eG Foodblog: bleudauvergne

[arbuclo]

GREAT blog! I especially love all the pictures. Keep 'em coming. Where did you move from when you moved to Lyon? Did your cat have to be in quarantine?

[bleudauvergne]

I notice that Pan is awake, at 6am New York Time. Alright Pan!

I've just come home from the market and am going to process the photos I have taken this morning and get lunch started.

-Lucy

Edited April 17, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[bleudauvergne]

First Stop - La Boulangerie. My Boulanger's name is M. Phillipe RICHARD, an artisan baker. This means he makes his bread for his own profit, on site.

His lovely wife minds the till.

Alright my dear, here's your croissant:

Their specialty breads are their bread and butter. They sell an excellent baguette, but the other breads are what they sell the most of.

Mr. Richard has a Japanese stagiere. Recent discussions about baguette made me think particularly about her. When I was taking French lessons, I had a Japanese friend who was here specifically to do a stage in a boulangerie. I also had another Japanese classmate who was doing graduate research into Proust's references to food. [GRAND GENERALIZATION] Most Japanese people I know are impassionned by all things food related. [/GRAND GENERALIZATION] I asked Mme Richard if the stagiere was here and if I could come back at a less busy time to talk to her. Madame Richard agreed, and called her out front.

Do you agree to talk to me tomorrow?

There were customers waiting but she agrees to let me ask her a few questions tomorrow!

Yes, I agree!

If anyone has specific questions to ask, PM me and I'll take them down and be sure to ask her.

Next stop was the market - on the Quai St. Antoine. But I'll post about that after LUNCH - we are starving! On the radio right now, Jean-Pierre KOFFE is interviewing people about fish - they are talking about Peche "au petit bateau"! We had this type of fish in the restaurant Thursday! So interesting! And coincedentally, I just bought a fresh line fished Sea Bass.

Be back soon.

:starving:

-Lucy

Edited April 17, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Did your cat have to be in quarantine?

Luckily Sissy has never had to be in quarantine. I adopted her as a kitten in Beijing. She spent her childhood there with me, and went back to America with me. No quarantine. But she had to have her shots. When we moved to France, my mom kept her until we found an apartment and sent her Delta pet freight. They mis-marked her bag as passenger accompanied, and she was lost in Paris, rotating around a baggage carousel for hours, and she missed her connection to Lyon. They could not locate her and were not being very helpful, so I finally just decided to hop on the TGV to Charles de Gaulle and get her myself!

Thank you for asking.

[bleudauvergne]

Highlights of my experience at the market this morning:

After leaving the bakery, I walked down the quai to the market. I passed the booksellers who open their stands by the side of the river and spied two bright red 1997 Michelin guides blaring out from the stacks of books that one book seller had piled in the lock box, he was just setting up. I wondered if that would still be useful. Guess not. Restaurants change, bloom and fade, their life span is on average not so long, it seems. If someone had a good meal 5 years ago at a restaurant, there’s no guarantee that it’s still going to be good now. Association with any number of Michelin stars could possibly be a curse, in my opinion. It’s certainly a challenge that forces a test on the fortitude of everything a chef has created, for a restaurant. I get this impression from what I've been reading about people being dissapointed lately.

Rain rain go away!!

I reached the market and decided to close my umbrella, although it was still drizzling. It’s a thing of mine. I have seen couples with enormous wide load child transport vehicles that they conveniently use to load their purchases on, completely blocking all pedestrian movement at this market. Stampedes are certainly possible on the Quai St. Antoine, things must keep circulating, or everything, including the commerce, stops. We’ve always said – When WE have a baby… Second worse are umbrella promenaders. The people who stroll through the crowded market poking every other person’s eye out with an their umbrella. What’s up with that? Donc, close umbrella, unless it’s pouring.

The first place I went was my fish monger, looking for poulpe. We eat fish around once a week, sometimes two. I had some really lovely poulpe (octopus) a couple of weeks ago, which I cooked according to Joel Robuchon’s cooking show’s recipe, a la greque and served with aperetif. Simmered with a packet of coriander seeds. I wanted to try it again. Unfortunately, they only had calamari. So I bought 6 small ones. That should make a nice appetizer or supper, stuffed some time this week. I can throw them in the freezer until I’m ready to use them.

I asked him what I might cook whole. I’m in the mood to stuff a fish. He suggested two fish we have eaten in the past two weeks, and I wanted something different. I was torn between the lake trout from the alps and the line fished sea bass. The trout are easy whole cookers. I finally decided on the sea bass. It’s rare to find it line fished at a price lower than 25 Euros a kilo. I didn’t want it filleted, but he removed the scales and gutted it for me. I want to see about stuffing it. I can fillet it at home, if I do decide not to cook it whole, after all.

The chevre lady who brings the pickings from her garden had toupinambour. I took a picture, because it reminded me of the time I was so happy to buy it that one time. Never ever again. But I do still think they’re pretty.

I asked her if she had any chickory. This is something that only comes really fresh from people’s gardens. Only recently I have been thinking hard about the winter salads, after reading the salad class. Not long ago, we had a bunch of chickory, and I wilted it with garlic to serve with sautéed pork slices. It was SOOOO good. I felt like I was in the middle ages. She said that now at this time I might find some, but it would already be old She said it’s a winter salad and can only be found fresh in winter. There’s always next year…

A chef had left his kitchen to pick up apples.

The cheese lady where I get my bleu d’auvergne sometimes has Diots de Savoie. I’m thinking of making a vegetable soup. Diots are a very subtly seasoned and mild sausage that harmonize exquisitely with mild soups. She didn’t have any left. Oh well, I can get them elsewhere, or substitute them for my butchers godiva. I did get 6 eggs, a St. Marcellin, and my slice of bleu.

Soup. Rutabaga, carrots, potatoes, navets (English name for this vegetable escapes me at the moment), celery root, and my weekly bouquet. Tarragon, Dill, Coriander, Chives, Chèvrefeuille, Parsley. I thought it was beautiful and wished I’d photographed him gathering the bunch together and wrapping it like flowers.

Lastly, M. Coche has expanded his gamme of butters, now filling their decorative moulds with butter made in style Maitre ’d, which is butter with parsley, shallots, garlic, and salt. He says it goes well with beef. I’m thinking of the fish. He offered me a draget (sugar coated almond) to celebrate the baptism of his son, who helps him on weekends at the market. He looks to be about 13 years old, a bright, beautiful child.

Lunch:

Small seasoned aperetif cheeses (with walnuts, and chives).

Crudités du Marché with evoo, gros sel, and a slice of lemon.

Pain au Champs.

Cheese plate. We added a liitle Brebis - Berger de Dombes, and some Beaufort.

Wine – 1999 Chateau de Crémat – Bellet (from the region of Nice Alpes Maritime, a wine made with semillon grapes)

Edited April 17, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

Google

Priceline

Hotwire

Travelocity

How many frequent flyer miles do I have available?

Must go back to France.

Now!

When I asked you to do this I was thinking that it would be nice to have someone from France blog. I was not thinking that it would require rethinking travel plans and cost me lots of money.

[cakewench]

A quick check-in to the boards (off visiting family), and I see bleu is blogging! Damn! I won't be able to check in as often as I would like to, but things look great so far.

Excellent cheese shots!

[bleudauvergne]

Google

Priceline

Hotwire

Travelocity

How many frequent flyer miles do I have available?

Must go back to France.

Now!

When I asked you to do this I was thinking that it would be nice to have someone from France blog. I was not thinking that it would require rethinking travel plans and cost me lots of money.

Oh Bro-oks! Look over here!

[Larry]

I think this one is going to go down in the best of blogs section.

Might have to take a detour on my trip to London this summer and head back to Lyon!!!! Everything looks fantastic, the bread, the cheese, produce.

[Mayhaw Man]

Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.

French Strawberries. I'm sure they are delicious. Probably an import from Louisiana.

[bleudauvergne]

Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.

French Strawberries. I'm sure they are delicious. Probably an import from Louisiana.

Origine - Bayou.

I however do not have an ice cream machine (we chose the pasta press and now we have to watch our budget) and could never do your wonderful ice cream justice anyway.

[NeroW]

[Mayhaw Man]

Acutally, if you follow the sorbet recipe I reccomended in my blog you can do a totally acceptable version of it in the freezer. It does take a fair amount of going back and stirring regularly, and the ice crystals tend to be a bit large, but it really is good (the color is the best part, just gorgeous). I still haven't gotten around to putting the recipe in recipe gullet, but I will try to remember to do it when I get home from lunch.

[maggiethecat]

Why the hell do I lived where I do when I could be living and cooking in France? The cheese, the bread -- I was already seething with jealousy. But when I saw those fraises I almost wept.

This qualifies as porn, Lucy. Um, don't stop!

(You don't have to adopt me. I'm perfectly willing to sleep with the cat and wash your dishes. And my French is pretty good, albeit with a Quebecoise accent.)

[docsconz]

Lucy, How many extra rooms did you say you have? After all, we're all gpoing to need a place to stay - for a very long time

[balmagowry]

Must run now - will reply later re adoption criteria; believe you will find my book collection and cocktail qualifications satisfactory. (Glad my animals won't need quarantine.)

Meanwhile, three quick things.

Navets - turnips

Chevrefeuille - a type of honeysuckle

WHY ON EARTH don't you like topinambours?

[Jensen]

Dearest Maman,

Please adopt me instead of all these others. I'm sure I have something unique and desirable to recommend myself over them and, given time, I'm equally sure we well both come to realise exactly what that something is. All I need is a chance ...

Your loving daughter,

Jen

[balex]

What is chevrefeuille? I assume it is a herb -- is it the same as cerfeuil (chevril in English)?

Picture here

[SobaAddict70]

WHY ON EARTH don't you like topinambours?

What's that? They look like purple ginger root to me...

Soba

[bleudauvergne]

WHY ON EARTH don't you like topinambours?

What's that? They look like purple ginger root to me...

Soba

The Reason.

[cheeseandchocolate]

Ohhhh, this blog is killing me! Kiiiiiilling me, I tell you! How my heart aches! Waaaaaah! Que la France me manque!

But... I've got a ticket to France in June! Paris, not Lyon--but luckily, they've got food in Paris too. I'm supposed to be there to do research, though, so I won't be able to follow my stomach *all* the time...

[bleudauvergne]

Lucy, How many extra rooms did you say you have? After all, we're all gpoing to need a place to stay - for a very long time

You know what? I went to a party not long ago, where the people giving the party rented an entire ancient monestary. It was really really cheap. And had a courtyard, perfect for roasting lambs on spits. And an enormous actual kitchen. For 50 people it cost 15 euros a person. Can you believe that? It is absolutely true.

As for extra bedrooms in my house, we have a couch. If anyone wants to set me up with a luctrative writing contract, I'd be happy to quit my day job, write a book, and buy the apartment next door. Whoever does that will have a permanent bedroom with a fireplace and their name carved in the door frame. I would set the fire each night, run a warm bath to have ready at precisely one hour before dinner time, and place a fresh bouquet of flowers on the mantle each day. And I would adopt you. Any takers?

Edited April 17, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[balmagowry]

WHY ON EARTH don't you like topinambours?

What's that? They look like purple ginger root to me...

Soba

The Reason.

Poor girl - I guess you are allergic. I have a lot of Jerusalem Artichokes in my garden (they're like rabbits, or walking onions - if you have a couple today, tomorrow you will have a field of them - in fact, they are officially an invasive weed), we and our friends and neighbors have all been eating them for 30 years, and none of us has ever had a problem with gas afterward. Not ever. I have a special fondness for them - won't take up a lot of your blog elaborating - but thanks for pointing me to the thread. This is another monograph I have been meaning to write - and BTW, it turns out that in a circuitous way they are distantly related to artichokes after all.

Re writing contract - not immediately, but just be aware that when it does happen you will be expected to provide photographs as well, and I suggest you charge a separate fortune for them.

What is chevrefeuille? I assume it is a herb -- is it the same as cerfeuil (chevril in English)?

No:

Navets - turnips

Chevrefeuille - a type of honeysuckle

WHY ON EARTH don't you like topinambours?

Now please, children... pay attention!

EDIT to add: Hey, balex, I just looked at your chervil link and immediately bookmarked the page. Thank you for an enormously useful reference!

Edited April 17, 2004 by balmagowry (log)

[pnapoli]

yeah.

even the *%# cat food sounds good...

[jayhay]

Lucy, your photographs are just beautiful...they should be published!

I'm really enjoying your blog, & living in France vicariously through you. Much cheaper this way!