Day 3 Cooking Holiday at Le Gargantua Farmhouse in Southwest France.

It was a relaxing and wonderful experience at Le Gargantua. Marlène and Marc are very sincere and absolutely love people. The dynamics of our group with Graham have been wonderful. 

We started the day with another delicious breakfast, we vowed the night before we would pace ourselves today, so we wouldn't end up filled to the brim, again. 

It was time for our field trip to Nérac to visit the La Cigale Chocolatier and also to see Old Town Nérac. Marlène really went above and beyond with arranging time for exploring.  

Walking around Old Town Nérac. 

Beautiful view as we walked around the river. 

I first read about the La Cigale chocolatier on Marléne's blog and really wanted to visit. She tells the history of the chocolatier best, below is an excerpt from Marlène's blog: http://legargantua.wordpress.com

"It is only when I got home and googled  the chocolaterie that I found out their story. And what a nice story… This little unpretentious place was the inspiration for the book  “Chocolat”. The author, Joanne Harris, used to spend her holidays in Nerac and used to go to that very place, which enchanted her. I only saw the film myself. A love story. Around chocolate. With Johnny Depp. I mean come on! How delicious can a film get?

So I keep taking my cooking guests to “La Cigale”. And they all get charmed too. We all have a little tasting, then a more substantial take away tasting, and we use their chocolate to create desserts on the cooking course. The story might get people through the door, but their chocolate is heavenly and makes everyone come back for more! Me and myself included".

The experience there was just as Marlène described. I enjoyed the time spent not only because of its tie to one of my favorite movies, but it was a happy place AND the chocolate was divine. See below. 

The chocolate fountain Marlène mentioned, oh the aroma! 

Endless treats to select from. 

I wish I could bring home one of everything!! 

So much for trying to pace ourselves. We had a pre-lunch of chocolate and more chocolate. This reminded me of the time my friend Swati and I were looking for a place to each in Venice. It was at the odd hour between lunch service and dinner, we found a bakery and somehow 'just one small piece" to hold us over, ended up being a buffet of cookies, nougats, and pastries. One of my fav memories. 

Caramel, milk, and dark chocolates. We were also treated to hazelnut rocher. 

Such a moment of content. Good company, chocolate, and Cafe Au lait. Perfection!! 

Upon returning from our field trip, it was lunch time!! Oh, say it isn't so! We just had a chocolate lunch.  

Again, Marc prepared another wonderful lunch for us. He's learned from the best!  

Two types of jambon with baguette. 

French (of course) green bean salad with feta cheese and onions. 

Cauliflower and potato soup. 

After lunch we had some free time before starting our cooking course. I enjoyed chatting with John and hearing about the splendid safari holiday he experienced with his wife. He is a great story teller and its easy to imagine the type of teacher and mentor he was to students during his 36 years of teaching. 

Talking to John (left) and Gharam (right) was always an enjoyable time. 

What a menu we had to prepare, so many new techniques! So exciting!!! The day's cooking course included instruction on how to make: 

Purée Carottes, Tarte Tatin Aux Echalotes, Canard à l'orange Glaçage,  and Soufflé Au Chocolate. 

Time spent in the kitchen was informative and fun!! I enjoyed teaming up with Graham- as proprietor of a cafe called Vic's in Christchurch, New Zealand, creating is his forte! 

Having fun in the kitchen with Graham and Marlène

Preparing the Pâté Brisée for the Tarte Tatin Aux Echalotes

Creating the Cream for the Chocolate Soufflé. 

Marlène and Graham Plating the Tarte Tatin and Salad. 

Tarte Tatin Aux Echalotes

Canard à l'orange Glaçage with Grilled Courgette. 

Soufflé Au Chocolate, we used delicious chocolate from La Cigale. 

What a marvelous meal!!! After dinner we all enjoyed chatting, it was a great end to a fabulous holiday.  

Staying at Le Garantua is more than just an opportunity to take a cooking course. It's a well rounded priceless experience which has been one of my best holiday experiences and I left with a better understanding and ability to create a variety of French dishes. Most importantly, the memories and new friends I made will last a lifetime. 

Merci beaucoup Marlène, Marc, Elise, Rachele, John, and Graham! 

I will always cherish the time spent with all of you and look forward to keeping in touch. 

I left with fond memories, better cooking skills and new friendships. Who could ever ask or hope for more? 

For anyone thinking about a cooking holiday, look no further. Le Gargantua is the best option!!  For more information on the courses offered and timelines, visit: 

Web Site: www.legargantua.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/legargantua

Blog: http://legargantua.wordpress.com

Day 2: Cooking Holiday at Le Gargantua Farmhouse in Southwest France

Day 2 at Le Gargantua Farmhouse was even more incredible than the first day!! As though experiencing a new place and type of holiday wasn't enough, Marlène set aside time to take us to explore nearby areas. Just spectacular! 

We began the day with breakfast. Marc presented us with a nice selection and variety. 

Delicious assortment of fresh fruit, yoghurt, granola, baguette, pain Au chocolate, and jams. 

Fellow guests at Le Gargantua. Left to Right: Graham from Christchurch, New Zealand and his brother in law John from Essex, England.  

After breakfast we headed to Granges Sur Lot to visit the Berino Martinet Prune Farm. 

During the drive to the farm we passed through roads lined with trees that were planted after a directive from Napoleon. He wanted his army to receive shade as they crossed through France. There's a debate on the future of the trees since many fall and cause fatalities.

Plane tree lined roads such as these are common in the area. 

We arrived to Berino Martinet Prune Farm and went on a tour of their museum which had a wide range of items including replicated prunes ovens to fancy tins which held the once considered delicacy. 

Replicated prune oven circa 1880. 

Marlène and Graham looking at a record book showing the sales of these delicacies to individuals and businesses dating back to the 1800s. Fortum and Mason and Harrod's were listed in the record book!  

Marlène is very knowledgeable about French history, including food history! She shared very interesting facts about the specific types of prune we were sampling. Just as there is an authority and region for Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Ham from Parma, there is an authority for prunes from this specific region in France-Pruneaux d'Agen. 

There's a poster in the museum explaining how trees were taken to California. It says "The prune industry of California and America got its start in two travel-worn trunks. In December of 1856, Pierre Pellier brought from France to CA, his strange cargo-two large trunks filled with prune scions embedded in potatoes. He journeyed to the Santa Clara Valley where he was met by his brother, Louis Pellier, a Nurseyman. Together, they grafted the first prunes in America. Today there are over 100,000 acres of these carefully guarded gems growing in California.  

Drying ovens currently used at Berino Martinet. 

Their gift shop offers an array of products including: soaps, chocolates, amanac liquor, fig paste, and much more. 

The property is parallel to the Lot River and within a minute walk you can see the beauty of the river. It was a gorgeous day and view of the Lot River. 

I was so excited for new adventures and enjoyed the tranquility of the area.  

The prune farm is a hidden gem and worth the visit when you are at La Gargantua! The trees on site have been bearing fruit for over the last 60 years! I never would have imagined going to a prune farm and museum but am so grateful to Marlène for giving us a different view and opportunity to see something local to the region. 

Following our field trip we went back to Le Gargantua for a delightful lunch, once again prepared by Marc. I'm very impressed with the partnership this wonderful couple have for their business and daily life. Marc prepares our breakfasts and lunches, while Marlène teaches the classes. All while balancing family life and raising their two lovely daughters! Marc continued to present us with delicious meals. 

Lunch included an impressive selection of cheeses made from sheep, goat, and cow milk.

A lentil salad lightly seasoned. 

Fresh tomatoes and dressed leaves, yummy! 

Locally grown cantaloupe with Bayonne. 

Guests benefit from the neighbors of Marlene and Marc, they are retired famers and came by to bring muscat grapes right off the vine. 

Marc with the grapes, they were so fresh-plus very sweet just like muscat wine!  

As you can read the day was eventful by noon, and cooking instruction hadn't even begun!! 

Cooking time arrived! Our classes began at 1:30pm. Just Graham and I were taking the cooking courses. John opted to relax and took advantage of taking a bike out to cycle round the surrounding scenic areas. 

Our first class began with detailed recipes for the day and we began prepping the meals. We were given a note pad for writing and a folder for the printed recipes. 

I was so excited to not only be at Le Gargantua but to wear the apron my friend Angela gave to me. 

I don't have many pictures of the food as we were preparing but would like to share the incredible knowledge and patience Marlène had throughout the entire program was appreciated. 

First we had to prepare the quail for cooking. Marlène showed us the steps. We then cleaned them up and stuffed them with bread soaked in milk to maintain the moisture during the cooking process.

Once the quail were prepared and placed in the oven, we moved on to the rabbit. Yes, my American friends-you read that correctly. Rabbit! Seeing the carcass didn't bother me even given the head was still intact. But I left it to my new friend and cooking team mate Graham to cut up the rabbit in sections, I was concerned I would splinter the bones. We used an entire bottle of port to cook the rabbit in!! 

Next was dessert, of course! We prepared a delicate yet simple sweet using phyllo dough, apples, and prunes-fitting since we visited the farm! 

During the cooking class there was lots of laughter and questions. I had such a great time learning from Marlène and as well as Graham. As a proprietor of a cafe in New Zealand he's well versed in the kitchen-yet eager to learn more!! 

Here are the magnificent results of our efforts. We enjoyed this delicious food for dinner and John, our very kind food critic gave us the thumbs up. 

Quail and fruit salad, we caramelized the apricots in liquor. I got to flambé them! Wow, I was intimated at first-but Marlène patiently guided me through the technique. 

Rabbit in port, it was so tender and had a sweet taste. The locally grown green beans were a great addition to the meal. 

Tourtière gasconne with apples and prunes. We glazed the tops with butter and liquor. 

Following dinner-Graham, John, and I chatted in the living room and it was wonderful getting better acquainted with these two characters! 

Wow, what an eventful day!!!!! 

 

Day 1: Cooking Holiday at a Farmhouse in France. Travel Tuesday Special.

When I first discovered Le Gargantua on the Go Learn To website, I was excited for the idea of trying something new. A cooking holiday in Southwest France seemed perfect!! Since I arrived yesterday afternoon, it's been an even better experience than I could have dreamed of.

The flight from Amsterdam to Bordeaux took under two hours. There's a shuttle operating every 30 minutes to/from the Bordeaux St. Jean Train Station. It was during this 30 minute ride that I met three wonderful people. An Australian woman who has lived in Laos over the last 15 years, a Dutch gentleman traveling, and a Dutch woman who lives in France-six months of the year spent in my favourite city Paris! They were citizens of the world and very helpful. I quickly learned from the time I stepped into the shuttle bus that English was not as prevalent of a language spoken in Bordeaux as I had expected. The trio on the shuttle were just wonderful and willing to help me find my way! 

The hour train ride to Tonneins, the nearest station to Le Garantua was picturesque. 

View of grape vines from the train. 

Another gorgeous view from the train. 

I was greeted at the station by Marc, husband of the lovely Marlène, this wonderful couple has owned the farmhouse cooking school for over 10 years. 

Just a short 10 minute drive and we arrived to Le Gargantua. I was so excited!! I had corresponded with Marc and Marlène prior to coming to france and they were just as wonderful in person. Marlène greeted me with a warm welcome and was hospitable! 

An outside view of the farmhouse, pictures just don't capture how wonderful it is. 

From the inside looking out. 

My room at Le Gargantua.  

Welcome chocolate chip cookies and wine! 

Downstairs breakfast eating area for guests as well as a living room lounge with free wi-fi.

The program for the cooking holiday. I'm grateful Marlène was able to fit in a visit La Cigale chocolatier in Nérac, the inspiration for the movie Chocolat. One of my all time favs! 

After relaxing for a bit I met the other house guests. Graham from Christchurch, New Zealand and his brother-in-law John from Essex, England. They were just wonderful and had such great spirits. 

Prior to our three-course dinner we had drinks and canapés. Delicious! 

Rosé wine and a trio of canapés: Bayonne with gherkin, smoked trout, and roquefort with walnuts. The olives were a perfect addition. 

First course: Foie gras on baguette with lightly dressed leaves. 

Second course: Duck Shepard's pie. The best duck I have ever had, the confit was full of flavour! 

Third course: Poached pear with chocolate ganache. 

The conversation was lively and it was so fun getting to meet and learn about new people! Oh, the adventures ahead!! Cooking begins on Day 2! More to come!!