Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival at your charming village hotel. Tapas and cava (Catalan sparkling wine) will be served before dinner, and you�ll meet your instructor for the week. Dinner consisting of a specially designed menu of regional in-season specialties, featuring dishes such as coca (a Catalan type of pizza) topped with Minorcan sheep�s milk cheese, roasted vegetables, and anchovies from L�Escala, Squid with artichokes and green beans, or Grilled duck breast with a raspberry and redcurrant sauce, followed by, perhaps, crema catalana and a local sweet wine, Garnatxa d�Empord�.

Day 2

After breakfast we explore two medieval villages of the region. We visit a local cheesemaker and then venture to a small coastal town on one of the most famed stretches of Catalonia�s exquisite Costa Brava (wild coast). We have a splendid lunch in a famed restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. After a walk along the cam� de ronda (seaside path) or a stroll along the beach, we return to the hotel for a rest or a swim. In the evening we have our first cooking class and a tour-of-Spain wine tasting session led by the sommelier.

Day 3

Today�s cooking lesson will take place in the home of an outstanding local cook. After shopping together at the daily outdoor market for ingredients, you will learn secrets of Catalan home cooking. In this hands-on class you prepare dishes such as faves a la catalana (Catalan style beans), esqueixada (salt cod salad), mar i muntanya (sea and mountain), or canalons (cannelloni). A fish auction takes place that afternoon as the fishing boats unload their catch. We return to the hotel to rest. Dinner in a traditional Catalan restaurant in a nearby medieval village.

Day 4

Today you will visit Girona�s fantastic food market with a renowned chef of the Empord�, buying the ingredients for your cooking class at the hotel. Dishes prepared will vary by season. Cook a four-course lunch. Lunch will be enjoyed with wines paired with the courses. The remainder of the day is free to take a walk or bicycle ride (many pleasant routes in the area, bicycles provided), lounge by the pool, or explore the region. Dinner on your own.

Day 5

Today your cooking class will focus on preparing Catalan-style fish and seafood soups, stews, and rice dishes. After a luxurious lunch and a very Spanish siesta, or a leisurely paseo, you are free to visit Girona with its medieval call (Jewish Quarter), Figueres with its Dal� Museum, or simply explore the inland or costal villages of the area. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6

The Empord� denominaci�n de origen wineries have experienced a quiet revolution of late, experimenting with a host of grape varieties and modernizing their methods. Their product is increasingly on the radar of Spanish wine watchers. We will tour some wineries in the area. After lunch we will visit an olive oil mill and taste their wares. That evening the hotel�s chef will show us how to make a variety of tapas. A tapas dinner at the hotel featuring traditional Spanish tapas with wine and cava brings our gastronomic week to a delightful close.

Day 7

Breakfast in the hotel, followed by departure. Transfers to Girona provided.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

5 lunches, 5 dinners, 6 breakfasts

Exclusions -

Meals not specified

Extras -

This cooking vacation features four cooking classes and one cooking demonstration, wine tastings, and visits to an artisan cheese maker, an olive oil mill, wineries, local markets, and Catalan restaurants. Your hotel is a beautifully converted luxurious village townhouse in a quiet village near Girona. Your instructor for the week is the hotel�s chef. His restaurant specializes in Catalan cuisine with a contemporary twist.
This region is ideal for slowing down. Without making too much effort, you can go for walks or bicycle rides (bicycles supplied at the hotel) in the countryside or drive to the beach and walk along the costal walkways. The medieval villages in the area are fascinating to explore, as are Girona, with a 13th-century call (Jewish Quarter), Figures, where the Teatre-Museu Dal� is found, and Cadaqu�s, a beautiful costal town where Dal�s house is now a museum.