Class schedule for the
2002-2003 season
with a few typical dishes from each session.
30 Sep. - 5 Oct. 2002
No.
1
1,900 euros per person
Autumn cooking
| La cuisine d'automne | |
| · | Jambonnette de volaille aux champignons |
| · | Piperade |
| · | Tarte aux raisins...etc |
No.
2
11 Nov. - 16 Nov. 2002
1,900 euros per person
Autumn cooking with game
| La cuisine d'automne/chasse | |
| · | Truite farcie aux cèpes |
| · | Carnard aux olives |
| · | Salade de palombes...etc |
No.
3
2 Dec. - 7 Dec. 2002
2,000 euros per person
Holiday celebrations
| Les fêtes de Noël | |
| · | Papillote de foie gras aux pommes de terre |
| · | Canard à l'orange |
| · | Mousse Mandarine...etc |
No.
4
27 Jan. - 1 Feb. 2003
1,900 euros per person
Winter dishes
| La cuisine d'hiver | |
| · | Poulet poché - sauce suprême |
| · | Curry de porc |
| · | Tarte aux poires et à la cannelle...etc |
No.
5
17 Mar. - 22 Mar. 2003
1,900 euros per person
Spring dishes
| Le printemps dans nos assiettes | |
| · | Fonds d'artichaut garnis de légumes - sauce hollandaise |
| · | Navarin d'agneau aux pommes |
| · | Soufflé de fruits en croustade ...etc |
No.
6
16 Jun. - 21 Jun. 2003
1,900 euros per person
Buffets/Summer dishes
| Les buffets, la cuisine d'été | |
| · | Rillettes de saumon et maquereau - cake aux légumes |
| · | Navarin d'agneau aux pommes |
| · | Meringue aux cerises ...etc |
Bring a friend, two or more participants signing up together qualify for a 10% discount per person.
Custom weekend courses can also be organized for groups of four or more.
View photographs of the school.
Read the answers to frequently asked questions.
info@worldtable.com for E-mail with questions about the Ecole de Cuisine du Domaine d'Espérance and it's classes .
Registration is not available by e-mail. Click here for a form to print and mail.
Ecole de Cuisine du Domaine d'Espérance
No sooner had we decided to drive west across the south of France from Beziers to Bordeaux, during our New Year's trip to France several years ago, than we became aware of the Ecole de Cuisine du Domaine d'Espérance. A small cooking school in the heart of the rural Bas-Armagnac area of Gascony just west of Toulouse and southeast of Bordeaux, the Domaine d'Espérance is surrounded by some of the best brandy producers in France, as well as a slew of bastides, small, sometimes tiny, picturesque 700 year old villages. The information we received piqued our interest and before we left for France, we made an appointment to see the school and meet the owner.
We turned off a local road onto a country lane and soon arrived at an 18th century manor surrounded by vineyards. The Comtesse de Montesquiou Fezensac, who operates the school and vineyards at her country home, greeted us at the door and welcomed us in out of the rain. Although the weather dampened the enthusiasm we might have otherwise had for a stroll through the vineyards or surrounding property, it made us all the more appreciative of the warmth of both the reception and the fireplace.
Sometimes we surprise ourselves with how well we comprehend French, however our discussions here, were all in English. Given the fluent English with which we were addressed, it seemed pretentious for us to utter more than a few pleasantries in French, and pretense seemed to be most out of place at the Domaine. It didn't take us long to feel comfortable and it was quite easy and pleasant to imagine oneself as a guest spending a week here.
The property was bought and is maintained as a rural escape from the urbanity of Paris. Noting that the Domaine is not intended to be a Relais et Chateaux, our hostess emphasized the simplicity of the restoration and decoration. However, by no means should simple and rural be confused with rustic, nor should it be implied that the decoration is at all impersonal or without character.
Antique beds are fitted with modern mattresses and the bathrooms are all newly renovated with all the contemporary comforts of home. In keeping with the feel of the house, pedestal lavatories prevail over built-in cabinets and the varnished wood floors of the bedrooms continue into the bathrooms. Long before our attention was directed to the archaic windows and original glazing retained in lieu of the contemporary replacements suggested by the architect, we were impressed by the restraint evident in the renovation.
Up to nine guests can be accommodated in the three double rooms on the upper floor, a double room and a single room on the ground floor. The single room is often used as another sitting room when the school is not full. All bedrooms have private baths.
While no course was in session during our trip, we toured the kitchen and found out that Chef Natalia Arizmendi, a Grand Diplôme of the Cordon Bleu, has been teaching both cuisine and pastry for over ten years. She runs her own cooking school in San Sebastian, Spain, when not in attendance here. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish. We didn't get to meet Chef Arizmendi, but we're inclined to place faith in the report of her great skill in working with both beginners and advanced students, as understatement seems to be the style of both the countess and her house. The kitchen is spacious and well laid out for the maximum of nine students who can enjoy cooking at the two commercial gas stoves.
Currently the school offers one week seminars, which begin on Monday with a buffet lunch and end on Saturday with a buffet or picnic. The typical morning session is a demonstration where the chef prepares a three course lunch for the group. In the afternoon the students engage in a hands-on class, dividing into three subgroups to prepare either the first course, main course or dessert for the evening.
Meals are served family style at a single large table in the dining room. Morning classes are from 9:30 to 12:30 and afternoon classes are from 4:30 to 7:30. The morning schedule is broken on Wednesday for a visit to the local market and on Saturday for a visit to the caves of neighboring producers.
The Domaine is a working vineyard, producing and bottling a white wine under its own label. We are told that 14,000 bottles will be leaving for the USA in September. The Armagnac is also now being offered for sale. When not cooking or eating, guests are invited to use the outdoor pool, walk through the woods or the vineyards, visit the local villages or just relax in the sitting rooms. Wine tastings can also be arranged.
Bordeaux is about an hour and a half away and transportation is provided to and from the Bordeaux train station to meet the Paris TGV train. Arrangements can be made to meet flights at the Bordeaux, Biarritz or Pau airports.
The kitchen at l'Ecole de Cuisine du Domaine d'Espérance.
Home - Table of Contents
Join us at
eGullet's France/Restaurants, Dining and Travel message board to discuss food, wine and travel in France and to post questions and comments about this site.
Copyright © 1997-2002 WorldTable, Inc.