Cooking in Provence

For years, the idea of taking a cooking class in France was something that I harbored in the back of my mind. Once the idea for NorthWest French came about, my husband and I determined that we would have to have another French adventure, one that included a cooking class. We had been to many regions of France, but never Provence. Because of this, as well as the bounty and variety of culinary treasures in the region, we thought Cooking in Provence would be perfect.

The Unexpected

Plans and lives change, sometimes in the blink of an eye. My husband unexpectedly passed away last year, which obviously was hard and life changing. At first, I couldn’t imagine carrying on with the NorthWest French cooking website idea, especially with both my kids recently “out of the nest”. I was now cooking for only one, plus a small terrier. I completely wrote NorthWest French off for about a year. Then this summer, I decided that it was something I still wanted to do, and do it in memory of Mitch, my husband. The cooking class in Provence was back on the table!

Provence – Here We Come

The Provence trip turned into a birthday celebration, albeit several months late. One of my long-time friends from Whidbey Island was sweet enough to drop everything and be my partner in crime for the two week adventure. As time goes on, I will definitely share some of our highlights and places that are “Don’t Miss” travel destinations in Provence, but for now, I am going to focus on the original focus of the trip – Cooking in Provence.

La Belugue Cooking Class

After much research, I settled on a cooking class in Beaumont-de-Pertuis at an establishment called “La Belugue”. https://cookinginprovence.com/day-classes I loved the fact that chef Kelly is originally from Tennessee and teaches her classes in English. No language issues. Another big plus – I am a sucker for historic buildings and architecture, and her home, property, as well as the village all have the quintessential, old-world feel, complete with stone structures and timber beams. The setting, both in the kitchen and around the property, was something out of a dream. The surrounding views of rolling, sun-drenched hills and vineyards are perfection. It was just what I was looking for.

Prior to the actual cooking class, we had signed up to go to the market beforehand. We met Kelly’s husband, Philippe, at the Market in La Tour-d’ Aigues, a village about 15 minutes from La Belugue. The market is situated close to an old castle ruin, which certainly added the “historic” element that I love. The market itself was so beautiful, full of everything from breads and cheeses, to fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood. We picked out two lovely sea bass fish for dinner. We also found some fresh zucchini flowers for stuffing to be served with our first course. Needless to say, we also purchased many other treats and treasures while we were gathering ingredients for the meal. The market trip also inspired some tasty recipes, a lovely Vegetable Tian https://northwestfrench.com/provencal-tian-french-baked-summer-vegetables/ as well as Pomegranate Chicken https://northwestfrench.com/pomegranate-chicken-roasted-chicken-thighs-with-a-pomegranate-glaze/

Time to Cook

Upon arriving to La Belugue, we were ushered in to one of the most gorgeous kitchens I have ever seen! French charm combined with clean and modern cabinetry and appliances. A monstrous island was the focal point of the kitchen, and acted as our workspace in this lovely “classroom”. There were a total of four of us in attendance on that Tuesday. Crazy enough, the other two students were from Nanaimo, out on Vancouver Island! We joked that we could wave to each other across the Rosario Straight, but had to come to France to actually meet.

The menu was lovely: Gazpacho Soup along with Stuffed Zucchini Flowers for starters. Sea Bass baked in a salt crust – served with Hollandaise Sauce for the main, and lovely Rose de Pomme for dessert. Chef Kelly had cooking stations set up for all of us to chop, mince, slice, and dice. We prepared the superb fresh vegetables for our Gazpacho Soup, used a mandolin to slice apples for our “apple rose” dessert, stuffed the sea bass with herbs and lemon, made the salt crust, and then Hollandaise Sauce to serve with the fish.

After several hours of cooking, we were rewarded with a lovely, lazy al fresco meal, paired with the perfect Rosé wine. After the meal, we moved to the pool deck to enjoy a bit more Rosé, while soaking in view of the late afternoon sun covering the hills and vineyard. It was the perfect end to a wonderful experience.

If you are interest in more “Provençal Adventure” check out my post on our Provence Road Trip: https://northwestfrench.com/provence-road-trip-exploring-the-luberon/. It explores the hilltop villages and is chock full of pictures. Enjoy!