The Montignac Method

[bleudauvergne]

Lucy:

What is the difference between the whole wheat hard semolina and the whole wheat flour?

We can get semolina flour here ( used for pasta ) but not the whole wheat. Perhaps it is whole spelt flour? Do you know of an American equivalent?

Foodie52, the semoulina can be made with whole wheat flour, apparently. It must say it on the package. It's darker in color than the regular refined semoulina. I wish I could tell you more. The consistency of the semoulina flour is not like the whole wheat flour at all. Keep looking and asking! Good luck.

Foodie52, your semolina question has sparked some investigation on this side, since in all honesty I know very little about it. I do know that semolina (Spelling it correctly in English is a good idea, and if anything I have learned that!) is different from whole wheat flour, because it comes from a different type of wheat. I looked up some definitions of semolina and have found that it is made from durum, which is a hard high protein type of wheat. This is usually used when making pasta in Italy.

When I was hooked on making pasta before going on the Montignac plan, I found several kinds of semolina, a more coarse textured one coming from Arab shops, which makes sense after my investigation, because couscous is also made from durum wheat. Other types of fine semolina flour are made from the same type of wheat and the finer the ground, the easier it is to make that nice al dente pasta with.

On Montignac, in the bio shop, I happened across something they call whole grain semolina BIO (which is important if you are buying anything whole wheat, because insecticides are often not washed from the outer hull of the wheat, and whole grain, if not organically grown, can have insecticides), which is apparently made with the complete durum wheat grain. The texture as compared with the regular refined semolina is lighter (due to the light weight of the bran and hull) and coarser than refined semolina. I’ll try and take some photos tonight of the comparison. The whole grain semolina has visible pieces of the hull and the bran in it, although it still makes a very nice pasta. When you look at the picture of the first time I was making the pasta, when it is being rolled out, you can see the whole grain irregularity in the dough. It comes from both the semolina and the whole wheat flour type 150.

Thank you Paul and bloviatrix for your kind words of encouragement!

Edited June 28, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[DRColby]

Lucy,

I've been lurking since you started this thread and the only totally positive to come from my observing is that I can guarantee you I would come to eat at your house any time.

I've bought the books, read them, got my wife to read them, and done a kind of half-assed job of trying to clean up some of our eating. (I think toughest part is giving up more than a glass of wine and not until after the meal.) We'll probably stick with some version of the plan since it comes close to the way we were trying to eat. It's just hard to not have that Snickers Bar and extra glasss of red wine at the end of the meal.

I am interested in eating well (or better, "healthy") and my wife in some weight loss.

We were at a party last night with a niece with two young, active children. She doesn't have much time of her own, but has lost about 10 pounds in a few weeks through an on-line Weight Watchers. I found this interesting because when my wife went to Weight Watchers (which was one of the few programs that worked for her) it was more like a religious gathering, or a go-to-school without your homework done meeting. It's pretty neat to be able to do this, by yourself, on-line. My niece looks good and feels good about herself; regaining much of her old confidence.

Well, that's my rant after lurking. The only other observation after all this would be that it is very difficult in the US to find out what is in the food we buy, despite all the "truth in lending" and other consumer protection laws.

dave

[bleudauvergne]

Lucy,

I've been lurking since you started this thread and the only totally positive to come from my observing is that I can guarantee you I would come to eat at your house any time.

Thanks!

I've bought the books, read them, got my wife to read them, and done a kind of half-assed job of trying to clean up some of our  eating.  (I think toughest part is giving up  more than a glass of wine and not until after the meal.)  We'll probably stick with some version of the plan since it comes close to the way we were trying to eat.  It's  just  hard to not have that Snickers Bar and  extra glasss of red wine at the end of the meal.

Dave, You'd be suprised at what a couple of squares of really good dark chocolate can do to curb that craving for a snickers! Give it a try!

The only other observation after all this would be that it is very difficult in the US to find out what is in  the food we buy, despite all the "truth in lending" and other consumer protection laws.

I know that it's not easy to make sense of ingredients and lists of the nutritional value of foods. Rule no. 1 is if you don't trust something, buy the raw ingredients and make it yourself!

Sugar in any form, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, malt, corn syrup, etc. found in many condiments is really common and one thing that's pretty easy to identify. If you can try and make your own condiments, like jams and compotes without sugar, ketchup without sugar, mayo in the blender at home, half the battle is won. (and it tastes better)

The next thing is spice and sauce mixes and pre packaged marinades, which contain modified food starch, thickeners, and sugar in many forms. These are to be thrown in the bin straight away.

Sausages and sandwich meats often contain dextrose - bad. The deli meats often have sugar or honey based brines. Again, buy the meat from a reliable source where you know the person who actually made it (our butcher does his own sausages), and slice meats directly from the animal for your sandwiches instead of buying it pre-sliced.

One major way to really improve your overall healthy eating habits is to cook and prepare vegetables, and lots of them, giving them the same care and attention you would meats, and try to eat more veggies on a regular basis. Soups always taste good and are very healthy too.

I hope you give it a try and keep checking back with your progress!

[bloviatrix]

I know that it's not easy to make sense of ingredients and lists of the nutritional value of foods. Rule no. 1 is if you don't trust something, buy the raw ingredients and make it yourself!

Sugar in any form, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, malt, corn syrup, etc. found in many condiments is really common and one thing that's pretty easy to identify. If you can try and make your own condiments, like jams and compotes without sugar, ketchup without sugar, mayo in the blender at home, half the battle is won. (and it tastes better)

The next thing is spice and sauce mixes and pre packaged marinades, which contain modified food starch, thickeners, and sugar in many forms. These are to be thrown in the bin straight away.

Sausages and sandwich meats often contain dextrose - bad. The deli meats often have sugar or honey based brines. Again, buy the meat from a reliable source where you know the person who actually made it (our butcher does his own sausages), and slice meats directly from the animal for your sandwiches instead of buying it pre-sliced.

One major way to really improve your overall healthy eating habits is to cook and prepare vegetables, and lots of them, giving them the same care and attention you would meats, and try to eat more veggies on a regular basis. Soups always taste good and are very healthy too.

I hope you give it a try and keep checking back with your progress!

After reading this, what strikes me is how sensible this plan is. Essentially, you shouldn't be eating things that are processed. Instead, if you take raw ingredients and make simple preparations you know exactly what's going into your mouth and avoid all that nasty stuff. At the same time, the natural flavors of the food will come through because it's not masked by artificiality.

I should note, I've suggested that several friends check out the book who are looking for a good diet.

[StudentChefEclipse]

This may be old news to folks here, but Jeffrey Steingarten wrote about the Montignac method in his "The Man Who Ate Everything". See "La Regime Montignac" for a typically Steingarten account of this weight-loss program.

[MobyP]

Lucy - you're an inspiration. Thanks for sharing all of this with us.

(And your pasta looks fantastic!)

[foodie52]

You know what? From your description of the flour, it sounds just like graham flour!

[bleudauvergne]

You know what? From your description of the flour, it sounds just like graham flour!

Graham Flour description at epicurious.

Semolina discription at epicurious.

I don't think they are the same thing...

But graham flour might be a nice thing to try as a substitution for the regular whole wheat flour.

[bleudauvergne]

Dinner Sunday was nice and simple, it was hot and we were tired from cleaning the house, and we had a movie to watch. I had washed all of the the windows that afternoon, and the windows in the cases down the hallway, it was a big task.

Anyway. We had cold fare for dinner that evening, consisting of Tete de Veau gallatines with pied de veau salad. They went quite well together. I did not have a chance to paint them with gelatin. Next time, we have two left.

We had a guest for dinner the other night and I put a chicken on the roti. I was rather dissapointed with it, I don't know. It was a rather boring meal. Along with the roti, I served puree de celeriac, pureed celery root, and garlic sauteed spinach. The meal was alright but not spectacular. I was rushed and unable to take pictures that evening.

Today I was home for lunch so I cooked some lingue (ling) fillets. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite inexpensive fish. It's the texture I love so so much. I quickly poached it and poured a soy and sesame vinaigrette over it for the last couple of minutes of cooking. Delicious and satisfying.

[ludja]

Today I was home for lunch so I cooked some lingue (ling) fillets. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite inexpensive fish. It's the texture I love so so much. I quickly poached it and poured a soy and sesame vinaigrette over it for the last couple of minutes of cooking. Delicious and satisfying.

I love this type of asian-fusion preparation--easy and quick and so tasty. I found another great prep in which you wrap a piece of fish (like cod) in a softened Vietnamese rice wrapper. Then it gets crisped in a little oil, part of the time with a lid over to help cook. Then finished by cooking a little more in a sauce of soy or tamari, rice vinegar, shallots, green onions and chile... The wrapper adds an interesting flavor/texture and the sauce adds a bright note.

[bleudauvergne]

Today I was home for lunch so I cooked some lingue (ling) fillets.  This is quickly becoming one of my favorite inexpensive fish.  It's the texture I love so so much.  I quickly poached it and poured a soy and sesame vinaigrette over it for the last couple of minutes of cooking.  Delicious and satisfying. 

I love this type of asian-fusion preparation--easy and quick and so tasty. I found another great prep in which you wrap a piece of fish (like cod) in a softened Vietnamese rice wrapper. Then it gets crisped in a little oil, part of the time with a lid over to help cook. Then finished by cooking a little more in a sauce of soy or tamari, rice vinegar, shallots, green onions and chile... The wrapper adds an interesting flavor/texture and the sauce adds a bright note.

ludja - the wrap is a nice idea. I think I'll try it with lettuce, or see if I can find a mung bean based wrapper at the Asian markets, since I'm restricte don rice intake on the Montignac plan. Thank you for the good idea!

[bleudauvergne]

Today is the one month anniversary of my having started on the Montignac Plan. It’s time to take stock.

How much weight have I lost? 10 pounds! The first 4 came off quickly, and the remaining 6 have come off slowly, without fanfare. Weighing from day to day I rarely see any fluctuation, up or down on the scale, it’s been very gradual, something that has been at times trying on my patience, because I want miracles! But in essence it’s working and I plan to continue.

How to do I feel? Having lost 10 pounds, I feel much better than I did a month ago, that’s for sure. A few things in my closet that a month ago I could not even button are now at least fitting on my body, although they are still straining here and there (I hate that!). 10 pounds is about the equivalent of 3 large bottles of water. I place this water in a sack and imagine carrying the sack everywhere I go. Unimaginable. The physical relief I feel is real.

With the change in eating habits, I find that my general spirit has lifted, my energy levels are better. The cyclical daily mood swings are a thing of the past, and I see that they were food related. Before starting on the plan, I was completely beat at the end of the work day. It was a real effort to keep moving to take care of household tasks at the end of the day and it affected my emotions. Social activities during the week were difficult. It was also hard to get out of bed, and in the afternoon I needed a cup of sweet coffee and some candy to pull me out of a mid-afternoon slump. Now, my energy levels have balanced out to a large degree. I feel, on the whole, in comparison to where I was a month ago, a definite improvement in energy level throughout the day. It’s rare that I’m simply exhausted like I was anymore.

I have been confronted recently with finding an equilibrium between how I feel and how I look. I am on the whole enchanted and full of joy with the positive changes in the way that I feel since starting on the Montignac plan. But the truth remains that I still have significant progress to make. Patience is a virtue. I went to the doctor yesterday, and she weighed and we talked. We agree that I have made progress but I should not stop here. I should continue on the plan. Sometimes this is disappointing, because I am still significantly overweight – unhealthily so. It’s been hard to realistically gauge my own progress based on how I feel, because I get very overly excited about the small progress I have made.

I thought about buying new outfit to reward each 10 pounds (good excuse to shop). Yesterday I went to the sales which are starting in Lyon. I went to my favorite clothing stores and pulled a couple of nice summery outfits off the rack that seemed like they’d look nice on me. Guess what? They didn’t really look smashing. They didn’t even fall like I thought they would, even in the appropriate sizes. I found that it was less traumatic to buy – shoes (3 pairs).

Here’s a good analogy. You know when you have something stuck in your tooth, and you’re feeling it with your tongue, and it feels like it’s huge, and once you’ve finally dislodged it, you realize that it’s an itty bitty little microscopic shard? Well, how I feel after being on Montignac for a month is kind of like that. My soul tongue is feeling around in my inner self, and sensing wonderful huge changes. But when I actually look, they’re not all visible. I might as well face it. 10 lbs. has not made a significant change in the way I look. Most people (except close friends and family) have not noticed. I still have progress to make. It has dawned on me that this whole process will require some meditation and concentration and adjustments to make on more than just my weight – something I am prepared to devote some time to focus on more closely.

As you may have noticed, I am not documenting every morsel that goes into my mouth anymore on this thread, because it would be repetitive. Now that one month is over, my posts will focus on quality - they'll come when I’ve got something significant to share, like new cheeses and recipes with photos, progress, etc.

Edited July 1, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[helenjp]

Congratulations Lucy on losing 10lbs!

I'm really intrigued to watch you cooking "low glycemic" in Lyons, while I do the same in Japan (though not quite the same, as I am rushed at the moment and also have young kids).

This adaptability is what makes me think that this is a good way to eat - it is amenable to anybody who is prepared to cook their own food, no matter what they like to eat.

When I first walked into my local supermarket to shop after I started dieting last year, I realized how little of the supermarket was relevant to me - how LITTLE of a supermarket is devoted to fresh produce and plain, unprocessed dry goods.

I lost 40lbs following the Sugarbusters plan last year, put a good 5 back on being lazy over winter, but found the benefits to health (allergies etc) and energy enough to stick with it with or without further weight loss. (Quite agree that Sugarbusters treated their debt to Montignac scurrilously).

Japan is famous for its "sweet/salty" flavors, which always puzzled me, given how recent an addition sugar is to the Japanese diet, but I now believe that underlying that is the "sour/salty" flavor range which fits better with Japan's South-East Asian cultural roots (which precede the Chinese/northern influences).

My obsession with pickles led me to another thought...that maybe pickles are about as old in the human diet as cultivated starches? That the additional starch in our diets was well balanced by the addition of soured foods?? Just wondering...

I'm also enjoying the pix of Lyon - haven't seen any since my elderly penfriend sent me some postcards "to decorate the wall of your grass hut"...I often wonder just what his image of New Zealand was like!!

As you were Lucy, as you were - great to hear your progress!

[s'kat]

It may be disheartening, but they say the pounds that disappear the slowest are the ones that tend to stay off for good.

If you keep this up, by September you will have lost 30 pounds. Bravo!

[ruthcooks]

Nothing significant in over a week?

[bleudauvergne]

Dear Ruth - I took a short break from posting progress on the plan, due to important guests arriving and then another unnanounced, filling the couch and even the lumpy fold-out bed and monopolizing all of our evenings! I could write a chapter on how to entertain while staying on the Montignac Plan. It's easier than I thought not to drink with guests, no one ever notices!

During this past week we went to our favorite restaurant, Chez Pierre, which I discreetly recorded. A pleasant suprise occurred, and those who were with me on the blog will be happy to see.

The significant progress since last week is that I've lost another pound, despite the foie gras au torchon on thick slabs of white toast that Monsieur Pierre served to me (I don't order at Chez Pierre, I trust his choices completely), and I have also been presented with an excellent job opportunity within the organization where I work, but that has little to do with my having lost weight (I hope! ) I do know I'll have to fit into my suits by September.

-Lucy

[ruthcooks]

Congratulations on the new job opportunity, Lucy!

I'm watching your diet with interest, since it's the one and only time I've ever seen diet food look attractive. Because I have traditionally "dumped" diet books after I've bought them, I didn't want to pay $35 for a used copy of a Montignac. I did put out $5 for one of Suzanne Somers' books so I could get a few more ideas. Do you--does anyone--know the differences between the two? I'm sure there are some, since she surely could not have copied his diet verbatim.

Any diet separating fat and carbs is discouraging to me, since I look at carbs as a great excuse for indulging in my favorite food, butter. Also, I like something sweet with the main meal, but I can get around that with a sweet salad dressing made with a little Whey-Low (cookies made with Whey-Low don't seem to affect my blood sugar at all).

I'm diabetic, and I know that eating carbs for breakfast tends to raise the blood sugar very fast, which is already highest in the morning. Breakfast cereal is a disaster any time of day, but no problem, since I don't like it. I have, however, been eating more fruit now that summer is here, and it's not affecting the blood sugar. Perhaps I could eat the fruits/carbs at lunch, when my blood sugar is lowest.

The doctors say that when you are taking insulin, it's very difficult to lose weight because the insulin keeps telling the body to store more fat. I've just about decided the only help for that is to eat better so I require very little insulin.

By nature a slug, I have started a slow but sure "fitness" program but do I ever hate it. I know I feel better, but nothing makes me want to get up in the morning, especially when it has to be followed by testing blood, taking pills and insulin, eating, showering and hair washing (bad case of bed hair), sometimes cat and dog feeding and pill-giving (my daughter's pets) before I can leave the house. The program is just now getting to the aerobic stage, since I started 4 months ago with physical therapy to increase my muscle strength and chiropractic for the ever present back pains. The pains have lessened, and

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, and am determined to heal myself. As the statistics you quoted indicated, I am one of those who eat much less than other people, so didn't want to start the life-changing diet part until I could exercise. Every year since I quit ballroom dancing for 5 or 6 hours a week, I've gained 10 pounds. Alas, I ran out of money, developed some kind of shoulder pain lasting two years (finally diagnosed as a diabetic condition), and gained weight so my feet can't take dancing any more--or at least, not now.

If this is the plan I decide upon, I'll get the Montignac book. Keep up the good work.

[bleudauvergne]

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, and am determined to heal myself.

Dear Ruth -

Congratulations on making this decision. Sick and tired is an excellent reason to take action.

I certainly understand when you describe your morning routine and say it's overwhelming. One step at a time, one day at a time. Carrying the burden of excess weight, especially that which you have gained recently, and in addition to having been obligated to give up your ballroom dancing due to health reasons is undeniably painful.

What ever plan you finally do adopt in action against this situation which has you enchained in this cycle of fatigue, be sure to discuss it with your doctor, who can not only be sure to monitor your progress, but offer some insight into the best way to do it with your diabetes in mind.

By replacing refined sugars and refined starches with fruit based sweet flavors and whole grains, which smooth out the peaks and valleys, you've made a first step. Once you've begun to see its effects, you won't regret it.

Lucy

Edited July 11, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[Lisa J]

Lucy,

Wow. Vraiment. Wow. I just came across your blog a few days ago and knew that I had to set aside some time to properly absorb it. I spent the better part of this rainy Paris afternoon reading the entire thread. Let me add my thanks and appreciation for your beautiful photos and your honesty in sharing this.

I have put on some weight since coming to France, mostly due to the hazards of culinary school and now being a stagiaire. My general good sense about food and nutrition has been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food around me everyday, especially in situations where I am "required" to taste. I walk everywhere in Paris, but I am not nearly as active as I was before coming here. All of your recipes are inspiring and I know that if it were entirely within my control, I could happily follow your regime. Unfortunately, I don't have the option to cook all of my own meals.

Add to that a typical, itty, bitty Paris kitchenette (I call it the Play Skool Kitchen). No oven, mini-fridge with freezer drawer and none of my favorite appliances (food processor, pasta maker, blenders, etc. are all boxed up in storage far away). This is the glamourous side to living in Paris that you don't hear about.

When I am at home I am also cooking for myself these days because my boyfriend is not in the country. So my challenge is eating creatively and well under these conditions. Maybe I should start a thread on tiny kitchens? (i looked and have not found one)

On the positive side, I live near fantastic open markets, it is summertime so salads and other dishes that don't require an oven are more appealing and I love fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and lentils!

One question for you. Do you know if you are spending around the same amount as in your food budget before Montignac? I often think that eating well can be more expensive, (organic foods, whole grains and fish). Just curious, since I am on the stagiaire's budget.

Like so many have commented, your postings do not look at all like any diet I have ever seen. It looks like delicious, wonderful food and your vision of Lyon is très jolie. I will be following along from here.

Lisa

Edited July 12, 2004 by Lisa J (log)

[bleudauvergne]

One question for you.  Do you know if you are spending around the same amount as in your food budget before Montignac?  I often think that eating well can be more expensive,  (organic foods, whole grains and fish).   Just curious, since I am on the stagiaire's budget.

Lisa, I was wondering how you were, it's nice to hear your still in Paris. Thank you so much for your comment!

To answer your question, my spending habits have changed but the budget has not gone up. Since I've been bring lunches to work these days, and we're buying less meat, that's dropped the amount. The Bio products are mostly raw ingredients, lentils, brown rice, etc. Not very expensive - I'm not taking supplements except brewers yeast or buying any of the exotic things that are expensive in the bio shops. I've found that since I am making my own pasta at home, the price is only centimes a meal on the nights we eat pasta, and we eat it a lot. We do spend more per gram on goose fat, but we've cut down on its use and also cut drastically on butter. I am eating my own compote so it costs whatever the fruit costs, plus a few centimes for 3-4 T. fructose. We have always eaten lots of vegetables, I would say that has remained the same.

In all, the budget amount has not increased, but I have spent more time on extra projects on the side, pasta, crackers, compotes, etc. (perhaps this is balanced out by the baking I used to do?)

Recently we spent a bundle on good olive oil and vinegars. As long as we are improving the general quality of what goes into our diet, this follows along. It makes sense to use only really fresh tasting and high quality for our vinaigrettes, which make salad eating that much more pleasurable.

The wine expenditure has remained constant, because we've bumped up the quality while reducing the quantity.

As for a stagiere's budget and your hectic schedule. I can certainly understand how easy it is just to buy a baguette and some cheese and call that a meal, and how that can start showing on your hips. But you can start with a few small things -

1) Pots of 0% fromage frais bio and pain complet - for breakfasts. Casino and Monoprix both have their store brand of this kind of fresh cheese if you're really looking to cut corners on the budget. The pain integrale costs more per loaf but lasts several days so it evens out. Locate a good source and keep stocked up.

2) Lentils and dried beans are very cheap and a good source of fiber. You can do a batch on weekends and keep using them in various things throughout the week.

3) Soups and purees have been a godsend for me, I have been pouring my creative energy into them lately. All you need is a stock pot and you can cruise your market for bargains. You can do cream based soups and follow with cheese, or stick to strict purees and have WW pasta with them.

4) Fish is problematic in Paris, and especially as a stagiere. From what I remember it was really expensive to get fresh fish when I was a student in Paris. Even more problematic with a bachelor pad frigo, the kind without the real freezer, which prevents you from stocking up when the price is right.

Can you get permission to use the freezer at work? If you can, and you're serious about saving some money, you might consider checking out what Picard has to offer as far as fish goes, and keeping it at work. In reading their labels it's clear they generally don't coat things with starches or soak their meats in sugary brines. Thier Limand fillets are quite good, and I keep sea bass filets in the freezer for backups or last minute guests. They're generally less expensive than fresh from the fishmonger...

Good luck!

Edited July 12, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[raisab]

Lucy,

How can you be sure the pain integrale is 100% whole wheat? I see it at the boulangeries in Paris all the time but do not trust that they don't use white flour.

Unfortunately, I don't have a relationship with a baker like you do...........

[bleudauvergne]

Hey Raisab - Pain Complet is going to contain some mixture of flours and be lighter and more springy, but "pain integrale" will be only whole wheat using the wheat and hull in its entirety. It will be dense and moist, cut almost like thick cake. Where are you shopping? Do you want me to make any calls? PM me if you need any help. Good luck.

[Lisa J]

Hi Lucy,

Thanks for your tips. I will definitely try some of the recipes you have posted in the thread. I do manage to keep my petite freezer full, with whole-grain bread, a bit of fish sometimes and even ice cube trays of reduced stock. I actually think I eat reasonably well, and now that I am not in school there are fewer opportunities to stuff myself with fresh pastry, fried potatoes or cream and butter sauces. For me personally, the key is being able to exercise. I know that the weight will come off - maybe not as fast I like, but it will happen. I am also one of those people who judges my health and weight by how I feel and how my clothes fit.

I think one of the most important thing you have touched on is finding a balance between your concern for your health, but in continuing to find joy in preparing and sharing food. I wouldn't be doing what I am doing now, if I didn't believe in both.

Cheers,

Lisa

[bleudauvergne]

I'm sorry my photos haven't been forthcoming, I've been really overcharged with summer and the activites that come with it - namely, guests!

This week the compote was pears simmered with ground vanilla bean.

The fromage of the week was Morbier:

Fresh herbs were all over the market:

And as I mentioned we're taking our vinaigrette up a notch with a 4 year aged white basalmic vinegar from Modena Italy and a fruity cold pressed evoo from the Moulin St. Michel in Mouriès. In this shop we had a chance to taste all of the products before we decided which one to buy. It was a really hard decision for everyone in the shop, and I think everyone must have spent at least 40 bucks each. It was all so good.

We got some ham to go with the amazingly sweet canteloupes that are available now.

We followed this with a salad.

Vive l’été!

Edited July 12, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[docsconz]

Beautiful photos as always, Lucy.