Cooking in Carcassonne
by Keith Kellett
We were sitting around an open fire in a tastefully modernised 200 year old farmhouse near the village of Pexioria, about 10 miles from Carcassonne, in the south western Aude region. Domaine St Raymond, as the farmhouse is called, has a light and airy, but intimate Art Deco atmosphere … and I love Art Deco.We were drinking sweet, fizzy Muscat, and hearing the tale of how Dom Perignon is alleged to have visited the area, taken away the recipe for Muscat, and refined it to produce … champagne.
During the evening, Chef Robert Abraham introduced himself, and explained briefly about the cooking weekend he would be conducting. Now, it might be asked what I was doing on a cookery weekend; my signature dish is spaghetti bolognese, and my cooking has been described as sacré bleu rather than cordon bleu.
This weekend saw the launch of the French House Party’s ‘Cuisine in Brief’ weekend, and I’d been invited to report on it. But, I wasn’t going to sit around making notes, taking photographs and looking all writerly. I’d be expected to muck in.
French House Party offer a number of programmes on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from sketching and painting through creative writing to movie making, And, of course, cookery, in the form of its ‘Gastro Academy’. There’s the 6-day ‘Gourmet Explorer’, the 7-day ‘Cook au Vin’ and the introductory 3-day ‘Cuisine in Brief’.None of these, of course, will teach you all about French cooking, but they do give an excellent overview of the tastes to be experienced, and how it’s put together.
The main focus was on the kitchen. It’s really well equipped, having been only recently finished, with the happy knack of being practical and tasteful at the same time. The Chef presided over it, ably assisted by sous-chef Debbie Hargreaves and her wine expert husband, Carl.
Our first section wasn’t in the kitchen, though. We accompanied Chef Robert to the charming mediaeval market town of Revel, where he selected the ingredients we would be working with. Now, for a long time, I thought the idea of the chef doing his marketing personally was a figment of the imagination of the producers of TV food programmes, but this is the second time in two years that I’ve been to the market with a chef. So, I’d imagine this may indeed be the practice in some places.
There were three cookery sessions, at which three meals were produced, each one tastier than its predecessor. Duck breasts with apples; scallops with braised parsnips and monkfish with a tartine of fried aubergines topped with mussels. And, those were just the main courses! Delicate madeleines, crème brulée,(who’d have thought he’d use a blowtorch on it?) tapioca with coconut milk and pineapple … and to think I used not to like tapioca. One taste followed another, and there were more tastes to come, as Carl managed to find just the right wine to complement each course.
We took a hand at preparing all of these, and we noted, as the weekend passed, we were taking on more and more complicated tasks … and our French was improving, as was Chef Robert’s English.
If you are a proficient cook already, you’ll enjoy these programmes. Even if you have only a smattering of cooking skills, there’s room for you, too. And, everyone will enjoy the atmosphere. We went in November and, as they say in the housing trade … if you like it in Winter, you’ll love it in Summer.
You can find out more about French House Party at
http://www.frenchhouseparty.co.uk/ офис обзавежданеThere are regular flights from UK to Carcassonne in Summer; to Toulouse all the year round. They’ll provide a free transfer to and from either of these airports. However, the fee does not cover your air fare to these places.
