Take a French cooking class -- in France
Students in the gourmet cooking class of the Hostellerie Berard in La Cadiere d'Azur, France, do most of the work. Credit: MCT, 2011
It is day four of cooking class at La Bastide des Saveurs, and many of the 14 students are looking for chairs to catch a few minutes of rest before the whisking begins. But it is also dessert day, so a delicious reward at the end is guaranteed.
Such are the joys -- and challenges -- of a gourmet cooking class at the estate of the Hostellerie Bérard in La Cadière d'Azur, France.
There is work to be done and instructions to follow during a day that can stretch to seven hours. The key also is to have fun. Who wants to work on vacation?
WHAT TO EXPECT
The setting is movie-set-perfect: The rustic kitchen of a 19th century country house in the Provençal countryside. Pass by the herb and vegetable garden on the way to the kitchen with chef René Bérard.
A cutting board and knife await each student around the wooden block table. Bowls of cubed butter, sugar, yellow apples and pine nuts give clues to the day's tasks. Bérard walks in, and it's time to grab your knife, or your pen to take notes, and get cooking.
This class has its share of English speakers, so the translator takes her spot across from Bérard. The veal stock is already boiling on the stove and the smell is heavenly. Every so often, an assistant stops by to pour in another bottle of red wine or drop in herbs, vegetables -- even hoofs.
Chef Rene Berard, center, joins the students in lunch after gourmet cooking class at the estate of the Hostellerie Berard in La Cadiere d'Azur, France. (Linda Bergstrom/Chicago Tribune/MCT) Credit: MCT/Linda Bergstrom
The cooking lineup includes two kinds of tarts, lemon and apple, along with chocolate fondant (think: the original molten chocolate cake), a wafer and fruit creation, and a French classic in sauce vanille bourbon.
The students take turns cracking eggs, whisking ("No air!" cautions the chef), rolling out pastry, stirring sauces, even tossing cooked apples in the pan before the concoction is set aflame. Do something wrong, and you get a gentle suggestion from Bérard. Do it correctly, and you get a smile and "Ah, perfect."
There is time to soak up the atmosphere. The window is cracked open and reveals a prototypical Provence countryside.
Desserts do not make a meal, so the lesson also includes an artichoke salad featuring artichokes from the garden. The students have had a hand in the entire lunch menu, so the lamb that was deboned and put in a marinade days ago is brought out.
Then it is outside to the terrace to enjoy the fruits of the students' labor. A table under a canopy is already set with glasses, cutlery and bottles of wine.
ENJOYING THE SPREAD
The students and Bérard take their seats, and the food parade begins: bread and olive tapenade and anchovy paste; ratatouille; lamb with pistachio butter; vegetable terrine; artichokes with shallots, celery and mushrooms. And desserts.
Conversation ranges from the nightly parties (the seaport of Cassis is on the night's agenda) to the bouillabaisse to the honey farm visited earlier in the week.
The 1 p.m. stated ending time stretches to 3:30 p.m., but no one wants to leave.
There is talk that Bérard will not be doing this much longer. Someone asks him directly. His words are translated: "The day I don't have a passion, I'll stop."
IF YOU GO
La Cadière d'Azur is one of those picturesque French towns. It is big enough to have several decent restaurants and small enough that you feel you are experiencing life as a resident.
STAY The charming Hostellerie Bérard (hotel-berard.com) occupies several buildings in town. It may seem as if you are on a treasure hunt as you travel down corridors, up and down steps and across alleys to find your room. Rates range from $145 out of season to $420 for a suite in peak summer season.
CLASSES The family of chef René Bérard runs the hotel, restaurant and cooking school. Most students opt for the longer four-day class; costs, including room for five nights, breakfasts and other events, start at $2,450. You can also hook up with a group for a one-day class.
NEARBY The location gives you day-trip options in Provence and the Cote d'Azur. Cassis has the beach and the seaside restaurants. Le Castellet has steep streets and touristy shops but a great regional wine shop at its base. Bormes-les-Mimosas has wonderful flowers and towering seascape views.
