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To ensure delivery of your Active Gourmet Holidays emails, be sure to add
info@activegourmetholidays.com to your Address Book or "Known Senders" list! Active Gourmet Holidays is proud to offer to you cooking vacations at the reputable
Rhode School of Cuisine. Please check our website for more details.  
NEW!
Rhode School of Cuisine
- Villa Lucia - Tuscany, Italy - 6 nightsVilla Lucia and the Rhode School of Cuisine invite you to Tuscany for an unforgettable week of culinary instruction, gourmet food, luxurious accommodations and stunning surroundings. Learn to prepare, cook and present fascinating traditional and new dishes with your chef or just relax around the grounds. In addition, you will experience the history and beauty of Tuscany. Available April to June, September and October - Sunday to Saturday 
NEW!
Rhode School of Cuisine - Le Mas des Oliviers
- Provence, France - 7 nightsSpend a week in a luxury villa in Provence overlooking the breathtaking views of the Mediterranean on the Côte d'Azur, French Riviera. Learn how to prepare wonderful French dishes such as foie gras, frog legs and creme brulée as well as some new and creative recipes like tea sorbet with sautéed peaches and caramel ice cream on almond brittle. You will also learn about local and regional wines and famous cheeses. Available April to May, September to October - Saturday to Saturday 
NEW!
Classic Tuscan Cookery Lessons
- Tuscany, Italy - 7 nightsLearn authentic Italian cooking while staying in a magnificent villa located in a secluded part of Tuscany. Immerse yourself into the culture and ways of this very special countryside. Your week will consist of cookery lessons, visits to food producers and the finest food and wine the land has to offer. Available April to October - Saturday to Saturday 
NEW!
Culinary Arts in Tuscany
- (Options: Day Cooking Classes, Art and Cooking Four Day Tour, Chianti Two Day Tour) - Tuscany, Italy - 6 nightsStay in a beautiful medieval Tuscan village, set amongst olive groves and vineyards. You will learn the secrets of creating authentic Southern Tuscan dishes as well as gaining some expertise in recognizing the famous wines of the region. All classes are hands-on, include local wine and are taught in a traditional Tuscan kitchen. Available year round 
NEW!
Fantastica! Florence
- (Options: Private Cooking Classes, Villa Cooking Classes, Chianti Culinary Tour) - Florence, Italy - 1, 2 or 3 days Judy Witts Francini, CPC, invites you to her adopted hometown of Florence for hands-on cooking classes in her studio in the heart of the city, near the Mercato Centrale. Chef Judy's enthusiasm, along with her knowledge of Tuscan cuisine, has won her great respect in the food world and has shown why Divina Cucina is one of the most recommended cooking programs in Florence. Recommended by GQ , Bon Appetit, Food Lover's Guide to Florence and more. Available February to June, September to December 
NEW!
Cooking and Walking in Umbria
- (Options: Biking, Spa, Shopping, Wine Tours, Shorter or Longer Stays) - Umbria, Italy - 6 nights Umbria is one of the most spectacular regions of Italy. You will stay at a beautiful 17th century villa surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and rolling hills. Enjoy walks to the most scenic sites, learn the secrets of Umbrian and Tuscan cuisine from a talented chef and immerse yourself in the flavours and tastes of Bella Italia! Villa recommended by Karen Brown's Guides. Available year round *Ask about our special Christmas/New Year's Seven Night Package in Umbria for an EXCEPTIONAL price 
NEW!
Umbria
for Singles
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(Options: Biking, Spa, Shopping, Wine Tours, Shorter
or Longer Stays) - Umbria, Italy - 6 nights This week has been created for single travelers wanting to experience an unforgettable week of fine cuisine, outdoor activity, relaxation and discovery. Don't keep waiting for your friends who keeps saying they are going to join you in your travels, but are never able to make the commitment. Go yourself, and join other single travelers at a luxury villa in the Umbrian hills to experience the tastes and perfumes of this wonderful region of Italy. Villa recommended by Karen Brown's Guides. Available October to May - Sunday to Saturday Look for New Tours coming soon in Le Marche - the "NEXT" Tuscany
Le Marche is Italy's secret region. Some of the cleanest coastline of the Adriatic sea offers up an enormous range of crustacea, moluscs and fish. Further in land, the coastal plain, supporting olive groves and verdicchio vineyards, climbs up into the rugged Sibiline mountains where a wider selection of hardier grapes are grown, where shepherds are glimpsed in the distance, tending their sheep, creating the creamy-sharp peccorino cheese characteristic of this region. Contadini construct wooden fences to keep out the wild boar, another local speciality, as are other types of game such as venison, hare and wildfowl. Prosciutto, salame and ciauscolo mature in cellars next to last year's wine.
Le Marche is so unspoilt by tourists and other visitors that it has remained almost in a time warp. Every inhabitant has a piece of land where he grows his own vegetables, keeps chickens for their eggs, and, if there is room, grows grapes for wine and olives for oil. (Inquire for more information on upcoming tours to Le Marche). 
NEW!
Hiking and Feasting in Arles
- Provence, FranceThis program combines wandering about the glorious and varied countryside of Provence, and cooking together with friends (new and old!). Though what we teach you is Provencale Cuisine, naturally rich in vegetables, olive oil, and with minimal fats, after a week of feasting, some of our clients worry about facing the scales when they get home.... So, if we walk and hike for a couple hours each day, over hills and through valleys, collecting a few herbs, or berries, or mushrooms as we find them, you can indulge with no guilt in the evening's delicacies! We'll walk through valleys of olive orchards, along paths with spectacular vistas, hike amidst vineyards, visit our cheese makers (and run into their goats grazing) and olive oil mills, include strolls through local markets to gather picnic supplies (as well as ingredients for the evening classes), through landscapes painted by Vincent Van Gogh, Roman ruins, and into the hidden valley of our favorite bee keeper. Available September 24-30, 2006 and May 13-19, 2007 NEW! French Lessons and Cooking in Arles - Provence, France Come join us for two weeks as a resident of the ancient Provence city of Arles, and enjoy 30 hours of intensive French instruction. Alongside the French instruction will be cooking classes, wine tastings, tours of the city and the region, and much more. During your time with us, we will have visits to our friends the archeologists, the wine-makers, the bee-keeper, the baker, and many more to join us at the table to stimulate your ears and put your new-found language skills to immediate use. There's nothing like a leisurely meal well lubricated with local wines for loosening up your tongue and getting you to speak (and perhaps debate) like a native. Also included is a wine tasting at a local winery, an outing to the wild beaches and marshes of the Camargue by horseback or jeep, a free pass to the Arles monuments. Available March 4-17 and June 10-23, 2007 RECIPE OF THE MONTH - RHODE SCHOOL OF CUISINE
HOT CHOCOLATE FONDANT PUDDING
A fondant is known as a sugar syrup containing glucose cooked to the 'soft ball'stage, and then worked with a spatula until it becomes a thick opaque paste. Colored and flavoured fondant is used in confectionery to fill chocolates and sweets. This recipe is served in many French restaurants. (INGREDIENTS) 2 3/4 oz/80g flour 3 1/2 oz/100g dark chocolate 3 1/4 oz/90g baking powder 5 eggs 2 1/4 oz/60g butter 1 1/4 oz/40g caster/brown sugar 13 tbsp/6 1/2 fl oz/195ml fresh whipping cream, chilled 8 1/2 fl oz/250ml vanilla ice-cream Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time 4-5 minutes Serves 4 Break the chocolate into small pieces and allow it to melt in a bain-marie. Break the eggs into a separate chilled mixing bowl, add the sugar and beat. Pour in the melted chocolate and continue to beat briskly. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the flour, a little at a time to the egg and sugar mixture until incorporated. Bake in a preheated oven at 465F/240C for 4-5 minutes. While they are cooking, whip the chilled cream. Place a spoon of the whipped cream in the centre of four serving plates. Take the fondant chocolates from the oven and place on top of the cream. Place a scoop of ice-cream at the side and serve immediately. 
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS:
What a wonderful response from you when asked "What future trips would you like to see Active Gourmet Holidays offer?" Here's what I heard: more hiking and cooking combination holidays, more yoga trips, spa holidays with healthy cooking, more wine tours in Bordeaux, more trips for singles. I am working on all of these requests, so please keep checking the site for new and exciting getaways! Click here to refer a friend to this site. |
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