Cooking Vacation: Cooking in the Languedoc

Not quite Provence: Cooking in the Languedoc - NEW
Puisserguier, The Languedoc

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About the location:
The Languedoc stretches from the Pyrenees to the Rhone River, and from the foothills of the Cevennes to the Mediterranean sea. Medieval fortresses still loom over the valleys, and the beautiful Canal du Midi winds its way along the contours of this beautiful land. Domaine La Véronique is just outside of Provence, and it is very Provencal in both feeling and cuisine. And yet its different too, as it is the largest area under vines in the world and produces a third of France’s wine.

From sea level to an altitude of 1800 feet, the Languedoc has a rich diversity of ‘noblesse de terroir’ (a wonderful French phrase combining the goodness of soil, elevation, micro-climate and the quiet old customs of local tradition), where vines grow in ideal conditions. In the last 25 years there has been a revolution in the Languedoc as innovative wine growers have realized the tremendous potential of this beautiful region and fostered high quality, low yielding vines while introducing modern winemaking techniques. Today the Languedoc produces world class, characterful wines and is often described as the ‘New World of France’.

About your accommodations:
The Domaine La Véronique, home to your hosts Peter and Sally, is a beautiful stone built farmhouse that was originally an old hermitage connected with the nearby Priory of Sainte Christophe. In the heart of the Languedoc region, Domaine La Véronique has beautiful 360-degree views across vineyards and out to the Pyrenees, and its one acre garden is a profusion of garrigue herbs and olive, almond, fig and pomegranate trees. The three beautiful guests rooms include en-suite shower-rooms, and the bed and breakfast also has a comfortable living room (with grand piano, TV, sound system and WIFI internet access), a dining area, and an immaculate kitchen for cooking workshops. Other features of the domaine include a wonderful swimming pool with beach area, sitting areas with views over the countryside, terraces for Al Fresco dining, and a boulodrome.

About the cooking classes:
Chef Peter is a gourmet chef with 20 years experience in the hospitality industry having worked in Switzerland and France. In your hands-on cooking classes, where you’ll use only the best quality produce from the area, he will share his passion for putting a modern slant on traditional dishes from the Languedoc. As an acknowledged expert in both cheese and wine, Chef Peter will also teach you about the many cheeses of France and wines of the region.

When not learning about French food in the kitchen, Sally will be your guide around the Languedoc. With an intimate knowledge of the history and traditions of the area, and her past experience as a teacher in England, Sally will guide you to a variety of historical sites during your stay.

Not quite Provence: Cooking in the Languedoc - NEW Itinerary

Day 1

Sample itinerary

  • Meet Sally at a pre-arranged pickup point and transfer to Domaine La Véronique.
  • After settling into your rooms, join your hosts Peter and Sally for a champagne welcome on the terrace.
  • Time on your own to take a stroll or a quick dip in the pool, before aperitifs and your first gastronomic experience.
  • Sample dinner menu:
    • Courgette and Parmesan Gateau with red pepper sauce
    • Quail Véronique
    • Dauphinoise Potatoes and crushed broccoli
    • Fresh strawberries and almond shortcakes and creme de fraise jelly

Day 2

  • After breakfast, begin your first cooking class, where you’ll prepare both your lunch and dinner for the day.
  • Sample lunch menu:
    • Baked fennel wrapped in Bayonne ham
    • Tomato and pepper tart in a Parmesan crust
    • Spinach salad
  • In the afternoon, depart with Sally for Pezenas, a merchant town near Beziers that dates back to medieval times and was made famous by Moliére and Clive of India. Stroll through the narrow cobbled streets of the old quarter of Pézenas, and take a trip back in time; see the Middle Ages with gargoyles peering eerily from the Hôtel Jacques Coeur, as well as the Renaissance period before original mullioned windows. The entire old town is rich with wonderful wrought iron balconies, stone sculptures and ornate doorways. There are also wonderful little shops and cafés to enjoy.
  • Aperitifs at Domaine La Véronique.
  • Sample dinner menu:
    • Cauliflower and Roquefort soufflé with crème fraỉche and chive sauce
    • Roast guinea fowl on a bed of depuy lentils with a brunoise of vegetables
    • Bitter chocolate and ginger mousse

Day 3

  • Breakfast
  • Excursion to Narbonne, where Peter will take you around to the outstanding covered food market ‘Les Halles’, specifically the fish stalls. He will choose which fresh fish you will be cooking for your dinner.
  • After the market, Sally will take you to the amazing gothic Cathedral with one of the highest naves in France, for a walk along the Via Domitia (a recently uncovered Roman road), and the Horreum (Roman underground tunnels where they used to store the food for open-air markets) or just do some shopping in the chic boutiques on the charming pedestrian streets.
  • Lunch at Chez Bebelle, a restaurant in Les Halles, where they use fresh ingredients from the market.
  • In the afternoon, enjoy your second cooking class, where you will prepare dinner.
  • Aperitifs.
  • Sample dinner menu:
    • Gazpacho
    • Fish from the market and its accompaniments
    • Brioche Pudding with Argen Prunes Marinated in Armagnac with Crème Anglais

Day 4

  • Breakfast.
  • Your third cooking class, where you will prepare today’s lunch plus begin cooking duck confit (for cassoulet) and foie gras for day 6.
  • Sample lunch menu:
    • Endive salad with walnuts and Roquefort
    • Beet root and potato tart
  • In the afternoon, Sally will lead you on a walk, straight from La Véronique, up in to the hills and through the woods to the nearby Priory of Sainte Christophe. Supposedly there was a tunnel that used to connect Véronique to the priory!
  • Following the walking tour, return to La Véronique to freshen up before going out for a wine tasting at nearby Domaine Milhau.
  • Aperitifs and dinner at Chateau Carrasses, a local restaurant that highlights the typical Spanish and Moorish influences on the food in the Languedoc.

Day 5

  • Breakfast.
  • In your fourth cooking class, you will prepare both your lunch and dinner.
  • Sample lunch menu:
    • Baked red peppers with feta and mint
    • Fillet mignon of Pork wrapped in bacon on quinoa and Bulgur wheat
  • In the afternoon, depart for the olive oil factory at Bize, followed by a visit to the goat’s cheese farm at Combebelle. See the goats being milked and taste their delicious range of fresh and aged cheeses. Next door to the goat’s cheese farm there is the very interesting Combebelle, an organically-run vineyard. All will be explained by the owner as she takes us around the vineyard, and then for a tasting in the cave.
  • Return to Domaine La Véronique for aperitifs and dinner.
  • Sample dinner menu:
    • Beet root and smoked trout trifle with an avocado custard
    • Duck breast on a tagliatelli of noodles, zucchini and carrot with plum sauce
    • Cold lemon soufflé

Day 6

  • Breakfast
  • Morning visit to Carcassonne, La Cité, the finest example of a medieval walled city in the whole of Europe. Marvel at the towers and defense walls (parts dating back to Roman times) which protected the inner castle.
  • Return to the hotel for lunch; sample menu:
    • Tri-color salad with pesto dressing
    • Cassoulet Maison (Local dish of Castelnaudry)
  • In the afternoon, your final cooking class in which you will prepare dinner.
  • Prior to dinner, there will be a wine tasting at La Véronique with Master of Wine, Juliet Bruce-Jones.
  • Sample dinner menu:
    • Duck Foie Gras on brioche toast and pear
    • Fillet of Limosin Beef with three purées
    • Yorkshire pudding and sauce minervois
    • Crème de Framboise jelly, bitter chocolate Genache, white chocolate mousse with vodka

Day 7

  • Following breakfast, Sally will take you to your pre-arranged drop-off point.

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