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Cooking at
Hostellerie Bérard, Provence, France
Food: The French take dining very seriously and food is "très
important". M Bérard is a Master Chef and his presentation of food is artistic.
His
restaurant is well-known in the region and has earned the nod of approval from the most
discriminating French gourmets. Ingredients are selected with great care and attention.
As well as running the hotel and restaurant, the Bérard
family conduct cooking courses in Provençal country cooking at their nearby farm.
Participants in the classes stay at the hotel and are taken each morning to the farm
(called a "Mas" in Provençal) nearby where hands-on classes take place in the
old farmhouse kitchen. M. Bérard himself teaches many of the classes with the help of his
daughter who is also an accomplished cook.
The results of the
classes are lunches that are "magnifique" accompanied by excellent wines. The
recipes are traditional French country cooking and the classes are informal and fun. Some
of M. Bérard’s outstanding dishes are red mullet and seafood canneloni in olive
butter, deep fried garlic, volaille en papillote with acacia honey and his famous lavender
sorbet.
Afternoons are taken up with herb picking, visits to
markets, to local wineries, olive mills, cheese producers and other places of interest for
those who love food.
The cooking holidays start on Sunday and end on Friday. The following are
some typical activities: Sunday:
Arrival - welcome dinner
Monday: No markets on Mondays. Cooking lesson is based on meat dishes and
all the fragrant "herbes de Provence". An outing into the
beautifully-scented hills will allow you to pick just the right fresh
herbs for your recipe.
Tuesday: Early morning visit to Sanary Harbour to watch the fishing boats
come in and get the pick of the catch. Lunch today will be a fish-based
"bouillabaisse" made from this morning's best buys. Afternoon
visit to a vineyard to taste some of excellent Bandol appellation wines
and learn how to choose the wine to accompany your culinary creations.
Wednesday: A local farmer delivers the seasonal vegetables to be cooked up
into an authentic Provencal vegetable stew or "ratatouille". In
the afternoon you visit a charming olive grove and learn how to prepare
the local specialty "tapenade" made with ground black olives.
Thursday: Today's programme concentrates on breads and desserts. Rene
Berard is famous for his pastries. After lunch you may choose to visit the
picturesque village of Le Castellet, with its many arts and crafts
boutiques or Cassis, famous for its fruit liquor.
Friday: Departure after breakfast.
Sample Recipe:
COURGETTE BLOSSOMS STUFFED
WITH RATATOUILLE AND A CHILLED TOMATO COULIS
(SERVES 6)
Ingredients
12 fully-opened
courgette blooms
3 courgettes
2 aubergines
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
a few baby onions
2 ripe tomatoes
15 cl olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme flowers
3 bay leaves
salt
milled pepper
caster sugar
Wash
the vegetables and dice along with the onions. Pan fry the
vegetables in olive oil separately - 5 mins. for the courgettes and
aubergines, 10 mins. for the peppers and tomatoes. Brown the onions
in olive oil in a casserole dish then add the vegetables. Mix and
season, then add the thyme flowers, bay leaves and a pinch of sugar.
Cook for 10 mins. in a medium oven (185°C), then strain off the
excess liquid from the ratatouille after cooking using a colander
and put aside.
Two
hours or less before serving, cut the bottoms off the courgette
blooms and remove the small, fine spines around the base using your
thumb and forefinger. Put the blooms in cold water and rinse, then
drain and place on a cloth, taking care not to tear them. Put the
ratatouille in an icing bag and fill each flower to the top using a
n° 10 nozzle. Place the stuffed blooms on a greased baking tray,
season with salt and pepper and bake for 10 mins. at 180°C. The
flower should look appetising and ready to burst open.
Spoon
two tablespoons of chilled tomato coulis into the bottom of the
plate then add two overlapping blooms. Brush lightly with olive oil
and add a pinch of untreated Brittany sea salt for the final touch
Wine
recommended : Bandol rosé |
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