Join me for a sweet 7-day French Pastry-Making Culinary Vacation in Provence. From a private kitchen in the center of Aix-en-Provence, you'll learn all about the basic doughs and creams that the French patissier uses to create classic French pastries. I’ll demystify the art and reveal the secrets to French classics like the tart au citron, tart au chocolat, eclairs, religeuse, Paris Brest, mille feuille, L’Opera, St. Honore, Charlotte, Fraisier, and macarons. We'll also make few Viennoiserie.
This is a hands-on cooking vacation where you'll learn by doing, and tasting. The class size is limited to 8 people, so each of you will receive plenty of one-on-one learning time. Each day will have a specific theme around the fundamental "building blocks" of French pastry. From the basics in the morning, our afternoon classes will consist of bringing it all together to compose some of the world-famous classic French desserts.
There'll be time for fun and exploring Provence ~
Along with the pastry-making classes, I've included several fun and food-focused excursions in the sun-drenched south of France. On our first day together, your welcome to Aix-en-Provence includes a guided walking tour of the city along with a visit to a patisserie. Afterwards you'll have a sweet welcome to the tour with a champagne and dessert buffet. The buffet will be a preview and tasting of the desserts we’ll be making together during the week. In the evening we’ll come together again for an apero (before-dinner drink) and head off to our welcome dinner in Aix-en-Provence.
Mid-way through the week, we’ll take a break from the kitchen and spend the day seaside, visiting one of the prettiest seaside villages in Provence and its Wednesday market. From there we’ll have a Michelin-starred lunch together, visit a Provencal winery, and head over to Cassis for a boat tour of the Calanques and a Pastis tasting. We’ll end the day with a seafood dinner and a view of the sea. Along with the excursions, your vacation will include four lunches and four dinners together at the finest restaurants in Aix and Provence. Our farewell dinner will be at a restaurant the Aixoise have hailed as the best restaurant in Aix.
A vacation designed for any baking level and any type of traveler ~
This pastry-making vacation is specifically designed for all levels of bakers, from the person who has never used a whisk before to those aspiring to be pastry professionals. The classes are certainly educational, but they will also be fun. Because the class size is limited to a small group, each of you will be able to get plenty of personal instruction.
The vacation is also specifically designed for all types of travelers ~ girls' or guys' getaways, couples' vacations, solo travelers, and mother-daughter bonding time. There is no single-supplement charge and you are free to select the type of accommodation that best suits your travel personality. (Although accommodations are not included in the trip, I can assist you in finding a vacation apartment, 4-star luxury hotel, or a quaint bed & breakfast for your stay.) The itinerary is organized so that you’ll have a perfect balance of class time, group fun and exploration time, and free time to explore and/or shop on your own.
A detailed itinerary and booking information are listed below. To join the tour, all you need to do is send me an email at chefkathyayer {at} yahoo {dot} com. I'll send you the booking form and you'll be on your way to a fabulous food-lover's vacation and making pastries in Provence.
And, if you want a less-intensive cooking vacation where you explore more of the markets, villages & savory side of Provence, we have other culinary vacation packages in Provence:
All-Inclusive Village Vacation in Provence ~ Explore, Cook & Paint
Markets & Villages of Provence ~ Food Lover's Feast
What's included in this pastry-making vacation ~
- TEN 4-hour French pastry-making classes ~ All are hands-on in a small group setting
- Welcome to Aix guided walk through the city and pastry shop visit
- Welcome afternoon champagne & dessert buffet
- Four lunches and four dinners in some of the best restaurants in Provence, wine included with meals including our Sunday night Welcome dinner and Saturday night Farewell dinner
- Guided visit to a Provencal market
- Winery visit and tasting
- Guided boat tour of the Calanques and Cassis visit
- Pastis tour and tasting
- Transportation to and from Aix-en-Provence for all the tour excursions
- Cook in Provence Pastry recipe book
- Cook in Provence apron and welcome gift bag, which includes my "Food Lover's Guide to Provence"
*Airfare, accommodations, transportation to and from Aix-en-Provence before and after the tour, meals not specified above, and travel insurance are not included.
NOTE: Although accommodations are not included, I can help you find and make lodging arrangements in and around Aix-en-Provence.
See the full itinerary below.
Dates and Details ~
Dates:
- August 9 - 16, 2015 (Full)
- October 25 - November 1, 2015
Price: $1,950 per person
Maximum Group Size: 8 people
Deposit: A nonrefundable deposit of $800 per person is required to confirm enrollment.
Final Payment: Final payment is due 90 days before the start of your tour
Payment Options: You can pay by credit card, bank transfer or check through PayPal
Tour Alum Discount: Receive $150 off this tour if you've already taken a tour with Food Lover's Odyssey
****For private groups of 4 or more, this vacation is available upon request. Please contact chefkathyayer [at] yahoo [dot] com for details****
How to book ~
Email me at: chefkathyayer [at] yahoo[dot]com. Let me know if you're interested in attendingthe Spring or Fall 2014 vacation, and I'll send you the booking form. You will need to pay the deposit and fill out the booking form to book and secure your space.
Travel Insurance:
We recommend travel insurance to protect against loss of enrollment fees for late cancellations. Travel insurance is not included in the tour price.
Other full-day and half-day cooking classes in Provence ~
If, instead, you're interested in the savory side of French cooking, or would like to take one-day or half-day cooking classes, we have an assortment of tasty classes to fit your needs, including a market tour and market-to-table full-meal classes, classic French composed-plate classes, half-day pastry workshops and even a fun apéro party and wine tasting class.
Check out all our cooking classes in Provence on the main page: Cook With Me in Provence.
French Pastry Making Culinary Vacation in Provence
~ Itinerary ~
Day 1:
- Arrive in Aix-en-Provence
- Afternoon guided walking tour of Aix-en-Provence with guided pastry visit
- Champagne and dessert buffet
- Welcome wine tasting with apero
- Welcome dinner in Aix-en-Provencewhere we'll go over the details of the week’s itinerary
Day 2:
Focus on French doughs and creams to make tarts and Charlottes
- Morning class: Students will make pate sable, ladyfingers, pastry cream, lemon cream, Bavarian cream, and chocolate ganache
- Lunch together in Aix
- Afternoon class: Students will create tarts au citron, tarts au chocolat and a seasonal fruit tart, and together we'll make a Charlotte
Day 3:
Focus on Pate a Choux, Pastry Cream and Caramel
- Morning class: Students will make pate a choux dough and pastry cream in 4 flavors, then use it to make all the different types of pate a choux pastries: chouquettes, eclairs, religeuse, Paris Brest and St. Honore
- Afternoon break - Lunch on your own with some free time to explore Aix
- Afternoon class: Demonstration on creating a Croquembuche. Students will create a St. Honore pastry and decorate it with a hard caramel décor
- Group dinner together in Aix-en-Provence
Day 4:
Excursion along the Sea in Provence
- Morning guided visit to a seaside Provencal Market
- Lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant in a Provencal seaside village
- Afternoon visit to Bandol and Cassis with a winery visit, Calanques boat tour and Pastis tasting
- Seafood dinner together seaside
Day 5:
Focus Puff Pastry and Viennoiserie
- Morning Class: Students will make pate feuilletee (puff pastry) and have an introduction/demonstration to Viennoiserie (croissant dough)
- Afternoon Break – Lunch on your own with some free time to explore Aix
- Afternoon class: Students will use their puff pastry to create a Mille Feuille and palmiers
Day 6:
Focus Macarons and Genoise
- Morning class: Students will learn the secrets of making the French macaron and create four flavors of macarons ~ lemon, chocolate/framboise, coffee and salted butter caramel
- Lunch together in Aix
- Afternoon class: Students will make a genoise cake and use it to create a Fraisier pastry
Day 7:
Focus The Entremet and Chocolate Decor
- Morning Class: Students will create L’Opera (biscuit joconde, coffee buttercream, chocolate ganache and glacage
- Picnic-Style Lunch of typical Provencel foods
- Afternoon Class: Tempering chocolate and an introduction to chocolate décor. Students will create chocolate decorations to showcase and decorate their L’Opera entremets
- Bon Voyage dinner in Aix-en-Provence
(Sequence of classes and excursions may vary.)
Ready to taste the sweet life in Provence?
Email me at: chefkathyayer [at] yahoo[dot]com and book your spot today!
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