids that have little effect on our body's cholesterol level are : shellfish, eggs, and skinless poultry (I think that would include rabbit ) The source of lipids that lower the cholesterol are : olive oil, colza, sunflower, corn oil. etc. These are things to keep in mind as I choose what meats to eat. Although the charcuterie, butter, cheese, and whole milk are allowed, I should watch and be careful about keeping them under control. Although fish have no effect on cholesterol levels, they are helpful prevent cardio-vascular problems … He recommends that fatty fish are eaten (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, sardine) hence our upping the fish intake. He does say that cooking with butter is to be avoided, so I have decided that I will start choosing goose and duck fat over butter, and stop buying butter by the pound. There are plenty of other things to buy from the butter man. So his business won't go under because of my regime. When I cleaned out the refrigerator, I only had two things to throw away. Anything containing modified food starch or sugar had to go. We weren't eating that junk anyway. ----------------------------------------------- This morning I had the necatrine to pry my eyes open and we walked along the river instead of doing the stairs. The point was to get out of the house and keep the momentum of the routine change, although I was feeling sore and a bit tired out from all of the stairs yesterday. We were the first customers are the boulangerie this morning and got the bread hot from the oven! Just from the oven it's got a wonderful thin crisp crust. That's going to become a habit, I think. Needless to say I ate a lot of it this morning. I took a look at the sign, it's made with type 110 flour. Breakfast: 1 nonfat yougert 2T. strawberry compote about 150 grams of pain integrale BIO

It's been really nice, Seth. Thank you for sharing your week with us.

Here's a thread on Lyon dining And my notes from dinner at Gourmet de Seze But following Marc Veyrat...

John, thank you for this! -Lucy

bloviatrix - I'm just happy you came to see me, thanks for the encouragement. Montignac explains lunch in a few pages. I will try here to make it simple. It's a holiday today (Pentecost) so I am able to cook at home today. Lunch normally consists of the following: 1) Soup / Salad - crudites 2) Fish / Meat / Poultry 3) accompagniments which are any food below 35 on the glycemic index 4) salad 5) cheese 6) drinks In the French version, it can consist of appetizer, a main dish, cheese, dessert, and drinks. We didn't get that fancy, and the crudites were leftovers from the steamed veggies that had been drizzled with a basalmic vinaigrette and chilled overnight. A few lettuce leaves, and a chicken/mushroom salad made with an egg enriched vinaigrette whipped in the blender until thick. We had cheese, and skipped dessert. I really really wanted a piece of bread with the meal and my cheese. But I didn't give in. For the chicken salad: I sauteed sliced mushrooms until they began to give off their liquid, and set them aside. Then I shredded chicken meat and put the two in a bowl. The sauce: 1 egg, 1 t. of dry mustard, 1 T basalmic vinegar, 1/2-1 t. salt, and about 1/4 cup of oil, best olive oil and reg salad oil mixed. Whip in blender until it is a thick but pourable sauce. Pour it over the chicken and mushrooms. season with black pepper. celery, onion, etc. minced would have been good but I was too lazy to do it today. Blame it on the coffee withdrawl. I was very tired this afternoon, I think because of the lack of coffee, which I really craved at the end of the meal, and because I'm still craving sweets. I guess it'sll be a couple of days before I feel the energy coming back.

Lesley, thank you for your input on your interview with Montignac. It's pretty clear that there has been a great deal of controversy between researchers about who had these types of ideas first. I have also seen the montignac products which are great for convenience. I'm going to do my best to do this stuff on my own in my own kitchen using basic ingredients. begerka - your idea of pilates is a good one and I have heard from many people that it does wonders. I have not been able to find a dvd here in France yet, but I did try one workout once, and although it seemed very benign and low impact it really works the bod right down to the tendons. I should really do it but for now it's the stairs every day. We just started today but I feel like 15 minutes on the stairs should not be entirely too much, it was just enough to get me feeling like I'd done something but not too much. Back in my gym days the stairmaster was one of my favs. Hi Pan - What I hope to do along the course of this project is to explain the principles by doing. I guess for me it's not just that I don't like being overweight and want to look better, but the fact that weighing more and more is taxing on my body and unhealthy. I have not been feeling healthy lately. It's been established that this is one of those diets that uses food combinations to get the pancreas back into a healthy state - The problem is that the sugary and refined foods I felt like I needed to get through the day and had begun to crave all the time was causing huge spikes in insulin production, which then consequently caused a crash later. These constant swings were overworking my pancreas, and another consequence was that I was gaining weight. But I'm not explaining it very well. Sorry. Anyway. The point is that by following some basic rules and controlling what foods I combine during meals, I can eat everything, including chocolate, bread, pasta, lots of fruits and vegetables which I love, etc. while at the same time gaining healthier habits. That's the basic principle but it's explained in all of 300 pages in Montignac's book. Rachel, raisab. Bux, Giftend Gourmet: Thank you for the clarification, as usual, I was mispelling chevril! Yes in French it's cerfeuil. I pick it up whenever the person I buy my herbs from has it. It has a faint taste of anise. Please don't hesistate to give english names for the things that don't come out in English sometimes! raisab: Yes, the book is available at FNAC, you can get it on line or in the store. If you go to the amazon links and search on Montignac's name, you'll see he has written quite a few books. Thanks for your input!

Thank you Margaret and Pan! Dinner last night was perch in a papillote. I cut a large perch fillet into portion sizes of about 200 grams each, pressed a clove of garlic into about a tablespoon of olive oil, added salt and pepper, and painted it on the fish fillets. To that, I piled on a few herbs: fennel greens, thyme flowers, parsley, and cerfeuille. Then I wrapped them in baking paper: and baked for 15 minutes in a 160c/300f oven. To accompany the fish papillotes, we steamed fennel, zuchinni, and winter melon, and cooked up some peas. Drizzled with a little olive oil and seasoned, it was plenty! Then out came the cheese. I enjoyed a small glass of Clairette de Die (dry sparkling white wine) after the meal. --------------------------------------- Compote Maison One of the first things I did was to make the strawberry compote yesterday afternoon. The principle is simple. I think the fructose pumped "all fruit" jams are just too sweet for my taste. So I got a kilo / 2 lbs. of "second rate" confiture strawberries yesterday at the market at about 1/2 price. I am experienting, so I took a stab in the air about how much fructose to add to make it sweet, but not too sweet. I added 50 grams, 1/4 of a cup of fructose. And cooked it down until it was thick. Then I took the strawberries off the heat and dissolved 6 grams of "gelatine alimentaire (sans origine bovine)" (not from cows) to a couple of tablespoons of cold water and added it. I put it in a jelly jar, and once it was cool, I put it in the fridge. It yielded one jar of about about 400 mls of compote. I feel confident that I can eat one jar of this a week. Giving up Coffee One of the biggest adjustments for me, during Stage I, will be giving up coffee. I normally cannot function until I've had a cup. This first morning, we were trying to get up early, I was tired. My husband, however brought me a piece of fruit, which is recommended at least 15 minutes before breakfast. Loic brought me a nectarine, and it worked just as well in getting me going. I am having coffee withdrawl. It comes in the shape of a headache for me. I hope that goes away soon. Morning Routine Change Everyone always reads that diets are no good unless they incorporate some kind of fitness plan. Therefore one other major change we are implementing is that we are getting up one hour earlier than before, in order to fit in some physical activity. After my piece of fruit, we got up and hit the stairmaster: We climbed the stairs for 15 minutes. Luckily the city of Lyon has many many stairs. Then we walked down through a public garden and through vieux Lyon and back home again. It took us about 40 minutes total. Breakfast There are three types of breakfasts you can have on the Montignac plan. 1) Fresh fruits and all fresh fruits. 2) Glucidique - A grain breakfast, with pain integrale BIO, sugar free cooked fruit spread like "all fruit", and plain nonfat yougert. (I think that oatmeal or musili as Margaret has been enjoying could also be possible, as long as the musili does not contain any fat. The granolas we find in the store are often laden with sugar and fats. But if I were to make it at home...) 3) Lipidique - Eggs and meat (this is to be kept to no more than twice a week) Today I chose to have a glucidique grain breakfast. You can eat as much as you want, but not have any fat with the bread. I had my first serving of the strawberry compote I made yesterday, 2 nonfat yougerts, and a hunk of whole wheat bread. My husband and his sister ate most of the bread yesterday! Recommended drinks are: decaf, nonfat milk, light tea, chicory, soy milk, almond milk.

I think the photos are just amazing. I am a pretty visually oriented person and photos can do a lot for me to inspire me. Thanks for the link to this page. I'm going to keep checking in. If anyone's still having trouble getting the page to come up, try this link, it might work a little faster. click p.s. I like that pet recipe section!

I cannot believe I did not have my camera. But we were out having a drink with friends on a terrace after work on Friday. And as the sun set we saw down the way, these girls walking along, very shaprely girls in skin tight red plastic pants, and with very high spiked heels, tight white tee shirts, and with big huge red tanks with "Campari" on them. They were working their way down the street, giving anyone who called them over, tastes of Campari. They had little ice buckets attached to their belts, and reached down with tongs and put one in a little cup. Then they dispensed the campari and topped it off with grapefruit juice. It's the best way I've ever tasted Campari. Delicious. There was also a guy dressed in red who was following them, just in case anyone started to give them trouble. And they gave out little recipe booklets.

Thanks for the encouragement, GG Mora, Gifted Gourmet, Bux, & John. John - I have no doubt that Dr. Montignac is full of himself. However, I have absolutely no interest in his personality. I have two choices, lose the weight or keep it on and possibly keep gaining. I'm choosing to lose it, and perhaps I'll keep it off. I have no reason to doubt that I am one of those 10% you speak of. I had a chinese co-worker in Beijing, who was fabulously skinny. She said the way she kept the weight off was to stop eating rice whenever she felt the pounds creeping on. It worked for her. We'll see. I'm already committed to this project so there's no turning back now. I think my habits have been alright as far as taking in the right kinds of nutrition, etc. It's just that in the past year I've found myself doing things like keep cookies and candy at the office, take a sugary cappuchino, etc. Sometimes sandwiches took precedence over a real meal at lunch, during a period a few months ago. I love to bake and since moving into our new apartment I've been undertaking a whole slew of baking projects. And I took to experimenting with various cocktails involving liquors and sodas and syrups. Not to mention the ice cream. And the tamale period. So it's begun to show. And I'm determined to mend my ways. Edit to add I am at the age when I can feel that my body is beginning to slow down. I need to instill good habits now or else I will never get it under control. L

STAGE I As time goes by I will discuss the many aspects of how to put Montignac meals together and the principles that underlie them. However, if anyone wants to follow this plan with me, I urge you to buy the book, which explains things in much more detail than I will ever be able to do. You really have to read the book to fully understand what the principles are. I also heartily invite anyone who wants to follow this plan with me to post to this thread: discuss the details, offer your own tips and suggestions, and ask questions as you go along. I weighed this morning and will chart my progress daily during stage I. I haven't figured out how I am going to best show my progress, though. Back from the market on my first day of the Montignac plan. What we got today: Lettuce, trout fillets, fillets of a fish called "lingue", a smoked herring of which I bought only one because I want to try it out, 2 jars of pure tomato puree from the guys who grow the tomatoes, cerfeuille, tomatoes, cauliflower, oranges, chicken legs for stock, whole wheat bread containing no white flour (only farine "integrale bio", which is organic whole flour) from my regular boulanger, 2 mackerals, mushrooms called "lentin", 6 eggs, 3 large champignons de paris for stuffing, cheese: St. Marcellin, Charollais, St. Nectaire, and Bleudauvergne, nectarines, parsley, thyme, cherries, organic strawberries for jem, a celery root, and cherries. 1) Yes, bread is permitted in the Montignac plan, but I will go into that in much more detail later. The most important thing to note right now is that it has to be bread that contains not one iota of refined white flour. Because of Montignac, some boulangers in France now carry their version of "pain integrale", which is bread made with only whole wheat flour which integrates the entire case of the wheat. This is the best kind, and is also the hardest to make look and taste good, which is a reason why some boulangers don't bother with it. You can also get by with "Pain Complet", whole wheat bread, although it's not the best for stage I. Because most insecticides are found on the outer wheat casing, Montignac recommends that the flour be grown under the strictly regimented "BIO" label, which assures no insecticide. We know of three places not far from where we live in Lyon that carry this type of bread (pain integrale BIO). One of them happens to be our regular boulanger! We will be having him put aside a loaf aside for us every couple of days. 2) We are going to be eating more fish, because it is recommended during Stage I of the plan. Fatty fish are recommended. (I'll talk about that some more). 3) Note no potatoes, carrots, or parsnips. Soups are going to be thickened with celery root and cauliflower puree. 4) I will be using mushroom paste and spread for various purposes throughout stage I. I and will make a small batch to use during the week. 5) Although there are plenty of "all fruit" "sugar free" jams out there, they are really pumped up with fructose - which is allowed, but I personally don't need it so sweet. I have decided to make a batch of strawberry/cherry confiture spread, using only a very small amount of fructose if necessary, to enjoy with my bread at breakfast. Thus a kio of strawberries and 700 grams of cherries. 6) Cheese is allowed in unlimited amounts with the meat meals, although of course it's best to stay "reasonable" with the amounts I am eating. I won't cut down, as I already eat a fair amount of cheese. The only thing is that I won't be able to have bread with it during stage I. 7) Having a good supply of stock available for soups, sauces, and braising goes without saying, and I immediately filled the stock pot. Our lunch today was rather rushed since I cleaned the regrigerator, and wanted to get to organizing the ktichen shelves, and realized that it was late already. Sauteed shrimp, and radishes with a little bit of butter. Salad with olive oil vinaigrette. Cheese: in the center a Charollais, 2 o'clock St. Nectaire, moving clockwise a slice of Tomme de Savoie, St. Marcellin, and a large wedge of Bleu d'Auvergne (only the crust showing). My next few posts will document the process of getting my kitchen equipped: which products in my fridge and in my kitchen cabinets are off limits and I have had to either toss, give to the neighbors, or put in storage out of temptation's reach (like the masa harina which I would never give up). Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Why I am doing this and links to the books The other day, on the way to work, I caught a glimpse of my own silhouette in the reflection of a shop window. It was a reminder of a reality I can't put off much longer. I have put on weight, enough to cause concern. It's not comfortable. My clothes don't fit anymore. I won't get into the nitty gritty details. I have got to do something about it. How did this happen? I have simply made some headlong passionate choices, in the midst of a whole lot of good sensible choices, mind you, in combination with some events that I won't mention here, and my weight has crept up in the past couple of years. Now I need to get back on track. I have gotten the o.k. from the doctor and agreement from my husband to follow the same plan (he can stand to lose a few too) to go ahead and get started on the Montignac plan. Diets are not my cup of tea. And since cooking and research into all things food related are my hobbies, it's been pretty much impossible to find one that won't infringe on what I love to do most. I can't accept cutting anything out, either. I love vegetables, fruits, bread, meats, pasta (particularly making it, thanks to MobyP), I love to eat and to cook - traditional regional recipes are my passion, I am passionate about French cheese. Most of all I cannot follow a strict regimented menu made by someone who does not know my tastes and my passions, and how much time I love to spend in the kitchen. The good old hunter/ gatherer instinct for me is alive and thriving. The hunt is for me, absolutely one of the most important factors in many of my food / pleasure experiences, and without it, I would not derive such pleasure from food and cooking as I do. I sometimes do a lot of research into a region, history and traditions behind the dish I’m planning to prepare, I gather information, I look for the best source of ingredients for a particular dish, I make special plans to go and score that special thing that’s essential to doing justice to it. It’s my hobby. It’s my passion. I do not consider these activities a chore or something that has to be done before I can get to the pleasure of cooking, which needs no explanation. For that reason, I have chosen to turn my attention to a healthy change of habits based on the method developed by Dr. Montignac. I hope to come out of this able to fit into my clothes again, with some better eating habits. I am in France it's logical that I follow a French diet. You are welcome to join me on this journey! I hope to post along the way, my progress and the major themes involved in getting started. I also will do lots of cooking along the way. You do not have to be in France to follow this diet, there are US, UK, and French versions available of the book. I have not seen the other versions and since the French version costs so much less here in France, I'm following the French edition. I have already got it and read it. Maybe some of the recipes are different, etc., I know that there are some Montignac cookbooks available too. US version UK version in French OK, I'm off to get started! -Lucy

That's funny, I was just thinking about mayo. I'm like bux in that we don't buy it, we only make it at home. But we make a small batch at least once a week. I'm reading these old old French cookbooks and mayonnaise in the sauce sections of these books. In my mind, I guess I've always known that mayo is a sauce but growing up I always classified the store bought kind as a condiment. Reading these old books has it taking on new possibilities in my mind. click When I make it I only just do a blender mayo with one egg (like whole egg mayo), and I don't max on the oil. I always incorporate at least a part of the oil with olive oil and sometimes add walnut oil or even a drop or two of sesame oil depending on what I'm using it for. I like mayo maison dolloped on the plate with cold meats and pickles. We recently had pierreade, which is the french variation of the hot stone which comes out with thinly sliced raw meats where everyone grills their own at the table. It was served with 4 different mayo based sauces, each with different herbs and flavorings. Veggies are great dipped in it, actually anything dipped in mayo is good. A few capers chopped it's a fabulous sauce for lobster, langouste, and shrimp - try it! Deviled eggs are always good using mayo maison. The cookbooks I'm using are recommending it's use as a salad dressing - you might explore what directions you could go with that. Tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. Interested to hear how others use home made mayo.

Oooh Who's gonna be the suprise guest?

I will try and capture his soul on paper in another way, I think, and then he will be liberated.

A priceless essay, Brooks. Thank you.

He seems pretty happy, though, you two. I mean after all, what's so bad about being a butcher? I'm content to not persist with any more picture taking. I was going to say I did take a picture of him which he agreed to (during the foodblog) but he wasn't looking at the camera so maybe it doesn't count.

I'm not talking about the after effects of eating processed grains, I'm talking about the after effects of actually preparing pasta from scratch at home. The eating it part is fine. But If I prepared this at home and served it to people I love, even if I did not eat it myself, I can guaranatee I would still have this feeling, which is beneficial to my health.