The Montignac Method

[bleudauvergne]

Pim, I can honestly say that enjoying this bottle has been a real pleasure so far, because I'm finding that the taste of the wine can actually improve over the days that we stretch it out. Not only that, but tasting it at least three times, on three different nights, allows me to put some thought into what stays with me and what strikes me as truly memorable about it, not just thoughts from one evening with friends or a special occaision when we were served something really good. I'm not sure if it's because my mind is evolving over the days - that I'm remembering and anticipating what struck me from the night before and then it suprising me again with the complexity. It could be an indication of my short attention span, it could be the different foods.

We've started by choosing some wines that have a lot of personality, mainly because I consider them to be a precious reward. I knew that the wine was good, but it wasn't until we went to the cafe and had lunch last week that I realized how my taste is being spoiled now. We had a little talk about that last night, as a matter of fact. We are going to continue sampling the best we can afford, and also stick with 10cl per evening, unless it's a special night or we have guests of course.

As for the age of these wines (the Cote du Rhones), when we arrived here in 2000 we started sampling and buying from the vignerons at the independent vigneron that comes here to Lyon every October. Now we are getting ready to open some of the bottles. But we're in no big hurry either to bring them up from the cave.

What we have paid for at the caviste for the last couple of bottles (The St. Joseph and the Cote Roti) is between 20 and 30 each in these past few weeks. I'm not sure what the price would be in a restaurant... But we should not be fooled by the price - when we ate at Gourmet de Seze a few weeks ago and took the sommelier's pairings, we were delighted with what we had (and the care that was taken in serving them at just the right temperature and the explanations, etc. from the sommelier) - I was convinced that these were very expensive wines - and my husband did some searching and found the caviste in town that provides them to the restaurant, he also sells to the public - all of the wines went for between 7 and 15 euros, retail, which was a real eye opener.

Up to now I have been talking a lot to Mr. Langlet, our local caviste, and he's been offering suggestions. If M. Langlet says try this for 8 euros, I'll do it. We've started local, and I think next week I might venture to Bordeaux, St. Emillion, something like that.

Edit to change a thought about ordering in restaurants - M. Pierre of my favorite bouchon explained that many restaurants make all of their their money from the wine they serve on tap, (and they serve a whole lot of it) and that the really delectable items on his list are sold at nearly no markup - he does this he says to allow people who really love good wine the chance to order it with their meal at his place.

Edited June 21, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[bleudauvergne]

I wonder if this is your light and fluffy charcoal.

I think it was your regular super market charcoal, Bux. They don't pack it into briquets here like they do back home.

[Bux]

I wonder if this is your light and fluffy charcoal.

I think it was your regular super market charcoal, Bux. They don't pack it into briquets here like they do back home.

Briquets provide a long cooking time. That's their only virtue. They don't smell very good and I suspect they impart that odor to the food. People blame it on the lighter fluid they use to start the fire, but I think the smell is built into the briquet. Real charcoal is far better for flavor. I'm not at all sure what those corn cobs were called now that I think of it, but they were a disaster.

[NeroW]

We are going to continue sampling the best we can afford, and also stick with 10cl per evening, unless it's a special night or we have guests of course.

How much wine is 10 cl?

BEAUTIFUL pasta, by the way. Goodness!

[curlywurlyfi]

Lisa, fromage blanc is curds in their whey, which are quickly drained before serving. They take the form of the mould, and the whole cake is rather light and crumbly.

does this mean it is like ricotta? am ignorant entirely and looking for assistance!

[Bux]

We are going to continue sampling the best we can afford, and also stick with 10cl per evening, unless it's a special night or we have guests of course.   

How much wine is 10 cl?

BEAUTIFUL pasta, by the way. Goodness!

There are 75cl (750ml) in a typical bottle of wine. If it helps, 10cl is the same as 3.3814023 fluid ounces. It may be more graphic to understand that if you share one bottle among 7 or 8 diners, it's about what you'd get as your share.

[bleudauvergne]

Lisa, fromage blanc is curds in their whey, which are quickly drained before serving.  They take the form of the mould, and the whole cake is rather light and crumbly.

does this mean it is like ricotta? am ignorant entirely and looking for assistance!

Fromage blanc faiselle is like a cross between cottage cheese and yougurt. It's very light. I doubt you would be able to use it in the same way in cooking as ricotta because it's much less substantial.

Edited June 23, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Things are going fine on the plan, I’ve been faithfully making sandwiches and having them at lunch. This week I am enjoying some whole rye bread (pain de siegle), which is a little harder in texture and has a specific taste, and it does not absorb liquid as readily as the wheat bread.

Sandwiches these past couple of days have been tomato/wild mushroom coulis, and tomato/cervelle de canut. I am keeping up the fruit habit, and unfortunately my big plan of cooking for lunch the next day has been somewhat hampered by social activities in the evenings as of late, one of which was the fete de musique, which we celebrated by going to a chamber music concert.

We have added three new cheeses to the cheese plate, an Epoisse, a Selles sur Cher, and a lovely little cheese macerated in marc and wrapped in some kind of leaf, it's called Cavet Feuille, produced in the Drome, in a town called Dieulefit. In fact Loic and I have been to that town, they have a lot of potters, and we stopped in the town to buy some mugs there. Can't say anything else about the cheese though, except it tastes good.

When purchasing the Epoisse (which is the orange one), the fromager was inclined to give me a rather young one. I did the right thing to refuse it and ask for one a little older, one that is “bien fait”. We like our soft cheeses to be consistent and soft right through the middle, although some people like to see their centers not quite “fondant”. We feel that the flavor benefits from a longer time in the right conditions. The fromagier is the best place for this to take place, because their cases are specifically calibrated to allow for the perfect ripening of cheese. The refrigerator is rather cold for cheese ripening, while room temp is too warm. The Selles sur Cher (the grey one - covered with ash) is also just perfect. It was the first time I have chosen this Cavet Feuille wrapped in leaves, and I cannot find it in my guides, but I will do some research on the producer and post it. It is delicious in small quantity. The marc flavor is distinct but not overpowering.

Here's a sample of the average serving of cheese -

At the market on Sunday, we snagged a couple of kilos of white asparagus for 2 €. I knew immediately that it would not all be edible, because they were clearing it out, and it was not at the height of freshness. At the end of washing, peeling, cutting off any hard parts, and examining closely, I’d say I had a kilo to work with. I made a crème of asparagus soup for dinner last night.

Lucy's Cream of Asparagus Soup

2 t. goose fat

1 onion, roughly chopped

100 grams wild mushrooms

1 kilo aspsaragus tips and high stems

1 pint of whole milk

½ t. white pepper

½ t. finely ground sea salt

½ t. nutmeg

a few sprigs of fresh tarragon

1 t. creole spice mix (click for link to post with recipe for this mix)

In a soup pot, melt the fat and sauté the onion, not browning, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook over higher heat until they begin to loose their juice, reduce the heat and simmer until the juice is almost gone. Add the asparagus, which has been carefully washed, and chopped into 1 inch lengths, and slowly cook for 15 minutes until it begins to soften. Cover the asparagus with milk, cover the soup pot, and slowly simmer for 35 minutes. At the end of the 35 minutes, season and puree the soup. Adjust seasoning (this was when I added the 1 t. of creole mix to add some complexity - it was not detectable in the overall end flavor, meaning it did not interfere or compete in any way with the asparagus, but it did subtly enhance the flavor of the soup).

Serve immediately.

I had planned to enrich the soup with egg yolks at the end, but it didn't need it.

Edited June 26, 2004 by Bux (log)

[NeroW]

We are going to continue sampling the best we can afford, and also stick with 10cl per evening, unless it's a special night or we have guests of course.   

How much wine is 10 cl?

BEAUTIFUL pasta, by the way. Goodness!

There are 75cl (750ml) in a typical bottle of wine. If it helps, 10cl is the same as 3.3814023 fluid ounces. It may be more graphic to understand that if you share one bottle among 7 or 8 diners, it's about what you'd get as your share.

Got it. 3.3814023 fluid ounces. Thanks.

[bleudauvergne]

Ok the photos of the cheese and soup are now added to the post above.

NeroW, Bux mentions that to make sure that you absolutely make the most of every last drop. Make sure you remember never to leave off those last .0014023 ounces, that's the best part.

Tonight I picked up a steak from the butcher, and he said I had a tired air about me. Thanks, M. Thermoz, real kind of you, you're not looking too hot yourself. (I actually forgot my keys this morning and had a long day, and missed the bus, and was wandering around the neighborhood waiting for my husband to come home...) He said he was worried about me, and asked if I'm not eating enought meat. It is true, in fact, I have not been in to see you in these past couple of weeks as often as I used to, that's true. That's ok, he said. You and your husband eat this tonight, and tomorrow you'll be as good as new.

I believe him.

Edited June 23, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[reesek]

lucy,

if i ever get married i'm going to try to bribe you into taking photos for my wedding. you make raw meat look noble and inviting!

are you currently eating your servings of cheese plain (ie - with fingers or a fork rather than with a bread substitute?) i use english cucumber or thin radish sometimes, but generally think i enjoy the flavor more completely plain.

loving the blog...!

[foodie52]

Hi again . Lucy!

Our first two weeks of South Beach dieting have passed. My husband has lost 12 pounds. I have lost 5. It's so hard to do! But we are persevering. This next phase reintroduces some carbs: oatmeal for breakfast and a slice of whole wheat bread at lunch. None in the evening. Also, a glass of wine is allowed again with dinner!

Changes in myself that I have noticed: I don't want more than a glass of wine. After a meal, I still crave sweets. I am having one piece of bittersweet chocolate to satisfy that. I am glad to have bread back, albeit one slice a day. No cheese.

I have energy. I feel good. We went to some friends for dinner last Saturday: we had decided beforehand that we wouldn't be rude and refuse their wonderful dinner. So we had each a glass of wine and slices of apricot tart for dessert. I felt uncomfortably full all night. It is interesting how one's body adapts to new regimes.

[bleudauvergne]

That's great foodie52. Congratulations.

I also felt really bad after that evening we did the martini party. At the barbeque I hid the potatoes under the bones from the pork chop. No one noticed.

Keep up the great work, and congrats!

Tonight I accidentally made whole wheat fat free wheat thins! They taste just wonderful. I will post about it tomorrow because I have to get to bed right away.

Lucy

[spaghetttti]

Dear Lucy,

You

are

my

hero!

Love,

Yetty

[Peanut1287]

Lucy,

You've inspired me to a) try the Montignac Method for myself, and b) register at eGullet, just so I can post on this thread! Next up, I think, will be a trip to France...

Thanks very much for the inspiration, photos and concrete advice on how to follow the program. Trying to choke down the information by reading the book and visually feasting on your photos just do not compare!

I hope that soon I'll have some success, though I'm having a difficult time weaning myself off caffiene and actually find that my mood suffers if I don't eat carbs after breakfast. I have discovered that a piece of good chocolate helps that, though... I just have to be very careful not to overdo it, as I have a long way to go - a good 60 pounds.

Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to your next installment.

Cheryl

[bleudauvergne]

Wow thanks Yetty and Cheryl, It's just wonderful that you've been inspired by this thread, and that perhaps this has helped you to make the decision to get healthy again. Congratulations. Thank you so much for the encouragement, too. Remember that I am certainly no expert in this method, and even though the book can get rather technical, it's really important to read it if you want to follow the method. This thread certainly can't replace the years of work that Dr. Montignac has put into scientific research. That said, I hope that my recipes and ideas for meals are helpful in getting you started and keep the creative juices flowing!

Reesek, to answer your question about how I've been eating the cheese, I have found that I simply prefer to eat it plain with a fork. The lettuce idea is alright with hard cheeses, I guess, but it detracts from the flavor of the cheese, in my opinion.

On to wheat thins (unfortunately I can't have cheese on these until Stage II - after I've lost the weight I want to lose)!

Crunchy Wheat Thins

85g. whole wheat hard semoulina

40 g. whole wheat flour (T150)

1 t. finely ground sea salt

(optional) 2T. chopped herbs, or other flavoring*

*This time I used something called “salad du pecheur”, which is a mixture of seaweeds gathered from Brittany, meant to sprinkle on salads. Ingredients are nori, sea lettuce, and dulse. My thought was to dust the crackers with wasabi after baking. A nice idea might be to add toasted sesame seeds, etc. to flavor them, although using just plain wheat makes an excellent cracker.

Make dough as you would pasta dough, working thoroughly into a homogenous mass. This may take some time. Cover and rest dough for a minimum of ½ hour. Cut the dough into 6 parts.

Roll each part thought the pasta press, first rolling through widest setting, folding into thirds, and then rolling progressively into a smooth sheet as thin as possible. (I went to the no. 6 setting, as for linguini).

Cut the sheets into rectangles, lay on baking paper, and bake in a preheated 400f/200c oven for 4-6 minutes, depending on the oven. It’s important that the crackers bake until they begin to brown around the edges to give them a good crunch. Use for non-fat dips, or top crackers with vegetables and aromatics to serve as an amuse bouche before a carb meal.

Edited June 26, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[NeroW]

Those are great crackers. You are re-inspiring me to get a pasta crank.

[Peanut1287]

Remember that I am certainly no expert in this method, and even though the book can get rather technical, it's really important to read it if you want to follow the method.  This thread certainly can't replace the years of work that Dr. Montignac has put into scientific research.  That said, I hope that my recipes and ideas for meals are helpful in getting you started and keep the creative juices flowing! 

Oh, not to worry! I've been reading the book - in fact, I've been carrying it with me everywhere I go in order to keep reading it! But, watching someone put it into practise makes it much more clear.

Those crackers look very, very good... One more reason to buy a pasta maker!

[foodie52]

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?

[bleudauvergne]

Bonjour mes copains et copines. My husband was pretty clear about his desire to get out and to the market early this morning, to do what we can to prepare for our houseguest who arrives tomorrow, and to also decide what to prepare for lunch today, since his sister was coming to eat at our house. He doesn't get why I tend to be so laid back when things get hectic. It's not that I'm really that calm, I'm trying to stay focused, and can't talk about stuff like I normally do. I didn't want to commit to any one menu before seeing what was at the market, and our walk down the quai to St. Antoine was rather quiet. There was a nice breeze blowing and it felt really good to be out early.

Our fishmonger is one of the first places we go because he is at the end of the market that we enter. We have to get what we can right away, because they run a brisk business and if we do the whole market, and come back right before going home, we're likely not to get what we wanted.

Wow ! I thought it was really wonderful to see fish from Boris' lake! He's done the blog this week so I guess my antenna was tuned to all things Swiss and especially from Lake Leman.

I thought both of these fish looked pretty good, I thought they'd be delicious. My husband and I began to talk about the fish, and we realized that there were many clients waiting ahead of us. In the end I didn't care what we bought, as long as we had some fish for lunch. I left the task of choosing to my husband and continued down the line.

I had fruit on my mind. This past week we made a rather significant dent in the cherry compote but I hestitated to get fruit last week and was stuck chewing some mealy powdery apples all week. I picked out 2 melons first.

I grew up in apple country in upstate New York, and am used to having a variety of fresh apples in the fall. I'd say my apple vocabulary is rather developed, like eskimos and types of snow. For some reason I thought that cherries were kind of all generally the same, either black cherries or sour cherries. I am coming to the realization that there are dozens of varieties available. It just never dawned on me until today when a vendor was selling 5 different varieties.

He encouraged us to taste them all, and I bought some of the Summit variety.

Raspberries are coming in season, as are forest strawberries.

I wanted to get some navets for some soup but my husband said they are high on the index. I think I'm going to have to double check that.

We picked up lettuce, herbs, and tomato puree from my regular guy. It's really nice to get to know the vendors, and to have a nice conversation with each one when I come to buy. Next, a chicken and eggs from the chicken lady. We'll be roasting it for dinner on the roti. She had three birds for sale today - a duck and a pintade in addition to the chicken but we decided to get the chicken after all.

OFF LIMITS but it sure looked good this morning.

As always, the flowers were gorgeous.

We got some salade de pieds de veau which is something I always get when I see it. It just tastes good for you. What can I say?

I ran into my sister in law at the market, and since she was coming for lunch anyway, we decided to proceed together to the house. Loic has gone ahead to go to the bakery, since the lines are long Sundays. My sis in law and I browsed the book vendors on the quai and I picked up a nice cookbook for only 5 euros. I'll comment on it later.

Once home, the herbs were trimmed and went straight into water. Basil, chevril, parsley, and chives, and roquette.

In addition to the normal pain integrale from our own baker, we also picked up one at the market from an excellent boulanger. It's rather expensive but worth it.

In the Montigac style, lunch began with a fruit salad. (she does not know we are following the plan.) He suggests that the fruit come 15 mintues before the meal, so I gave them their salads with the explanation that I would be awhile in the kitchen, an amuse bouche.

Garlic and shallots for the salad dressing -

I got a macedoine going with eggplant and zuchinni.

Loic's choice of fish were some excellent fillets of Rascasse (this translates to "Scorpian Fish" in English, I think. I was a bit concerned because although a wonderfully flavored mederranean rock fish, rascasse is very bony. However the fishmonger did an excellent job filleting it, there were virtually no bones. I marinated them with lemon and shallots, seared the skin side, sprinkled them with creole spices, and finished them under the broiler. The whole cooking process took about 5 minutes, and lunch was served.

The salad was a mix with roquette, different varieties of lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, and shallots. I realized at that time that the chevril stem tastes like cilantro, while the leaf tastes like a combination of cilantro, tarragon, and parsley.

The cheese plate features the addition of French Comté.

When the cheese is like this I regret following the Montignac plan. I really wanted bread with my cheese today. But it still tasted good.

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday!

Edited June 28, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[Boris_A]

I thought it was really wonderful to see fish from Boris' lake!  He's done the blog this week so I guess my antenna was tuned to all things Swiss and especially from Lake Leman. 

I think it's what we call "Felche" in the German part. Very widespread and also known in Germany and Austrial. I had it three days ago.

If you ever buy it, be careful with cooking time. They tend to become dry really quick. Overdoneness is the problem here.

I prefer to make a very reduced (vitually back to pure fat) butter/wine or butter/lemon reduction and then to butterpoach its filets, maybe for 5 minutes only, toghether with some parsley or basilic leafs. Stay definitely on the "rare" side. It's a salmonide, but flavour is very subtle.

[bloviatrix]

As always, your photos are spectacular. I particularly love the photo of the eggs.

[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.

[bleudauvergne]

I thought it was really wonderful to see fish from Boris' lake!  He's done the blog this week so I guess my antenna was tuned to all things Swiss and especially from Lake Leman. 

I think it's what we call "Felche" in the German part. Very widespread and also known in Germany and Austrial. I had it three days ago.

If you ever buy it, be careful with cooking time. They tend to become dry really quick. Overdoneness is the problem here.

I prefer to make a very reduced (vitually back to pure fat) butter/wine or butter/lemon reduction and then to butterpoach its filets, maybe for 5 minutes only, toghether with some parsley or basilic leafs. Stay definitely on the "rare" side. It's a salmonide, but flavour is very subtle.

I love a perfectly cooked fish or fish fillet. You're right, it never takes a very long time to cook a fish to perfection. I'll keep in mind the next time I cook a ferrat / felche. Thanks for stopping in, Boris!

[paul o' vendange]

Lucy, this is the second time I have stumbled onto your corner of sheer beauty - both during the witching hours before dawn. My family and I are now firmly ensconsed in the lap of Lake Superior, but I fear I will always long for the Lyonnaise cityscape and markets of your many contributions.

Thanks again from a confrere du Nord, and good luck to you on your journey. I have reached my 40's and whereas I was at one time a distance swimmer (averaging about 20,000 meters plus daily) and martial arts instructor, some injuries therein, my habits and genes have all conspired together to make me more than I wish to be. I will look into the Plan, merci encore, encore.

Paul