eG Foodblog: bleudauvergne

[docsconz]

It is difficult to lose a trusted asssociate, whether by choice or happenstance. I feared when starting your story that the ending was more dire than it appears.I hope he is enjoying his retirement. Good luck finding another.

[Monica Bhide]

A lot of things have changed since last year.  One very basic thing is that I have begun to eat breakfast daily.  I began eating all three meals last June, when I took on some better eating habits.  A chonicle of how that began can be found here in my forays into cooking the Montignac way.

I have been so looking forward to this, Lucy.. thanks for doing this. Now I am going to go back to reading

[Monica Bhide]

Wonderful - just wonderful. Reading this blog brings me back to why I joined eGullet in the first place. Your pictures are beautiful. I hope to meet you someday - I have so enjoyed your writing. I look forward to much more here -- keep going..please

[bleudauvergne]

I managed to leave the house today without my little USB driver so although I did take pictures of lunch today I will have to come back and put them up when I get home.

Today, as is my practice lately, I stopped off in the center of the town where I work. I take the bus each morning to work. It's about 1/2 hour each way these days. I used to leave the house earlier and have less bus time, but my schedule changed. There is a bus that picks me up just near my home and it's a direct ride to the day job.

Man, I feel sorry for the people who cannot stop. If they only knew how unproductive they are. Those people who take out their phones and computers at any moment where they have an opportunity. It is now the fashion here in this country to plug the portable device into the ear as if one is plugging directly into the brain. No matter where I am or what I do over the years, I always manage to work in at least an hour of time to think. This is unstructured thinking, floating, waiting, opening my ears and soul. I have become accustomed to it taking place on the bus. In many ways this is my most productive time of the day. I also read from time to time, soak in the rhythms of the greats. Many good recipe ideas and complex story lines have come from this bus time. Don't knock it till you try it.

So I got off the bus in Ecully where I picked up a lunch box (I use this name because it's what we used to call them in China) from the traiteur PIGNOL.

A traiteur is what the French would call Take Out if they spoke English. They do cater, but they also prepare ready to eat hot and cold dishes and sell them by weight or by portion. Pignol is a local chain, I believe. I chose the Fricasee de Canard aux Olives avec son ble concassee. It was pretty good. That translates to olive duck fricasee with steamed whole grains of wheat. This is better than a sandwich on baguette, the only other thing within a short enough radius from my new office. Lunch took place in my office, which unfortunately happens more and more often these days. I got a promotion and a new office this year. I'm trying very hard to keep my priorities in order.

[Monica Bhide]

 

I feel sorry for the people who cannot stop.  If they only knew how unproductive they are.  Those people who take out their phones and computers at any moment where they have an opportunity.  It is now the fashion here in this country to plug the portable device into the ear as if one if plugging directly into the brain.  No matter where I am or what I do over the years, I always manage to work in at least an hour of time to think.  This is unstructured thinking, floating, waiting, opening my ears and soul.  I have become accustomed to it taking place on the bus.  In many ways this is my most productive time of the day.  I also read from time to time, soak in the rhythms of the greats.  Many good recipe ideas and complex story lines have come from this bus time.  Don't knock it till you try it. 

I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly. I turned off the email on my cell phone so I am not constantly in cyberland and missing out on the rest of the real world.

Edited to add - Lucy please PM me your mailing address, I have something for you.

[Chufi]

No matter where I am or what I do over the years, I always manage to work in at least an hour of time to think.  This is unstructured thinking, floating, waiting, opening my ears and soul. 

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Yes, yes! I agree.. my own favorite place for this is in the park where I take my morning walk. I seem to know every tree and every curve in the road.. and it's the familiarity of the environment, combined with the changes of the weather & season, that makes for the best 'think time'.

Lucy, thank you so much for doing this again. Your first blog was such an inspiration when I was blogging myself. It's just wonderful to have had this great thing - your first blog - and now there's MORE of it!

Edited March 23, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[jgm]

This blog is mesmerizing. It makes me want to change my life.

It probably will change my life.

Thanks, Lucy.

[handmc]

Did the butcher and his wife ever warm up again after the picture episode. I wonder why someone would react so strongly. I know what you mean though. We have one real butcher left out in the country here. Nicest guy. It will be a sad day indeed when he hangs up his apron.

[bleudauvergne]

Did the butcher and his wife ever warm up again after the picture episode.

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You know, he did warm up after that.

Before I left for work, I had a visit from a colleague who asked if I was going to attend the reception. I forgot about that. If there's one thing I don't like very much it's receptions. But we do what we must do. So I went down at the end of the day. This is catered automatically by the cafeteria of the school. They serve the same thing at every single reception, and it's really terrible.

Well, If you've ever blogged before you know the feeling when your camera quits on you because the batteries have run out. I had to run to the corner shop in the last moments they were open to buy some! Yikes!

I made it just in time to the butcher at Les Halles de la Martinere. It's a place that has great potential, and is the original location of THE Les Halles which is now located on cours Lafayette. They just did a total rennovation of the site including painting murals of cascading foodstuff along each door. Apparently Monoprix made an offer on the Halle, but the mayor of the quartier refused it, thank goodness. We have 4 vendors there now, as it has been since last summer. One is this butcher. I was feeling rather apprehensive, I don't know why. Maybe it was because I was going to have to ask if I could take pictures. I was looking at the meats, he rarely carries more than a few at a time, mainly because he has to maintain quality. The fact he deals in cheval may put a dent in his business, I don't know. He was cool but polite as I looked over the pickings. I chose some tripe - there was a rather large a piece in a glass bowl. (maybe because I was trying to get up the guts to ask him if I could take his picture.) He was happy to oblige. "How much - The rest?" It was a whole bowl full of tripe. I told him I just wanted enough for one, so he cut off a reasonable looking piece. He asked me how I was going to cook it (good sign). I gave him an idea. He quickly responded - "Then I should cut it for you, yes?" And when I nodded he immediately set to work chopping it up. I paid, €2.30, and asked him if I could take a picture. He smiled and said yes. As he waited on the next lady I took a photo.

I next went to the fromagere, who knows me pretty well. They do some things quite well, they have a nice selection of hard cheeses and sometimes get some interesting chevres. I ordered some creme fraiche, which they have a la louche. She's waiting on the next customer.

Oh la la I am running late!

[jhlurie]

Thanks again for doing this, Lucy.

Words cannot begin to describe how much I've been looking forward to this installment.

I'm sure folks will agree. 

Soba

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Isn't it great how you and I get to look like incredible geniuses when someone like Lucy takes a turn at this? Reflected glory is SO cool.

Thanks Lucy for blogging again, I missed your first blog because back then, I wasn't born to the Egullet world yet. I'll be looking forward to your daily installments impatiently.

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Ah, the cool thing about eGullet Foodblogs is that they are eternal. Well, at least in read-only form. Pound for pound (word for word?) I'll hold them against any other content on the entire site.

This morning I take stock of what yesterday brought in the blog.  After my first day, I come to realize that there have been many other changes in my food world since last years blog. 

One of the biggest has been my loss of my butcher, Mr. Thermoz, who is mentioned periodically in the last blog.

That's a shame. I almost felt I knew the guy from your piece. It wasn't quite a warm-fuzzy, but more of a sense that anyone who was such a character SHOULD live forever. I've cited it to several people as my personal favorite DG article.

By the way, if anyone wants to comment specifically on Lucy's article, the discussion link in the article is outdated (we intend to do link maintenance on all of the old DG content at some point, but it hasn't happened yet). The proper link is here:

Discussion of The Immortal Butcher of St. Nizier

As for the gold watch? Maybe we can take up a collection.

[bleudauvergne]

Cooking...

[SobaAddict70]

I take it Monoprix is some kind of French equivalent of a chain supermarket?

What is cheval?

I ordered some creme fraiche, which they have a la louche.

I know what creme fraiche is, but not "a la louche"...

Soba

[Jake]

Monoprix is a market and cheval -- well, think Mr. Ed. Seriously, cheval is horse.....but don't knock it until you try it!

[jhlurie]

I take it Monoprix is some kind of French equivalent of a chain supermarket?

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It appears to be this.

[johnnyd]

He asked me how I was going to cook it (good sign).

...also, a couple bouquets of flowers on the back shelf looks good in my book too. His walk-in is set in a mirrored wall, cool as well. I noticed the CHEVAL in the foreground; are they tenderloins??? are they... *gulp*... like, really, really big?!

[zeitoun]

I ordered some creme fraiche, which they have a la louche.

I know what creme fraiche is, but not "a la louche"...

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It is served to you with a ladle. An indication that it is the super-artisanal kind of stuff.

Now this has to tell you something about the quality of creme fraiche in France, especially if you compare it to what is available in the US

[chefzadi]

I'm curious about the butcher's paper under the duck breast (at least I think). Nice picture of a horse. Would I be right in assuming it is there because equine meat is on sale there? If yes, is it a commonly sold meat in France or is it a mainly regional specialty? Thanks.

It isn't as common as it used to be during my parent's generation. It's not exactly uncommon now, just much less common. It used to be cheap, now I think the prices are on par with Beef. Most of it is imported from the States. Delicious free range horsemeat.

Anyway, the number of Boucherie Chevaline and restaurants serving horsemeat has declined drastically in the past few decades.

[chefzadi]

Now this has to tell you something about the quality of creme fraiche in France, especially if you compare it to what is available in the US

We've resorted to making it at home in Los Angeles.

[bleudauvergne]

Well, dinner was late but it tasted pretty good. I had the rascasse with a couple of stalks of these lovely blettes.

But first was the amuse, in which I played with my food. (you will never see a cliche photo like this ever again in the blog. )

After roughly slicing the blettes a giving them about 4 minutes of steam, I folded the filet over them, speared the ensemble with a pick, added a pat of beurre echire and some fleur de sel, and put it in a hot oven for 8 minutes. A squirt of fresh lemon and it tasted like perfection to me.

After 8 minutes in the hot oven:

I'm so glad I paid the 3 euros for the filet. It was worth every centime. I guess this photo's rather cliche too. Oh well, I'll be back to normal tomorrow. Promise.

I think I'll enjoy a glass of wine now.

[SuzySushi]

Lucy,

Your blog is so beautiful that it makes me weep... for your evocative writing, your atmospheric photos, and, in my mind's palate, your wonderful food. Oh, how I miss France!!!

[zeitoun]

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AAAAHHHH, a happy blette indeed, especially with this appropriate background, i love the contrast of colors....

Sorry couldn't help it again those pictures...ok I’ll stop.

Just to tell you Lucy that your happy blette made a happy zeitoun, your pictures just remind me of why i love food so much

[bleudauvergne]

Thanks Suzi & Zeitoun!!

are they... *gulp*... like, really, really big?!

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This is the thing. I'm having a little trouble wrapping my mind around this cheval thing. I'm all for respecting tradition and all. The main thing in my mind though, is that if you see a chevaline boucherie, you're most likely going to see a butcher that's from the old school. He's in it because it's his vocation. He's going to be serious. Me too, I'm just a little *gulp* when I see this picture of a pretty horse on the paper my meat is wrapped in, though. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being too sensitive. Maybe I'm afraid I'm going to get horse by accident. He calls his butcher shop "Boucherie Mixte".

[ScorchedPalate]

Lucy:

Thank you so much for sharing your bounty with us.

My life ground to a halt yesterday evening as I read your gorgeous blogs, both this one and the archive. My husband was waiting for me to pick him up from work. He saw that I was still online, and asked if everything was OK. "No," I said, "it's not. We need to move to France. Now."

~A

Edited March 23, 2005 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Thank you guys so much for the support and encouragement!

I'll see you tomorrow!

[SobaAddict70]

And a blette is bok choy? (sorry for the silly questions but this is an education. )

Soba