eG Foodblog: bleudauvergne

[bleudauvergne]

Last night: What I do when I've got leftover meats,and fresh herbs, or when I'm making way on the cheese plate, is to get some pate feuilletee from the boulanger and make things to put in the freezer for a moment when guests arrive unexpectedly. This is what I did last night. I now have about 30 pieces ready to pop into the oven directly from the freezer should the need arrive.

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The night before: While I've got a moment I'll tell you what they offered on the menu (which was written on a chalk board) at Resto d'Alice. The plats change daily.

The house aperetif was a sparkling wine flavored lightly with grilotte (sour cherry) and myrtille (blueberry) syrups served with slices of local dried sausage.

Entrees:

Salade de chevre chaud - hot goat cheese salad - the cheese is usually melted over rounds of toast and served over the salad.

Salade de foie de vollaile - salad with poultry livers (usually chicken livers)

Salade oceane - this salade had clams, mussels, crayfish, shrimp, and smoked salmon

Rillettes d'oie - this is a spreadable pate of goose meat and fat served with slices of bread - it normally comes with pickles.

Salade d'endives, noix, comte - endives, walnuts, and comte cheese

Harengs pommes de terre - potatoes with kippers

Plats:

Andouilette sauce moutarde vin blanc - This is a local sausage with its classic sauce

Onglet sauce echallotes - Steak with shallot sauce

Aloyeau de boeuf - Beef steak

Aloyeau de Cheval - Horse steak

Emince de volaille a l'estragon - chopped poultry seasoned with tarragon

Truite aux amandes - whole fish pan fried with almond shavings

Cuisse de lapin provencale - rabbit in tomato / peppers sauce

Pintade aux choux - Guinea hen with cabbage

Cheeses on the plate: Tomme de savoie, Camembert, St. Marcellin.

[bleudauvergne]

In order to fulfill the need for a Caesar Salad, you must have the following on hand at home (I'm not giving any kind of instructions for a perfect salad here, what I offer is the bare minimum, the essence of the salad that can suffice to calm the longing. I claim no stake on the secret to a perfect salad):

One egg of which you will use the yolk, garlic in any form (I had some of the new garlic found at the market the other day), a couple of anchovies, olive oil, half a fresh lemon, dijon mustard or any kind of mustard if you don't have dijon, and Worcestershire sauce (it's not really a necessity but I think it adds to the dressing). You'll have to have parmesean cheese and pepper to top the dressed salad. Of course you'll need greens but it you don't have Romaine, you can use whatever fresh you have on hand.

You want to pound the garlic (of which I only cut the end off and did not use the leaves) and anchovy into a paste, whip the egg yolk , the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and sauce, and at last incorporate the anchovy paste in for the sauce.

Add your leftover meats, etc to your salad, dress with the sauce, and top with fresh ground pepper and parmesean (I decided shavings would be better than grating it after all).

Some people insist that garlicky croutons make the salad. For me it's the dressing.

[Safran]

Bleu,

That caesar salad made me salivate! My taste buds were reacting wildly...must be the anchovies...

You promised us kitchen pictures...I have been studying the plans and am looking forward to the "finished" product. Again, do you find the floor easy on the feet?

Safran

[Liz Johnson]

Lucy,

Beautiful as always.

Do you stand on a chair to take those "straight on" photos from above?

Liz

[bleudauvergne]

Hi Liz, About angles, I sometimes stand on a chair and sometimes not. It depends. Often I do take several shots from different angles and decide what I like later. I don't generally fuss around too much but sometimes if I'm trying to fit a whole lot of things into one shot I will work on it for awhile. I feel much more comfortable out in the midst of the action and shooting spontaneously but I've been trying harder to get more composed stills lately, I know it's one of my weaknesses. The thing is to imagine in your mind what you want and not to give up until you can see it coming. Sometimes when it comes to the ingredient shots I think I might give up on it and then I'll just start thinking like a painter and the shot comes together. I personally don't think the ingredient shots are very good, mainly because I can never get the light just right, but they convey a lot of information, which I like. I take many horrible photos. But some of them turn out alright.

I'm warning you Safran, the kitchen seems quite cluttered.

[bleudauvergne]

Shots from when the kitchen was being installed, first pouring the concrete floor and then installing the fixtures. (That's Lolo )

Now it's a mess but I promised. The drawers under the sink have bins for compost, recycle, leftover containers, wraps and papers, and moulinex parts.

The pull out storage cabinets are very useful.

I refer to the temp conversions all the time.

My 'counter space' which is occupied for the most part by the moulinex - I use it all the time too.

This cutting board is what I work most of the time on, it can be placed on the cook top, over the sink, or on the counterspace. I use it daily.

[ludja]

...

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What is this interesting looking dish? sweet or savory?

[Toliver]

... I've been trying harder to get more composed stills lately, I know it's one of my weaknesses...

But some of them turn out alright. 

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Lucy, to my eye, you don't have a problem composing stills. For example:

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Including the diamond-patterned weave of the tablecloth in the image was genious. It made me laugh with glee when I saw it. Thank you for that.

Imagine how practiced you will be after the next 51,000 pictures.

[Irishgirl]

...

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What is this interesting looking dish? sweet or savory?

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Looks like nougatine to me with pistachios......something that would be sold in Italy?

Lucy...have to say that i love your blog. I think that your photography has developed into more than a hobby and that this blog is better than the first. Thank you for all the beautiful pictures.

[Safran]

Bleu,

Merci for posting the kitchen pictures. I've been going back and forth between the plans and the final results...I can see how the triangles would indeed work...and how this is a kitchen for one cook at a time! I do like that!

Safran

[jhlurie]

Lucy...have to say that i love your blog.  I think that your photography has developed into more than a hobby and that this blog is better than the first.  Thank you for all the beautiful pictures.

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I sigh with relief occasionally if I spot a blurry picture, because it reassures me that Lucy is still human.

I take many horrible photos.  But some of them turn out alright. 

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Joking aside, Lucy reveals the key here--taking LOTS of shots and picking and choosing. I have a friend who co-founded an international food website. For years, when taking pics of food, he used to dicker around and try and get the perfect shot. One day I broke down and yelled at him "it's digital, take 50 shots of that and worry about it later".

[Chufi]

Lucy,

This blog has been such an inspiration on so many levels! Recently I found myself taking 'bleu-style' foodpictures.. yes I even stood on a chair.. and me and my husband just finished a lovely little St Marcellin. I thought of you when I bought it!

[Safran]

Lucy, you do a marvellous job of conveying the specialness of where you live (and that seems truly special), but I think the emotions you evoke are really a testament to your artistry even more than to the place. Not to take anything away from Lyons, but I bet you would make anyplace you live and describe be special. I think what is truly "special" is how you live your life. No matter where one lives, there are things that will be special if one knows how to appreciate them. You obviously do. It is an honor to see things through your perspective.

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I agree with docsconz. At first, I thought: Oh, but to live there....(your city, your quartier, your appartment)...but then I started to really pay attention.... it's not "there", it's YOU....Your eye chooses, and presents in a way that totally enchants. However, you also produce not only beautiful photography and prose, but food as well. You cook in a style that seems so natural, so spontaneous (sp?)...

It has been a delightful and magic week. Merci, Bleu.

[Eden]

Lucy you are indeed an inspiration on many levels.

Both for specific foods:

I just tried "french breakfast" for the first time, since they had lovely looking fresh radishes at the farmers market this weekend: Zingy! - Who needs coffee? And since I went back to read all of your fist blog as well, I have a box of strawberries waiting to be stuffed with the creme fraiche/chocolate ganache from your first blog and your creamy rabbit dish back there reminded me of a creamy chicken dish I love, so I made that as well.

Also for just being more mindful of the pleasures of cooking & eating:

yes my potato gratin WILL taste better/make me happier if I take the time to arrange the slices rather than just tossing them in at random...

Oh and I'm going to look into rubber flooring since we need to replace the ugly linoleum in our kitchen one of these days

[bleudauvergne]

We had all those greens and we had to do something with them. The best thing to do is make Jiaozi! It's the recipe I learned from my housekeeper in Beijing. This is a very common dish in Beijing.

We freeze the ones we don't eat, freeze them on the platter in rows (before cooking) and then you can store them in a sack. (thanks Loic for taking the demo pics while I stuffed the jiaozi!)

[bleudauvergne]

...

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What is this interesting looking dish? sweet or savory?

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It's sweet. It's Halva. Mmm.

[bleudauvergne]

If I can ask a question, which you may need to ask of our friends.  What do the kids eat for lunch on school days?  Just curious, and I know this is OT since it has nothing to do with your eating habits.

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snowangel, I'm sorry I never got a chance to answer your question about school lunches, I'll start a thread in the France forum during the week next week!

[little ms foodie]

Lucy, I'm still catching up reading your blog, it's fantastic. Thank you for your pictures, stories and charm! In honor of your blog which I'm reading during lunch I'm eating cheese Unfortunately the only cheese that my office deli has in Babybel and chedder sticks. Oh well, they will have to do.

[bleudauvergne]

It has been such a wonderful week with you. Thank you ever so much for every single word of encouragement and all of your kind words, they mean so much to me. It is always great to have guests, and you have been just perfect. I'll see you around the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts and Letters. I am off to bed!

[M. Lucia]

All I can say is thank you.

[Liz Johnson]

Moi aussi.

Merci!

[Blondie]

Thank you so much, Lucy. It was thoroughly enjoyable and inspirational.

[little ms foodie]

Just pics tonight.

Lucy can you tell me about these? They look like a biscuit Dayne and I have been making recently- cheddar, thyme and pepper twisted and rolled up.

edited to say....that is the cutest picture of you! thanks again for doing such a great blog.

Edited March 28, 2005 by little ms foodie (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Last night:  What I do when I've got leftover meats,and fresh herbs, or when I'm making way on the cheese plate, is to get some pate feuilletee from the boulanger and make things to put in the freezer for a moment when guests arrive unexpectedly.  This is what I did last night.  I now have about 30 pieces ready to pop into the oven directly from the freezer should the need arrive. 

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That's what those are. (from page eight of this blog.)

Soba

[Wolfert]

I am just loving this foodblog. This isn't just good, it is magnificent!