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| December News from Active Gourmet Holidays |
| GIFT YOURSELF A FOODIE GETAWAY! |
December 2016 |
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 Greetings from Active Gourmet Holidays!
The holiday season is upon us and what better gift to yourself or a loved one than a foodie vacation! Try our fabulous new "Slovenia and Croatia Food Journey". Delve into the Slovenia food scene through foodie walks, cooking classes and outstanding wines. You'll even go for a truffle hunt in Croatia with specially trained dogs. And if cycling is of interest, try our new "Biking and Cooking in Portugal" tour marrying activity with cooking classes and gourmet food. Last but not least, we feature our talented chef who invites you to her beautiful art deco apartment in the heart of Cannes and she also shares this month's recipe with us (see below). "Culinary Cannes".
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For more information on specific tours or pricing, please email Jo-Ann Gaidosz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website at www.activegourmetholidays.com .
To ensure delivery of your Active Gourmet Holidays emails, be sure to add This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to your Address Book or "Known Senders" list!
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 Slovenia and Croatia Food Journey
Slovenia/Croatia- 7 nights
Available May to September - Friday to Thursday
Enjoy a night out in the capital as you eat where the locals do during a comprehensive 'foodie' walk of Ljubljana. Savour five courses of regional specialties paired with award-winning wines in beautiful Goriska Brda. Check out a 1000 year-old castle and taste traditional cakes by gorgeous Lake Bled. Sniff around for truffles in the forests of Croatia with specially trained dogs. Roll out traditional fresh pastas and create dishes with herbs, locally-sourced foods and olive oils and top it all off with some terrific wines that you've never tasted before.
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 Biking and Cooking in Portugal
Alentejo, Portugal - 4 nights
Available March to November (excluding August and November)
Delight yourself with the diversity of the rich Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park Biodiversity. Bike around the most fantastic Portuguese beaches. This tour, along the Southern Portuguese sea coast, is like a banquet for your senses. Let us help you help you enjoy and discover the Alentejo.
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 Culinary Cannes
Cannes, France
Available February to November - Tuesday to Sunday
Enjoy a cooking class at a multi award winning venue in Cannes, France. The classes are taught by a trained professional chef who is also a published author working on a recipe book. You will go shopping to choose your ingredients for the morning cooking class at the local market and then have a hands-on lesson with lunch in a stylish, yet casual, Art Deco apartment in the heart of Cannes. This is a great way to discover the culinary delights of Southern France and to get an insider's view of the Cote d'Azur.
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"Hi Jo-Ann, We are home and want you to know that we LOVED the trip. The weather was perfect -75 and sunny everyday. We thank you for organizing this wonderful trip....special time with special friends."
Carol W., Ponte Vedra, Florida
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CHESTNUT AND PORCINI SOUP
Check out this sophisticated velvety and smooth soup from our talented chef in Cannes, France.
Ingredients:
1 oz dried ceps (porcini mushrooms)
4 cups boiling water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup Cognac
1 lbs button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced, white and tender green parts only
1 medium size carrot, peeled & thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups freshly roasted chestnuts or store bought peeled roasted vacuum-packed chestnuts
3 cups homemade chicken stock
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz fresh ceps (porcini mushrooms) thinly sliced
*Ceps are the French equivalent of porcini mushrooms*
Preparation:
In a large heatproof bowl, soak the dried porcini in the boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms. Strain the liquid into a bowl through a sieve lined with moistened light cheesecloth or a paper towel. Rinse the porcini to remove any remaining grit and finely chop.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the chopped porcinis, button mushrooms, leeks, carrot, celery and rosemary and cook over moderate heat while stirring occasionally until the vegetables are nicely browned, 15 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the cognac and scrape any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce liquid until you have 1 tablespoon left, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chestnuts and stock.
Add 3 cups of the strained porcini soaking liquid and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the chestnuts are very tender, about 30 minutes. Add the cream and let cool slightly. Puree in a blender until completely smooth and keep warm until ready to serve.
In a medium sized skillet, heat the oil. Add the sliced porcinis, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the sautéed porcinis and a drizzle of crème fraiche and good quality olive oil. Serve hot with crusty French baguette.
CHEF'S TIP:
The soup can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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| Affiliations |
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Active Gourmet Holidays
Jo-Ann Gaidosz
Phone: 1.203.732.0771
Fax: 1.203.732.5125
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.activegourmetholidays.com
Skype: active.gourmet.holidays
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| November News from Active Gourmet Holidays |
| DELICIOSO ITALIA! |
November 2016 |
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 Greetings from Active Gourmet Holidays!
Active Gourmet Holidays takes you to Italy for a variety of delicious tours - a fabulous cooking school in Tuscany, a whirlwind tour introducing you to the best parts of this beautiful country, and a short visit in lovely Umbria with a welcoming family.
"The Flavours of Tuscany" is another bestseller of ours. An incredible cooking vacation with talented chefs full of personality! This will no doubt be an experience you will hold in your heart for years to come.
Our next featured tour is one you can customize if you want to spend less or more time in Italy. The tour incorporates all the must-sees of Italy and is a true winner with tons of fabulous touring and foodie experiences - "The Best of Italy". "Cooking in an Umbrian Home" gives you the unique opportunity to be a guest in a true Italian home, taking cooking classes from your gracious hosts.
Please follow us on FACEBOOK where we share trip specials, new tours and recipes.
Click here to LIKE US and please share photos of your trip! www.facebook.com/ActiveGourmetHolidays
For more information on specific tours or pricing, please email Jo-Ann Gaidosz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website at ww.activegourmetholidays.com.
To ensure delivery of your Active Gourmet Holidays emails, be sure to add This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to your Address Book or "Known Senders" list!
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Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Available April to July, September to November
Whether you are a novice or experienced cook, this holiday will teach you all there is to know about Tuscan cuisine. Classes are taught by experienced and professional instructors in a beautiful state of the art kitchen where lessons are truly hands-on and conducted in English. Located between Viareggio and Lucca, the school lies within a beautiful 16th century old estate and all rooms have ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning. In your down time how about some bicycling, horseback or kayaking? One of our best selling cooking holidays! If you already have a place to stay, ask about joining in a day cooking class or truffle hunt followed by a truffle based lunch!
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 The Best of Italy
Venice-Florence-Tuscany-Umbria-Cortona-Amalfi Coast - 15 nights
Available year round
The Best of Italy trip is for those who either have been to Italy before but perhaps did not have time to experience all of the "must-sees" of this beautiful country or for those who are making this their first trip to bella Italia. Make your trip to Italy an experience of a lifetime! Take the guessing out of where to go and what to see. This tour has it all, taking you from Venice, Florence to Rome and the Amalfi Coast. See the Chianti region of Tuscany with its fabulous wineries, as well as the Umbrian countryside. You will understand why people talk about Siena and San Gimignano and Cortona. Taste the famous Brunello wines in Montalcino and have lunch at an Italian farmhouse.
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 Cooking in an Umbrian Home
Umbria, Italy - 3 nights
Available year round
Learn to cook with an Italian family who will show you the secrets of Umbrian cuisine. Your hostess has been conducting cooking courses for many years and invites you into her restored nineteenth century country house for day cooking classes or residential cooking programs. You can either choose to arrive on your own so you will have your own vehicle (the non-escorted tour) or if you choose not to have a vehicle you will be picked up at the train station and be accompanied during your tours and wine tasting.
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"CINQUE TERRE COOKING AND WALKING"
"This trip exceeded our expectations! Everything was taken care of by the nicest and most professional guide, hosts and drivers. We loved it and cannot wait to go on another trip with AGH!."
Suzanne and James P., Portland, Oregon
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PUMPKIN AND POTATO GNOCCHI
A fabulous autumn recipe from our friends in Umbria, Italy.
Ingredients
For pumpkin gnocchi: 300 gr (1.25 cups) potatoes (boiled) 150 gr (.63 cups) pumpkin 200 gr (.84 cups) plain flour and extra to dust
For potatoes gnocchi:
300 gr (1.25 cups) potatoes (boiled)
150 gr (.63 cups) plain flour and extra to dust
For the sauce:
350 gr (1.5 cups) pumpkin
Pecorino cheese
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
 For pumpkin gnocchi: Boil the peeled pumpkin in some water and then drain it very well. Mash potato and pumpkin and mix them together. Add flour and mix to make the dough. Add the flour little by little.
For potatoes gnocchi:
Mash potato.
Add flour and mix to make the dough. Add the flour little by little.
For both:
Cut dough into pieces and roll them on a floured board.
Cut the rolls in pieces of to 2 cm and roll them one at a time on a fork to give them the traditional shape. The lines help to keep the sauce giving them the traditional Italian look.
Bring to the boil a saucepan of salted water and add the gnocchi. When they come up (2-3 minutes) they are ready.
To serve:
Sauté in the pan, with some extravirgin olive oil and salt. The boiled pumpkin cut in pieces, put
in the cutter to obtain a cream.
Serve the gnocchi on a plate with the sauce, add salt and pepper, extra virgin olive oil and some
grated pecorino cheese.
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| Affiliations |
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| Contact Information |
Active Gourmet Holidays
Jo-Ann Gaidosz
Phone: 1.203.732.0771
Fax: 1.203.732.5125
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.activegourmetholidays.com
Skype: active.gourmet.holidays
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| September News from Active Gourmet Holidays |
| LOOKING FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE? TRY A COOKING CLASS! |
September 2016 |
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 Greetings from Active Gourmet Holidays!
Active Gourmet Holidays features a few of our day or evening cooking class options. Already have a place to stay? Why not take a cooking class with your fellow travelers? It's a great way to learn about the cuisine of the area to which you are traveling.
"Roma!" gives you the opportunity to learn from trained chefs in a fun and welcoming atmosphere. Learn delicious dishes you can share with family and friends. Our " Cooking in Paris" experience offers market visits and several different cooking classes including macaron, bread making and more. Lastly our " Florence Home Cooking" is a wonderful choice if you want to learn authentic Italian recipes from a warm and talented instructor in her Florence home.
Please follow us on FACEBOOK where we share trip specials, new tours and recipes.
For more information on specific tours or pricing, please email Jo-Ann Gaidosz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website at ww.activegourmetholidays.com .
To ensure delivery of your Active Gourmet Holidays emails, be sure to add This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to your Address Book or "Known Senders" list!
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 Roma!
Rome, Italy
Available year round
Welcome to Roma! During your stay why not delve into the culinary traditions of this very special place? Take a pasta cooking class and enjoy a walking tour along cobblestone streets in this enchanting city of Rome. You will be taught by an experienced chef who will share with you the knowledge of authentic Italian cuisine. You can also choose a traditional Italian cooking class taking place in a medieval village about 30 minutes outside of Rome.
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 Cooking in Paris
Paris, France
Available year round
Interested in learning more about French cooking? Join a cooking class in Paris and learn all about the secrets to famous French recipes. You can have fun while learning a variety of recipes in a relaxed atmosphere. Classes are tailored to small groups and you can choose from a Parisian cooking class with market visit or a Macaron, Desserts, Baking and Bread Making class. There are also multi day cooking class packages if you want more than one type of class.!
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 Florence Home Cooking
Florence, Italy
Available year round
Discover the secrets of Italian cuisine by taking a hands-on cooking class in a family kitchen in Florence. Your instructor, who is Sicilian and now lives in Tuscany, will teach you about the steps involved in preparing a traditional Italian supper, including an appetizer (antipasto), pasta (primi piatti), main course (secondi piatti) and a dessert (dolci). You can choose to have a meat, fish or vegetarian dish as your main course. A delicious meal follows your lesson, where you can sit down and relax, dining on your creations.
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" Paula and I had a great time cooking and learning of the history of Evora. We can't say enough about Sofia and her depth of information and her warmth provided in her home. Everyday was beyond our expectations. Thanks for your help and finding this experience. We have been telling everyone about the two trips that we have done with Active Gourmet Holidays and how you seem to find these special places. Thank you."
Bill N. and Paula K., Austin, Texas
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ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS STUFFED WITH SKATE
INGREDIENTS
12 zucchini blossoms (with the green zucchini body if possible)
20 gr. / 0.7 oz. capers
300 gr. / 10.6 oz. skatefish
30 gr. / 1.1 oz. black olives pitted and chopped
2 TBS herbs, basil, parsley, tarragon
1 small tomato (peeled and diced)
salt and pepper
roasted tomato and pepper sauce (see recipe below)
METHOD:
Boiled 2 litres of water with a bouquet garni, salt and pepper
Add the skate fish and cook for 5 minutes on a simmer. Let cool down in the broth, drain when lukewarm and clean. Remove the skin and the bones (cartilage) and mix the fish with all the other ingredients. Season well and keep cold in the fridge
Filled up the blossom with the fish mixture and steam at 150 celsius for 10minutes. serve hot or cold with our tomato and pepper sauce.
ROASTED TOMATO AND RED PEPPER SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
1 red bell pepper
2 spring onions
2 tomatoes peeled
salt pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon juiced
METHOD:
Cut the pepper in half, remove white stuff
Cut the tomatoes in half, remove seeds
Cut the onions in half
Put them in a oven sheet pan skin up, drizzle some olive oil and put under the broiler of your oven until it is really dark.
Let cool down, peel the pepper and the first layer of the onions
Add all in a blender, add the rest of the olive oil, the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and reserve
Serve with fish, white meat, grilled vegetable or zucchini blossom or a good homemade crabcake.
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| Affiliations |
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Active Gourmet Holidays
Jo-Ann Gaidosz
Phone: 1.203.732.0771
Fax: 1.203.732.5125
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.activegourmetholidays.com
Skype: active.gourmet.holidays
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| October News from Active Gourmet Holidays |
| APULIA, UMBRIA, BRITTANY! |
October 2016 |
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 Greetings from Active Gourmet Holidays!
Active Gourmet Holidays brings you some delicious tours this month. Take a look at our selections below.
"Enchanting Apulia" is all that and more. I have just returned from this breathtaking region and it is truly an enchanting part of southern Italy. Ancient villages, incredible cuisine, warm people, beautiful landscapes and gorgeous beaches. Our new "Cooking and Walking in Medieval Umbria" tour combines walking and cooking classes in a magical region of Italy with stunning landscapes and great cuisines. Lastly, we feature our Brittany escape with beautiful accommodations, an incredibly talented chef teaching you delectable recipes that you will share with friends and family. "Bon Appetit Brittany
" (Inquire about our
special New Year's week 28 December 2016 to 3 January 2017)
Please follow us on FACEBOOK where we share trip specials, new tours and recipes.
For more information on specific tours or pricing, please email Jo-Ann Gaidosz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website at ww.activegourmetholidays.com .
To ensure delivery of your Active Gourmet Holidays emails, be sure to add This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to your Address Book or "Known Senders" list!
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 Enchanting Apulia
Apulia, Italy - 5 nights
Available year round
This enchanting region of southern Italy is a destination that you do not want to miss. It is located in the south eastern tip of the Italian peninsula and forms the "heel" of the boot of Italy. Apulia (or "Puglia" in Italian) is one of the richest archaelogical regions in Italy. During this five night stay, you will stay in two 4 star accommodations. One hotel is located in a small village and the other is a historic mansion in the Salento region, the southernmost area. You will be able to experience the area through guided visits to points of interest and of course you will be immersed in the area by indulging in the delicious cuisine this area offers through cooking classes and tastings of local products.
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 Cooking and Walking in Medieval Umbria
Umbria, Italy - 7 nights
Available year round
Umbria invites you to discover its history, beauty, delicious cuisine and warm people. This tour allows you to see all that this region has to offer by enjoying walking tours with a certified guide. You will be in awe of the beautiful Umbrian countryside with its vineyards and olive groves. Enjoy two hands on cooking classes at different venues so you can enjoy a couple of unique experiences with different instructors.
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 Bon Appétit Brittany
Brittany, France- 6 nights
Available year round - Sunday to Saturday
If you are serious about learning how to prepare French and modern European food, then this six night cooking vacation is the one for you! Learn from an experienced Michelin trained chef who invites you into his kitchen to share his techniques, tips, presentation skills and recipes through his enjoyable hands on cooking classes. This is for the beginner or advanced so all levels are welcome! Depending on availability, you will stay at a nearby local bed or breakfast or guest house in a medieval village, with rolling hills, lovely people and outstanding gastronomy. Or if you prefer, you can stay in a 4 star hotel a short driving distance to the cooking school. What are you waiting for?
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"CRETAN DELIGHTS"
"Jo-Ann, We are back from Greece. What a good time. Giorgos is a SUPER tour guide, chef, philosopher and CRETAN! Keep him employed. He is very good at what he does. Giorgos teaches history and fed us SOOO Much. He took us to all the cool wonderful little places nobody would of found. Talk about eating like pigs...we ate so much! We are telling all our friends! Thank you,
Klaus K., Glenwood Springs, Colorado
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VEGETABLES AU GRATIN
INGREDIENTS
2 eggplant
2 zucchini
1 red pepper and 1 yellow
100 gr (3.5 cups) of breadcrumbs
50 gr (1.5 cups) of grated Parmesan cheese
Oregano, salt, pepper
E.v.o. oil
METHOD
Thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini; cut the peppers in the foot.
Mix bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, salt and pepper.
Brush with oil a baking pan, arrange the vegetables by overlapping slightly, sprinkle with the chopped bread crumbs and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 180° (350F) and cook for about 30 minutes.
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| Contact Information |
Active Gourmet Holidays
Jo-Ann Gaidosz
Phone: 1.203.732.0771
Fax: 1.203.732.5125
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.activegourmetholidays.com
Skype: active.gourmet.holidays
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| August News from Active Gourmet Holidays |
| BON APPÉTIT FRANCE! |
August 2016 |
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 Greetings from Active Gourmet Holidays!
Active Gourmet Holidays focuses on France this month. Vive le France!
"Cooking in the Dordogne" continues to be a client favorite. From the accommodations, to the chef, to the cooking classes - it is truly a winner! And our "Immersion into the Languedoc" allows you to delve into this wonderful region of France, where food and wine are taken "Journey into Normandy" features our Normandy escape with beautiful accommodations, gracious hosts and a myriad of things to do in this special region of France.
Please follow us on FACEBOOK where we share trip specials, new tours and recipes.
For more information on specific tours or pricing, please email Jo-Ann Gaidosz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website at ww.activegourmetholidays.com .
To ensure delivery of your Active Gourmet Holidays emails, be sure to add This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to your Address Book or "Known Senders" list!
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Dordogne, France - 5 or 7 nights
Available May to November - Monday to Monday
Join us in Southwest France for a five or seven night total immersion in the French lifestyle. Pick-up a straw basket and each morning you will visit a different traditional market with your hostess and chef who will teach you how to select the best produce. In France gastronomy and life pair with market visits which are a a vital event held on the main square of the town.
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 Immersion into the Languedoc
Languedoc, France - 6 nights
Available April to November - Sunday to Saturday
Join a native Languedocienne on a culinary journey in this little known corner of southern France, nestled between the Camargue region to the east and the French Catalonian Pyrenees to the southwest. Your hostess was part of the original group who started the Food Network and was a producer of a restaurant program and some other related series. You will discover this singular historic region rich in traditions, art, architecture and culture and meet some remarkable personalities and spirited characters, from local chefs and winemakers to artists and artisans, all of whom are passionate about their craft and their land.
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 Journey into Normandy
Normandy, France- 6 nights
Available May to September - Friday to Thursday
Visit Normandy, an untamed land with warm-hearted people. You will enjoy a unique experience as you get to know the French way of life, cuisine, and the breathtaking gardens in this region of incredible beauty. The house where you will stay is at the heart of your visit and has been photographed for various international interior design magazines. Each room has its unique personality and tells a different story, with diverse objects from all around the world. In itself, the house is an invitation to go on a journey, located in the center of the village, and you will have all the time you need to make the most of it during your holiday.
Read more: Journey into Normandy
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" We had the best experience with Active Gourmet Holidays . We were guided to choose the excursion that best met our needs. We ended up in the perfect place. This was one of the most enjoyable vacations I've ever taken. The place is breathtaking. We learned a lot and the surroundings are so beautiful."
Claudia W., Mexico City, Mexico
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APRICOT FRANGIPANE TART)
For the pastry :
Mix 250g (1 cup) plain flour, 50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar in bowl. Add 1 full egg, pinch of salt, and 125g (9 TBS) butter which you have melted in saucepan and cooled slightly , mix with a fork until dough holds together. With dusted fingers flatten the dough into a disk and press into a buttered 24 cm / 8 inch tart tin. Chill the pastry for half an hour .
For the almond cream (Frangipane):
Mix the following ingredients until very smooth :
50g (3 1/2 TBS) butter at room temperature, 50g icing sugar, 50g ground almonds, 1 full egg, 1 heaping tsps cornstarch, 1 Tbsp amaretto liqueur.
Preheat oven at 180 C / 375F
Spread evenly almond cream into prepared tart shell. Carefully arrange apricot quarters over the cream in concentric circles working towards the centre. Sprinkle on 2 Tbsp extra sugar. Bake in centre of oven for 45 / 50 mns.
Serve at room temperature with ice cream, crème fraiche.
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| Affiliations |
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| Contact Information |
Active Gourmet Holidays
Jo-Ann Gaidosz
Phone: 1.203.732.0771
Fax: 1.203.732.5125
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.activegourmetholidays.com
Skype: active.gourmet.holidays
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HOMESTYLE TUSCAN COOKING
Hi Jo-Ann - We wanted to let you know that we had an AMAZING time at the cooking school. My mother and I could not have had a better time. Paola and Simonetta were such wonderful hosts and teachers. We were treated like family. The house and property were beautiful. The hands-on cooking classes were so much fun...we learned so many great recipes that I cannot wait to test on my friends back home. I will definitely be recommending this experience to all of my friends and colleagues. Thank you so much for all of your help in setting up this once-in-a-lifetime dream vacation. It is something neither one of us will ever forget!
Best, Erin S. and Flor V.,
New York, New York
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