eG Foodblog: bleudauvergne

[bleudauvergne]

Those are absolutely collards. That's pretty funny. I've never given much thought to them outside of the American South, but I suppose as it is just a green, and probably not native, that other people in other parts of the world eat them, as well.

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It was so funny, the lady who sold them to me, was quite instructive. "this is French Broccoli. We have some Italian Broccoli down at the other end." I of course bought some immediately.

I'm now wondering if those bettes are really bettes - but of course they are.

[bleudauvergne]

Good Morning and Happy Easter!

The flower is a Jacinthe, or Hyacinth in English.

[Carsten]

Good Morning and Happy Easter!

The flower is a Jacinthe, or Hyacinth in English.

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I suspect I am not the only one that sees your blog as a breath of sunshine in our day Merci Bleu!

[appreciator]

Lucy...... may I just say that your blog has been a breath of fresh air I have especially enjoyed your morning routine and watching the hyacinth bloom.... It must smell incredible by now.

Salut!

Sarah

[JEL]

lucy = proof there are angels among us...........

thank you so very much........

*wipes tear from eye*

[andiesenji]

Lucy,

I am yet another who is truly overwhelmed by your blog. Your words and pictures are a delightful essay reflecting your daily life. Truly a work of art.

Andie

[bleudauvergne]

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

Since Loic did not have a chance go to the market yesterday, and we usually go together on the weekends, we went today. Many of the vendors change Saturday and Sunday, so we don't see the same things every day. Clouds blew in while we were at the market, but it didn't begin to rain until we got home. When we descended the quai, all of the church bells in the whole city began to ring and at the same time, a choir began to sing across the river in Vieux Lyon. Since a hill goes straight up behind that area, the sound was amplified and it was really a wonderous moment.

Loic and I talked to this oyster vendor and learned that he makes the trip every weekend from La Rochelle, which is on the Atlantic coast. He does this 7 months of the year.

You see these statues on a lot of street corners in the quartier where I live. The Virgin Mary is very present in the culture of Lyon. The Light Festival celebrating her saints day in December is a wonderful example of it. They hang banners all over the city that say "Merci, Marie" and there are all kinds of legends about the gold statue that was carried up in a rainstorm by the pope at the coronation of the Fouviere Cathedral, an event which included a landslide on the procession. As you can see they managed to get the statue up to the top of the hill after all. When the weather changes, sometimes the gold statue of the Virgin Mary glows like it was glowing today. It's strange and beautiful.

There was some talk of places that specialize in tartines in the France forum last week, so this place caught my eye. We didn't go in because we had some perishable goods on our hands at that point.

We strolled by the restaurants on the way home and most places were open and packed to the gills. Easter Sunday is a big day at the restuarants, and you'll have lots of places to choose from if you visit Lyon at this time of the year.

The first strawberries from France I've seen this year.

[bleudauvergne]

Lunch was a poulet fermier which we got from the vendors who roast them at the market. I took a film of the guys at the market, they were really moving those chickens! Anyway we got one and it was delicious.

Gift the Easter Bunny brought back from Italy:

[docsconz]

Lucy, are these peach buds? Whatever kind of buds they are, what are they used for? Are they simply decorative as a sign of spring or do they have culinary applicability?

[chromedome]

Interestingly, with family who also converse in 4-5 languages, I sometimes find myself inadvertently using vocabulary and constructs from 2-3 languages in a single sentence.

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It is a widespread truism that some thoughts are best expressed in certain languages.

Apparently Friedrich Engels, Marx' longtime collaborator, had a real problem with this when he got older. Having sixteen or seventeen languages at his disposal, he was said to drift from tongue to tongue in the course of any given sentence or manuscript, creating vast difficulties for his less-erudite acolytes.

[johnnyd]

Nice looking oysters if I may say so myself.

[bloviatrix]

Lucy, are these peach buds? Whatever kind of buds they are, what are they used for? Are they simply decorative as a sign of spring or do they have culinary applicability?

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They look like pussy willows which are used purely for decoration.

[Abra]

Lucy, will you please include a picture of yourself, so the Cult of Lucy can have an image upon which to fixate? Seriously, I love to see the bloggers in their blogs - it just makes the story more complete for me.

I was surprised to see you cooking the frites. When I've bought poulet roti in France the potatoes were always underneath in the rotisserie, soaking up the chicken juices. Is that a regional difference?

[SuzySushi]

Lucy,

Happy Easter to you! What a joy it is to read your blog and see spring approaching! Eloquent simplicity.

[Pan]

Lucy, I hope you had a wonderful Easter!

I'm loving your pictures of Lyon. Have you ever had a show of your photos? You really are a fine artist, and I do not say things like that lightly, as I am the son of a painter and consider that most art being produced today -- including most of what sells well and gets critical acclaim nowadays -- is pretty bad. I have to think that other residents of your city would enjoy seeing some big prints of your favorite cityscapes. Here in what can more or less be called downtown Manhattan, there are various cafes that feature the works of local artists, showing a series of photos or paintings by one artist and then another or having special shows from time to time (complete with openings catered by the restaurant). Are there cafes in Lyon that feature the works (paintings, photos) of local artists?

[Rachel Perlow]

It was so nice to see two coffee bowls on the table in this morning's breakfast photo. Welcome home Loic!

The next day I got an e-mail from the Italian Headquarters telling me that their President and Director General, who was indeed Italian, liked my project and that they would like to give me the floor, for free.  Finally someone talking sense here!  So Loic took a day and drove down to Italy and we got the floor. 

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Bravo! Persistance pays off. My mother would be so proud of you. :)

[chefzadi]

Is that tagine (tajine?) to the left of the couscous? What kind was it? Lamb? Was it spicy? Was it served with harissa?

This photo definitely reminds me when chefzadi gave me some lamb tagine & couscous a while back (with some spicy harissa)

NON! Not the same at all! Please, don't say that!

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Calm yourself dear. I too could not see the value of potatoes in the broth. There must be some history or tradition involved which is why they keep doing it. And I long for the day when I can taste the famous couscous in the French Algerian Cordon Bleu style of Chefzadi with a Korean touch to the harissa. We don't get to LA often at all. (we did spend one year there before coming to France, though) But one day, one day...

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I am calm. Actually I have been in that restaurant and know that neighborhood. As I do the rest of the landscape you are showing us. We used to go to France at least twice a year before the second child. We are long over due for a trip. Sometime this year we hope.

So the one day for you to try "real" couscous is close...

Great blog!

[bleudauvergne]

Just pics tonight.

[Pam R]

Just pics tonight.

Good enough.

Have a great night

[bleudauvergne]

Lucy, are these peach buds? Whatever kind of buds they are, what are they used for? Are they simply decorative as a sign of spring or do they have culinary applicability?

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The fruit producers and farmers with fruit trees trim branches of the buds once they come out. It rounds out their inventory. You buy the branch and take it home and put the bare branches in water like flowers. You get to watch them slowly bloom over about a week into magnificent branches of flowers. This I think is my favorite detail of Spring. Of course we got a bunch today, I like the cherry blossoms.

[bleudauvergne]

Goodnight!

[Mooshmouse]

Lucy, your foodblog has been a visual and culinary feast. Joyeux Paques et mille fois merci pour tes photos et tes mots qui sont si inspirants.

[docsconz]

These oysters look marvellous! I had some fantastic ones from Nova Scotia Friday night or else I would be really jealous. I love the tv with Al Pacino in the background.

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.

[Boris_A]

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Good Morning

Gianduiotti directly imported from Torino, I guess. Did you like them? Did you had a nice travel? Any other culinary souvenirs from Torino beside the chocolate and the Barbera d'Asti?

[bleudauvergne]

Good Morning!

Boris, he came back with the wine and the chocolates. About the chocolates, they're creamy and delicious, very special, thank you for that recommendation! He said that the lady was making the package with only the gold wrapping. While she was doing it, Loic noticed that there was another color, and asked her what it was. 'Oh, the red's coffee flavor', she replied, and continued making the package. He told her : 'Stop everything. If you don't redo the package and add some red ones, my wife will never forgive me.' My husband laughingly recounted this to me, and I tasted a bit of the coffee flavor, thinking to myself, ah he's such a smart man. As for the wine, it's special too. It's made with a grape we don't normally see here in France, from the Piedmont region.

As for the other things, he would have gotten me some cheese but there was a series of mishaps as he was checking out of the hotel involving payment with the visa card which resulted in a delay of 40 minutes. In Torino, he mentioned, they deal more in cash, and using the card usually involved finding the person who knew how the machine worked. Therefore he did not have the time he thought he would to pick up the perishables just before his journey home.

When he went to Mexico, He went on special excursions with the gardener of the place where he was staying into the underbelly of the Cuernevaca markets to get everything on my list. He sourced everything down to the lava stone mortar and pestle, a tortilla press, mexican chocolate, 8 varieties of dried chilis, corn husks, and even the ashes to make my own masa.