August 2007 - Active Gourmet Holidays

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Active Gourmet Holidays ... bringing you the finest in active and culinary vacations in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.

HIGHLIGHT ON:

NEW! Bordeaux Gourmand- Bordeaux, France - 6 nights

Enjoy a fully escorted seven day culinary and wine tour offering you luxurious accommodations in a 19th century Chateaux, hands-on cooking classes, wine tastings and wine education and discovering this exquisite region of France. This program is perfect for travelers interested in fine cuisine, Bordeaux wines and the French “Art de vivre”. Limited to eight participants.
Available year round

NEW! Porcelain Painting or Yoga in Southern Burgundy - Southern Burgundy, France 6 nights

Join us in Southern Burgundy for a creative week of painting on Limoges porcelain or practicing Yoga while you stay at a centuries-old, restored country house with a pool in the tiny village of Chateau, close to the medieval town of Cluny in the South of Burgundy. The area is one of great natural beauty, with rolling hills dotted with old stone farmhouses, churches, hedgerows, and a peace and quiet totally conducive to a creative week devoted to painting or Yoga.
Available June and September

Cooking in the South of France with Peta Mathias - Uzès, France - 6 nights

Only Two Dates Remain: September 12-18 and September 26-October 2

Now I understand why over 95% of New Zealanders know who Peta Mathias is! My husband and I had the most amazing time at Peta's cooking school, just outside of Uzès, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. Peta is a respected and prolific New Zealand chef, author and broadcaster, who now builds on the culinary travel experience with her cooking school in France. The renovated farmhouse ("mas") where the school is located, owned by David and Celia, our wonderful hosts, is heaven on earth. Situated on the outskirts of the medieval village of Uzès, the farmhouse is a beautiful setting for a cooking school. Guests stay in a nearby hotel de charme and experience all that is French.

The Flavours of Tuscany - (Option: Day Cooking Classes) - Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights

Taste the foods, wines and flavours of Tuscany as you spend a week in a 15th century villa. Learn to cook in a modern, professional kitchen, take daily excursions, meet locals and have the time of your life. You will live above the school in rooms that are charmingly decorated with Italian antiques.
Available March to July, September to November - Sunday to Saturday

**Space left September 2-8, September 16-22, October 7-13 and November 4-10

Active Gourmet Goes Tuscan - Tuscany, Italy - 5 nights

Active Gourmet Holidays is offering an unforgettable getaway to the renowned Villa San Michele Cookery School in Florence. Nourish your senses, refuel your body and replenish your spirit with a savory array of food and wine tours, paired with culinary education, visits to Chianti wine cellars, shopping in Florence with a personal shopper and visits to the artistic treasures of Monteriggioni, San Gimignano and Siena.
**Still some space available for September 23-28, 2007 - Sunday to Friday

IN THE NEWS

Active Gourmet Holidays was chosen by Gold Kist to supply the Grand Prize Winners of their annual national "Winning Taste Recipe Contest". The Four Grand Prize Winners were chosen recently and are in France right now enjoying their trip and visiting with Chef Patrick Payet in Goult in the Luberon. This is one of my most popular trips to France. I was just here on my recent trip in June. My husband and I had a wonderful time with Patrick and his wife, Babeth, a doctor in the nearby town of Cavaillon. For more details on this holiday, please visit the website.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH - "THE PERFUMES, COLOURS AND FLAVOURS OF THE LUBERON WITH CHEF PATRICK PAYET"

Chef Patrick's Famous Hard and Soft Chocolate Cake

4 whole eggs
l/2 lb of butter
1 cup sugar
8 oz. chocolate
6 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch

Break the eggs and add sugar, then the flour and cornstarch, the melted chocolate and finish with the melted butter. Pour in a buttered mold (tart pan) and bake in a warm oven 200 C (400 F) for 18 to 20 min. Serve with custard:

1 ¼ cup of powdered sugar
8 egg yolks
1 pint of milk

Blend the 1 ¼ cup of sugar with the egg yolks. Pour in the pint of boiled milk flavored with vanilla. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the custard begins to coat the spatula. Remove from heat just before boiling; do not allow to boil.

Cooking Tip of the Month:

Chopping Herbs: When chopping herbs such as basil, simply roll all the leaves up into a cylinder and chop all at once instead chopping separately.

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