Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Gourmet for a day

Want to broaden your culinary horizons but don’t have much time? Vicky Bennison rounds up the best one-day cooking and wine-tasting courses in b.there! destinations

Academia Barilla, Emilia-Romagna

Learn to make pasta from the professionals. Academia Barilla, located in the centre of historic Parma, houses a library devoted to Italian gastronomy. You could spend the whole day studying 16th-century manuscripts, but most people will feel that time is better spent with a visit to a Parmesan cheese-maker or balsamic vinegar producer, followed by a four-hour pasta-making class. From €200 per person, minimum two people. www.academiabarilla.com

Masseria Torre Coccaro, Apulia

Overlooking the sea, 50km outside Bari, Masseria Torre Coccaro is a 16th-century watchtower that was transformed into a rustic-luxe hotel five years ago.

Cooking courses are run on demand and tailored to guests’ interests, but expect to start with a trip to the market in Monopoli to buy fresh produce, then learn to make typical Apulian dishes like orecchiette, literally ‘little ears’ pasta, or panzerotti – delicious fried, mozzarella-filled ravioli. Field trips include the nearby Tormaresca winery and, from November to March, students can pick olives and learn how to make olive oil. From €100 per person. www.masseriatorrecoccaro.com

Cook in France, Dordogne

Jim Fisher is a Masterchef semifinalist turned chef and owner of a cooking school in rural southwest France, close to the pretty market village of St Geniès. He runs hands-on, fun courses in a chic converted barn. Learn to cook both hearty and sophisticated local dishes like magret de canard poêlé (pan-fried duck breast), pommes sarladaises (potatoes, onions and garlic fried in goose fat), and tarte tatin (caramelised apple tart). Jim also runs wine and food matching classes with Sainsbury’s former marketing director of wine Julia Jenkins. From €175 per person. www.cookinfrance.com

Gourmet on Tour, Barcelona

Take two half-day classes in trendy Barcelona, learning the traditional and avant-garde styles of Catalan cooking. Start with a guided tour of the Boqueria market with Jaume Brichs, then adjourn to a penthouse kitchen with mountain views to learn how to make recipes such as romesco sauce, red peppers stuffed with duck, or pork meatballs with shellfish. Lunch follows, accompanied by lots of Penedès DO wine. The next class is for culinary adventurers. Drawing on recipes devised by Ferran Adrià and Carme Ruscalleda, this class isn’t just about sweet and savoury; you’ll also look at temperature and texture, and combining flavours in unexpected ways. Jellied bloody Mary, anyone? From €185 per person per class in a group of six. www.gourmetontour.com

Nahm Thai Masterclasses, London

Want to know why a Thai salad is so darn hot? Or how to cook a genuine Thai meal without flying to Bangkok? The award-winning Nahm Restaurant in London’s Halkin Hotel runs Thai Salad, Street and Market Food classes. Chef Matthew Albert teaches the techniques and recipes that create the hot/cold, sweet/sour, wet/dry balances typical of Thai cooking. From £150 (€200) per person. www.halkin.como.bz

Cook with a Gastronomic Society, Basque Country

Basque in all things fishy: begin your day with a visit to Bilbao’s El Mercado de la Ribera, Europe’s largest covered market. Then adjourn to chef Luis Mokoroa’s Gastronomic Society. They may sound formal, but these cooking clubs are an excuse for a jolly – with songs, jokes and culinary advice on the menu along with dishes like Kokotxa (a Basque speciality of hake cheeks), or Arroz con almejas- rice with clams. Wash lunch down with jugs of local Rioja wine; but stay upright and hungry enough for the evening’s tapas or ‘pintxos’ stroll through San Sebastian, nibbling on local specialties like crab croquettes. Then sleep it all off to the sounds of waves in your beachfront hotel; from €550 including accommodation. www.cellartours.com

Helsinki Culinary Institute, Helsinki

Experiment with some unfamiliar foods and recipes like reindeer carpaccio, roast elk, sea-buckthorn berry jelly and blueberry soup. Head chef Gero Hottinger is happy to tailor the classes, so if moose and bear aren’t your thing, you can learn all about Finnish fish and wild mushrooms instead. The Institute is based in central Helsinki but it also has a subsidiary called Mustio Manor – a castle 80km from the capital where classes are held… and you can stay and enjoy a sauna afterwards. From €135 per person in a group of eight. www.kulinaarineninstituutti.fi

International Wine Academy, Rome

When in Rome, do what foodies do and head for the Wine Academy, located next to the Spanish Steps on the ground floor of the charming Palazzetto Hotel and Restaurant. The Private Label Course consists of a two-hour session in which the principal wine-producing areas of Italy are discussed. If that sounds boring, fear not: this is a practical course in which five different wines are tasted and you will learn about the most interesting producers as well as the best-value bottles. The next two hours are spent in the company of a wine producer to analyse the running of an estate, illustrated with five of his wines. A four-course dinner wraps up the day, during which you’ll learn some of the basics of food and wine pairing. From €300 per person. www.wineacademyroma.com

Slattery’s, Manchester

Knackerli may sound like a new way of feeling exhausted, but chocolate-makers will know they are biscuit-shaped chocolates studded with nuts and dried fruit. Learn how to make them on a beginners’ course at Slattery’s Patissier & Chocolatier, along with an Aladdin’s treasure chest of other treats: clusters of chocolate-coated almonds called rochers; marzipan pretzels; hand-dipped pralines; and easy truffles. If you go gooey at the thought of chocolate cakes, there’s a one-day workshop on making everything from cupcakes to gateaux. From £135 (€180) per person. slattery.co.uk

Cellar Tours, Oporto and Douro Valley

Don’t drink and drive: have your own chauffeur-driven Mercedes take you to the 300-year-old port lodges of Oporto, where wines used to be stored prior to shipping. Indulge in some private port tutorials, then take your own rabelo boat – originally used for shipping wine – down the Douro River through stunning scenery to visit wineries including Quinta da Pacheca. Following a gourmet meal your driver will magic you back to your hotel, the five-star Porto Palácio. For non-port drinkers, top Portuguese chef Hélio Loureiro is happy to teach groups the best of Portugal’s cuisine, including dishes like feijoada de marisco – thick seafood soup made with scallops, prawns, fish and beans. From €400 per person. cellartours.com

FR Gourmet d’un jour

Vous voulez agrandir vos horizons culinaires mais vous ne disposez pas de beaucoup de temps? Vicky Bennison a fait un tour des meilleurs cours de cuisine et de dégustation de vins d’un jour parmi les destinations de b.there!.

Si votre cœur est en France, apprenez à cuisiner des plats à la fois chaleureux et sophistiqués dans l’école culinaire de Jim Fisher dans le sud ouest rural. Des cours d’association vin-cuisine sont également disponibles. A partir de €175 par personne (cookinfrance.com).

Surplombant la mer à 50km en dehors de Bari en Italie, Masseria Torre Coccaro est une tour de garde du 16e siècle qui a été transformée il y a cinq ans en hôtel de luxe rustique.

Les cours de cuisine sont taillés sur mesure suivant les goûts des participants, mais attendezvous à préparer des plats typiquement apuliens comme les panzerotti – de délicieux raviolis fourrés de mozzarella. A partir de €100 par personne (www.masseriatorrecoccaro.com).

Pour un cours vraiment hors de l’ordinaire, rendez-vous en Finlande. A l’Institut Culinaire d’Helsinki, vous êtes amenés à expérimenter des mets peu familiers comme le carpaccio de renne, l’élan grillé, et la soupe de myrtille. Le chef principal Gero Hottinger organise avec plaisir des classes sur mesure. A partir de €135 par personne en groupe de huit (www.kulinaarineninstituutti.fi).

Apprenez comment faire du merveilleux chocolat à l’occasion d’un cours pour débutants chez Slattery, le Pâtissier & Chocolatier de Manchester. Des pretzels au massepain, des pralines trempées à la main, des nouveautés plongées dans le chocolat, et des truffes faciles…tous ces délices font partie du lot. Vous pouvez aussi essayer l’atelier d’un jour de fabrication-gâteaux. A partir de €180 par personne (www.slattery.co.uk).

Les aventuriers culinaires peuvent réaliser leurs fantasmes les plus fous à Barcelone, avec un cours centré sur les recettes de Ferran Adriá et de Carmen Ruscalleda. Il ne s’agit pas seulement de douceurs et de saveurs; vous vous occuperez également de température et de texture, ainsi que de combinaison de goûts de façon inattendue. A partir de €185 par personne par classe de six. (www.gourmetontour.com).

NL Fijnproever voor een dag

Je culinaire kunnen vergroten in een mum van tijd? Vicky Bennison bespreekt de beste eendaagse kook- en wijncursussen op b.there!-bestemmingen.

Als Frankrijk je ware liefde is, dan kan je hartige en verfijnde gerechten leren bereiden in Jim Fishers koksschool in het landelijke zuidwesten. Er zijn ook cursussen om wijn bij gerechten te kiezen. Vanaf € 175 per persoon (www.cookinfrance.com).

Op zo’n 50 km van Bari in Italië ligt Masseria Torre Coccaro, een 16de eeuwse-uitkijktoren aan zee die vijf jaar geleden werd omgevormd tot rustiek luxehotel.

Men geeft er kooklessen volgens de interesses van de gasten. Vaste waarden zijn Apulische gerechten als panzerotti, heerlijke ravioli gevuld met mozzarella. Vanaf € 100 per persoon (www.masseriatorrecoccaro.com).

Op zoek naar iets unieks? Trek dan naar Finland. In het Helsinki Culinary Institute kan je experimenteren met ongewone gerechten zoals carpaccio van rendier, gegrilde eland en bosbessensoep. Chefkok Gero Hottinger past de lessen met plezier aan je wensen aan. Vanaf € 135 per persoon in een groep van acht (www.kulinaarineninstituutti.fi).

Leer zalige chocolaatjes te maken in de beginnerscursus bij Slattery’s Patissier & Chocolatier in Manchester.

Marsepeinpretzels, handgedipte pralines en eenvoudige truffels behoren tot de ‘leerstof’. Of probeer de eendaagse cakeworkshop. Vanaf € 180 per persoon (www.slattery.co.uk).

Culinaire avonturiers kunnen hun grenzen verleggen in Barcelona, met een cursus rond recepten van Ferran Adriá en Carmen Ruscalleda. Het gaat niet enkel over zoet en zuur, maar je leert ook alles over temperatuur en textuur, en je combineert onverwachte smaken. Vanaf € 185 per persoon in een groep van zes. (www.gourmetontour.com).

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