| aroma tours ® |
| newsletter march 2004 |
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THIS ISSUE ========================================= - Welcome - Turkish Aromatic Odyssey - Aroma Traveller's Photo Gallery - Current Booking Status for 2004 - Flavours of Provence - Provence Aromatherapy Retreat - The Blossoming Heart - Robbi's New Book - Les Passages Couvert a Paris - The Story of Creme de Cassis and Kir - Veal with Morels and Foie Gras - Arranging your Travel, Bookings etc. - Previous Newsletters - Thank You for Your Support - Thought for the Day - Our Invitation WELCOME ========================================= A warm welcome to all of the members of our Aroma Tours newsletter in over 30 countries to our March newsletter. If you have recently joined our newsletter or haven't visited our web site in a while we invite you to drop by for the latest updates, photos and information about our tours at http://www.aroma-tours.com Our strong bookings have continued to delight us with several tours now fully booked. A wonderful result for so early in the season. TURKISH AROMATIC ODYSSEY ========================================= We still have places left for our Turkish Aromatic Odyssey at the end of May and would like to encourage those of you wishing to visit this wonderful destination to get in touch with us now. As we mentioned in our last newsletter we are greatly looking forward to continuing our aromatic adventures in Turkey and we are pleased to already have a lovely group of people for this year's journey. Information about our Turkish Aromatic Odyssey can be found at http://www.aroma-tours.com/turkish-tour.htm and via our information request page at http://www.aroma-tours.com/info-request.htm AROMA TRAVELLER'S PHOTO GALLERY ========================================= Jim hasn't had a chance to add any more photos to the Aroma Traveller's photo gallery this time but we would like to continue to encourage our past guests to send us some of your favourite photos of your time with us either by email at info@aroma-tours.com or to our mailing address at PO Box 55N, Ballarat North 3350, AUSTRALIA. CURRENT BOOKING STATUS FOR 2004 ========================================= We are continuing to enjoy our best year ever with enquiries and bookings continuing strongly and we hope to be able to close bookings for most of tours in the next few weeks. Our current booking status is:- Aromas of Italy Bookings closed Turkish Rose Tour Bookings open ( 8 vacancies ) Flavours of Provence Bookings open ( 7 vacancies ) Provence Aromatherapy Retreat Bookings open ( 3 vacancies ) Heart of Provence Tour Bookings open ( 1 vacancy ) Essential Provence Tour Bookings open ( 3 vacancies ) Bali Rejuvenation Retreat Bookings closed Bali Women's Retreat Bookings open ( 4 vacancies ) Tour details including current pricing and itineraries are available via our information request page at http://www.aroma-tours.com/info-request.htm We would like to encourage all of you who are planning to join us this year, or considering the possibility, to contact us shortly so that we can help you with any questions you may have. Places are still available and we look forward to assisting you with your plans. If you are ready to make your booking and would like to reserve your place please visit our booking page at http://www.aroma-tours.com/booking-request.htm FLAVOURS OF PROVENCE ( repeat ) ========================================= A passion for fine food and wine are an important part of the Provencale way of life and why not enjoy it in some of Provence's finest restaurants. In our Flavours of Provence tour http://www.aroma-tours.com/flavours-of-provence.htm you will experience and savour a tantalizing contrast of flavours and aromatic delights in gorgeous settings, such as hillside villages, shady terraces, lovely gardens, Provencale mas, historical hotels and charming country inns, all at the proper leisurely pace. We have many wonderful experiences for you to enjoy including tutored wine tastings, garden visits, gourmet cooking class with master chef Robert in a beautiful refurbished 19th century kitchen followed by dinner in our own private dining room decorated with tapestries and antiques. Also visits to Provencale markets, antique and brocante stores, Provencale gardens, lavender fields and gorgeous villages. We stay in a magnificent 18th century Chateau, set amidst acres of serene and peaceful gardens in the Bouches du Rhone and in a lovely riverside hotel in the delightful village of Fontaine de Vaucluse. More details can be found at http://www.aroma-tours.com/flavours-of-provence.htm and via our information request page at http://www.aroma-tours.com/info-request.htm PROVENCE AROMATHERAPY RETREAT ========================================= Our Provence Aromatherapy Retreat is now almost fully booked once again. This will be our 5th year in a row. If you are thinking of joining the retreat there are still 3 places left and we ask you to contact us as soon as possible. As always, we will enjoy a fabulous and informative week with teachings from Dr Penoel, Dr Schnaubelt, Robbi and Mark Webb as well as field trips and some wonderful visits. More details are available at http://www.aroma-tours.com/provence-retreat.htm THE BLOSSOMING HEART - ROBBI'S NEW BOOK ========================================= Robbi's new book The "Blossoming Heart" - Aromatherapy for Healing and Transformation, is now finally finished. Jim took the cover to be printed 4 days ago and the final manuscript was sent to press this very day! We are elated and relieved that this project is now completed and we can now look forward to quieter times in the lead up to the beginning of our tour season. If you would like to see the book cover please visit her web site at http://www.aromatic-kinesiology.com/special-events.htm The book will be launched in Melbourne on April 27th and if you would like more information or if you would like to attend please email Robbi at info@aromatic-kinesiology.com LES PASSAGES COUVERT A PARIS ========================================= Between the Palias Royal and Les Halles on the right bank of Paris you will find the "passages couvert". These fascinating galleries and covered arcades with their tall iron work and glass roofs, hand carved woodwork, wrought iron gas lanterns and mosaic or marble floors date back to Paris's heyday of the mid 1800's. It was an era of promenading on the grand boulevards, dance halls, theatre, luxury boutiques and the first restaurants. At the height of their popularity there were 150 such "passages couvert", today however, there are less than 20. Each has its own characters and personality from elegant and polished to shabby and laid-back and are full of boutiques, speciality shops, antique and book stores and many wonderful sights and reminders of days past. A lovely way to experience the passages couvert is to walk north through the Palias Royale precinct enjoying the beauty and colour of the gardens with their lovely trees and fountains, restaurants and stone arches along the way and through the small passage du Perron and the crooked passage Deux Pavillion to the beautifully restored wonderland of the Gallerie Vivienne and the nearby Gallerie Colbert. THE STORY OF CREME DE CASSIS AND KIR ========================================= Creme de Cassis is a liquor made from blackcurrants which are generally grown in the regions of Burgundy and the Loire and Rhone valleys. It is interesting to note that the blackcurrant plant needs to be subjected to below freezing temperatures for 10 weeks or more during winter in order to produce abundant fruit and the berries only maintain optimal flavour for one day! Also, because they are very quickly oxidized once picked ( due to their high vitamin C content ), they must be flash frozen to -30C as soon as possible in order to preserve their colour and flavour. To create the liquor the frozen berries are warmed to -5C and macerated for up to 3 months in a mixture of water and alcohol which extracts the flavour and colour from the berries without the possibility of fermentation. The resulting juice is then decanted, pressed and filtered and sugar added. This style of macerated liquor is given the name "creme" to differentiate it from fermented liquors such as Calvados and Eau de Vie. The French name for blackcurrant is cassis, hence the liquor is called Creme de Cassis. It was the mayor of Dijon, Canon Felix Kir who became famous for his involvement in the resistance and for preserving the tradition and knowledge of making aperitifs during the difficult years of the 2nd world war. Mayor Kir would often be seen offering guests to the capital of Burgundy the traditional blanc cassis. This drink, a combination of dry white wine and creme de cassis became know as a "Kir". Other drinks incorporating creme de cassis are:- Communard, a dash of Creme de Cassis plus a cool dry fruity red wine such as passe-due-grain or cabernet trois and ( a personal favourite of ours ) Kir Royale, a blush of Creme de Cassis in champagne. Tres joli. VEAL WITH MORELS AND FOIE GRAS ========================================= Our recipe this time is one of the classics of fine French cuisine, Noix de Veau Brillant-Savarin. It is interesting to see all of the effort that goes into a fine meal such as this classic. As we are seated around the table in Provence with quietly competent service, a beautiful garden, and glass of fine wine in hand, how wonderful it is to be in the presence of gastronomic artistry such as this. Ingredients for 4-6 people: 1 boneless veal joint 3.5oz (100g) dried morel mushrooms 4 shallots 3.5oz (100g) butter 3/4 cup (200ml) creme fraiche Bechamel sauce 7oz (200g) foie gras Bacon for larding Mixed roasted vegetables Beef stock Dry white wine 2 tomatoes seeded 1 bouquet garni Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Young spinach leaves Ingredients for Bechamel Sauce: 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups milk 1 small onion studded with 2 Or 3 cloves, optional 1 small bay leaf dash dried leaf thyme, crumbled salt and white pepper to taste nutmeg, to taste Method: Oven-roast a mixture of vegetables and prepare the Bechamel sauce (see below). Soak the mushrooms for 2-3 hours in lukewarm water then drain and allow to dry on kitchen paper. Beat the veal flat with a meat tenderiser. Peel 1 of the shallots and dice finely. Sauté gentle in butter with the morels for 15 minutes. Add the creme fraiche and simmer for 30 minutes. Peel the remaining shallots, dice finely and bind with Bechamel sauce to form a paste. Spread the shallot mixture on the veal to 1/2 inch (1cm) thickness. Sprinkle the mushrooms on top and add the foie gras to the centre.
Roll up the veal and tie with kitchen string. Lard the veal roll by
rubbing
Place the mixed roasted vegetables in pan and lay the meat on top. Add a
liberal splash of equal parts of wine and beef stock. Add seeded
tomatoes
and bouquet garni and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the
pan
and bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the meat and keep warm.
Reduce the gravy, sieve and thicken. Return saucepan with roux ( flour/butter mixture ) to medium-low heat. Add all of the scalded milk at once (to avoid the formation of lumps).
Simmer,
stirring gently with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Add studded onion,
bay Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer. Add salt,
white pepper and nutmeg to taste. |
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