Recipes from "A Week on the Water": Sticky Toffee Pudding

Founder of Boutique Hotel Barges and "A Week on the Water" author, Hazel Young, is a graduate of the French National Cooking School in Beaune. She has run numerous cooking seminars and culinary cruises aboard her former barge Fandango, and planned the boutique barge's extraordinary menus for over two decades.

STEP ONE Cake Batter

• 175 g (6 oz) dates, chopped in mixer
• 2 cups of water
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 175g (1/2 cup) white flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 50 g (2 oz) butter
• 150 g (6 oz) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put water into a saucepan with salt, add dates and bring to a boil, simmer 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Add baking soda.
Mix butter, sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla into a smooth paste.
Blend into cooled date mixture.
Bake in oven (375ºF190ºC/Gas 5) oven until brown and risen, approximately 35 minutes

STEP TWO Butterscotch Sauce

• 125 g (5 oz) butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 250 ml (1 1/2 cup) cream
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 6 mint leaves for decoration

Put butter and sugar in saucepan, stir constantly so it doesn’t burn, caramelize until a nice light brown color
Add cream carefully so it doesn’t splutter, bring back to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, set aside.
To serve, ladle the sauce onto dessert plates, cut squares or circles out of the cake and place onto the warm sauce. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and place a mint leaf on each.
Serve warm.

Travel Tips: Global Entry Program for US Travellers

At the end of a long flight back to the US from a foreign country, the last thing anyone feels like doing is standing in a slowly snaking line to go through Customs. You can avoid this by using the lighting-fast, automated kiosk to check in, and be on your way to baggage claim with little or no waiting in line.

A bit of pre-travel planning is required to be eligible for kiosk check-in. You must register for the Global Entry program, undergo a background check, and pay the $100 fee.  Once registered, your Global Entry membership is valid for five years.

More information on the program and full instructions on how to apply can be found at http://www.cbp.gov/global-entry/about

Here is a brief overview of program information:

Benefits for Global Entry Members

• No processing lines
• No paperwork
• Access to expedited entry benefits in other countries
• Available at major U.S. airports
• Reduced wait times

Eligibility for Global Entry

Global Entry is open to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, Dutch citizens, South Korean citizens, Panamanian citizens and Mexican nationals. Canadian citizens and residents may enjoy Global Entry benefits through membership in the NEXUS program.

Applicants must be in possession of either a machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card.

How to Apply 

Apply Online: Fill out an online application and pay the $100 non-refundable application fee.

Schedule an Interview: Once your application is reviewed, you will receive a message in your GOES account instructing you to schedule an interview at one of the Global Entry Enrollment Centers.

Interview Determines Your Eligibility: A U.S. Customs Border Protection officer will ask you questions, take your photo, and collect biometric information (e.g., scan your fingerprints).

Provide Identification: Bring your valid passport(s) and one other form of identification, such as a driver's license or ID card to the interview. If you are a lawful permanent resident, you must present your permanent resident card.

Visit Boutique Hotel Barges to schedule your next French canal cruise.

Featured Barge: Tango

A barge cruise on Tango means relaxed luxury plus a chance for personal contact with a stimulating local culture. Each day will be a flowing experience of cruising for a few hours and sightseeing excursions in our air-conditioned mini-van, visiting historic sites, shopping at open air markets, and enjoying wine tasting. At the beginning of your voyage, our tour guide will discuss your interests and tailor activities to feature those local highlights you will find most enjoyable.

Tango's décor is a delight in all its details. Large brass portholes and opening skylights throughout the vessel provide fresh circulating air and light. French art deco fixtures, Provençal ivory linens, and rich teak wall panelling recreate the atmosphere of 1930's French passenger liners. Up on deck, two terraces provide space for al fresco dining, and a sundeck with hot tub.

What Makes Tango Special

• Two separate outdoor terraces -- one for dining, and the other a sundeck with heated spa
• Gourmet meals focus on rich culinary tradition of the Languedoc region
• Wines are hand-picked from best vineyards in the area by Tango's owner, also a wine maker

Learn more about Tango on Boutique Hotel Barges.

Featured Barge: Mirage

Private charter and individual cabin bookings for 2 to 6



Boutique Hotel Barges is pleased to welcome the newest member of our family of owner-operated barges, Mirage.

The Mirage has the most spacious accommodation of any of the Midi barges, The grand salon / dining area as well as a huge deck give a luxurious amount of space. Mimi is the quintessential elegant French hostess and Pascal the perfect Captain; not only a barge pilot but also an aviation pilot. They have hand picked an excellent chef and tour guide to complete the crew of four to entertain and pamper you within a very authentic French atmosphere.

What Makes Mirage Special

• Private charter cruises for as few as 2 passengers
• Offers both 3- and 6-night cruise itineraries
• 30 opening portholes fill Mirage with light and air
• Open galley allows you to pick up tips as the chef prepares your meals
• Optional excursion by air in classic Comet biplane

Learn more about Mirage on Boutique Hotel Barges.

Featured Barge: Colibri

Private Charter Only for up to 4 guests


Colibri is a beautifully maintained vessel with a light and spacious interior and a beautiful garden on deck. You will feel immediately at home, relaxing into the comfort of this professionally run cruise.

Fiona and Earl Pilatti spent years working in the luxury yachting world perfecting a high level of service. Their cruises are impeccable on every level and offer a relaxed atmosphere. While Fiona busies herself taking care of all your needs, Earl with his Australian humor keeps everyone in stitches. As guests say, “It's a good show.”

What Makes Colibri Special

• Only two couples constitute a full charter on this snazzy barge
• 83% of their guests return for a repeat cruise. (If your dates are available do not hesitate to book immediately as they fill rapidly)
• In 2015 the Colibri is our only boutique barge choice cruising the Bordeaux wine region

Learn more about Barge Colibri on Boutique Hotel Barges.

Highlights of the Midi: Sète

Located where the Canal du Midi meets the Mediterranean, Sète occupies part of a narrow spit of land that separates the Étang de Thau, a natural saltwater lake, from the Mediterranean sea.  This is a working port, with a large percentage of the inhabitants involved in the fishing industry.  Although Sète doesn't try to be a top tourist destination, this very fact makes it a refreshing place to visit and wonderful opportunity to surround yourself with the unspoiled local culture.

Although archeologists have found evidence that humans have occupied the area around Sète since the Bronze Age or earlier, the town was not founded until the mid-17th Century.  King Louis XIV issued the order to build a port and provide an outlet to the sea for the Canal du Midi, and the town grew around this project. Originally known as Cette (or Seta in Occitan), the spelling was changed to Sète in 1928.

Sète is built on and around an extinct volcano, Mont St Clair, at the end point of the Canal du Rhône à Sète, and the eastern end of the Canal du Midi.  A network of smaller canals crisis-cross the town, linking the Étang de Thau and the sea, the reason some call Sète 'Venice of the Languedoc'.

The sport of water jousting (les joutes languedociennes) is an important element of local culture. Tournaments are held from April to September on the Canal Royal in the center of town, and are the highlight of the summer festivals. The competition involves two wooden row boats, one blue and one red, manned by a team of rowers. The jousters, wielding wooden lances and shields, are positioned on a raised platform (la tintaine) at the stern of the boats. The boats are rowed toward each other, and as one would expect, the jousters attempt to dislodge each other from their platform, sending the loser for a swim in the canal. All the while a band plays from onshore and crowds cheer the jousters on.  Every year at the end of August the Grand Prix de la Saint-Louis à Sète, the unofficial world championship of water jousting, is held in conjunction with the festival of Saint Louis. Competitors must be invited by the city to participate. Sétois jousting king Aurelien Evangelisti, 'The Centurion', has won the title seven times, but was defeated in 2014 by Benjamin Arnau. A water jousting school (École de joutes de la Marine) and a museum dedicated to the sport are located in Sète.



Sète hosts several colorful festivals each year.  In late June or early July, on the feast day of St. Peter, patron saint of fisherman, the town residents come together to honor those who have been lost at sea, and ask for protection for those who make their livelihood on the water.  A parade carries a statue of St. Peter through the streets, then aboard a boat which is joined by a procession of fishing trawlers festooned with flags and flowers. After the procession there is a water jousting tournament. Mix this in with the delicious local seafood, and an ample supply of rosé to wash it down, and it is impossible not to have a fabulous time.  A festival held annually on August 25 celebrates the patron of Sète, Saint Louis, with more water jousting, feasting, music, and fireworks.

With over 90 varieties of fish harvested from the Mediterranean, and cultivated mussels and oysters from the Étang de Thau, it is no wonder that Sète has many excellent restaurants serving up the fruits of the sea.There are several local and regional specialties featured, including la tielle, a dish brought from the Gulf of Gaèta in Italy by the many immigrants that arrived in Sète from this area in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is a seafood mixture - usually either octopus or squid - combined with tomato sauce and spices, then encased in a pastry crust and baked.  Other specialties include stuffed squid a la Sétoise served in a wine, tomato and garlic sauce, and a local variation of bourride which, unlike other regional recipes for this dish, is not finished with garlic-laden aioli.

Another wonderful attraction here are the 12 kilometers of sea shore with beautiful sandy beaches.  Free car parks and turn-offs from National Route 112 provide convenient access to the beach, perfect for a day of sunbathing and picnicking by the seaside.

Learn more about barge cruises on Canal du Midi that include a visit to Sète at Boutique Hotel Barges.

Highlights of the Midi: Le Somail

Le Somail sits astride the Canal du Midi, at the junction of three communes, Ginestas, Saint Nazaire, and Salleles d'Aude.  This charming French village owes it's existence to the canal, as it was founded in the 17th century to serve those who operated and worked on the peniches that were a major form of commercial transport at the time.  Today Le Somail serves the tourist industry, with some of those same classic peniches, converted into luxury boutique hotel barges, bringing their passengers for a lovely afternoon visit or overnight mooring.

Many of the structures in Le Somail are listed as Monuments Historiques in the Base Mérimée, a database of architectural heritage maintained by the French Ministry of Culture.  Included are the 17th Century stone bridge over the canal, the chapel that sits next to it, and la glacière (the ice house).

La Chapelle de Le Somail

La glacière

For anyone with a love of books, or vintage things in general, Le Trouve Tout du Livre is a 'can't miss' stop.  This antique bookstore is a treasure trove of vintage books, magazines, posters, and postcards.  It's easy to become lost in their vast collection, as hours can slip away unnoticed. But, if your stay in Le Somail is brief, you'll want to save some time for the other gems found here.

From the bookstore, cross the stone bridge and turn right along the canal, where you will often find renowned artist Denis Carrière working at his easel.  His paintings beautifully reflect the local color of life along the Canal du Midi.  Denis' work is available for purchase in his gallery (or online) — what a perfect gift or souvenir of your week on the canal.

Denis Carrière

Paintings by Denis Carrière

Should all of your exploration around the village have worked up an appetite, Le Somail offers several choices for catching a bite to eat.

Le Somail Rive Droite

Le Comptoir Nature
Chemin de Halage, 1, 11120 Le Somail, France / 04 68 46 01 61
This restaurant is a favorite of foodies who come here to enjoy the best locally sourced organic meats and produce the area has to offer.  All meals are freshly prepared by Le Comptoir Nature's four local French women chefs, using ingredients procured daily: daurade picked up at the Narbonne fish market, magret de canard, lamb, and pork from farmers in the nearby Pyrenees, and wonderful fresh seasonal vegetables.  There is even a vegetarian plate on the menu, a rarity in these parts.  The artisanal ice cream is made from ewe’s milk - delicious!  Le Comptoir Nature offers a selection of fine organic wines.  Enjoy a bottle to accompany your meal, or sip a glass sitting at one of their small tables alongside the canal, watching the barge traffic and being entertained by the geese and ducks all around. Jazz ensembles or a funky brass band perform on Wednesday and Friday evenings, making for great fun.  Prices are very affordable with 3- and 4-course meals ranging from €17.50 to €32.

L’Auberge du Somail
Chemin de Halage, 1, 11120 Le Somail, France / 04 68 70 71 02
L’Auberge is the 'new' restaurant in Le Somail, having opened with its current owners two years ago.  Locals often come here for birthday celebrations or other special occasions.  It offers an elegant dining room and an outdoor canal-side terrace.  The chef here draws from Languedoc's proximity to Spain, borrowing several dishes from the Spanish, such as paella and gaspacho.  There are plenty of typically French favorites, too: a delicious melted goat cheese salad, foie gras, and a homemade cassoulet among them.  This is the only restaurant in Le Somail that offers this succulent and rich regional dish made with white beans and duck confit.  There is great debate as to exactly where cassoulet originated.  Carcassonne, Castelnaudary and Toulouse all claim ownership, and there is a confrerie of cassoulet chefs still arguing over the recipe and it's origin.  One thing that is agreed on is that the beans have to be AOC from the Aude region. Prices range from €23 to €25 for a three course menu, or order a la carte from their large selection.

Le Somail Rive Gauche 

Le Plan B
135, Rue de la Bergerie, 11120 Le Somail, France / 06 71 88 41 48
Located a bit off the beaten path, and away from the bustle of canal boat traffic and honking geese, you will find complete tranquility in the shaded courtyard of this B&B and restaurant.   Once a shepherd's domaine, you can enjoy drinks and tapas under the trees, or visit the piano bar inside the converted barn.  The owner offers simple family style cuisine for meals from a table d’hôte menu.  Le Plan B provides a very relaxing atmosphere for aperitifs or after hours drinks, especially convenient if sleeping in one of the adjacent B&B rooms of the main house.



L'O à la Bouche
Allee des Cypres, 11120 Le Somail, France   /  04.68.46.00.09
The huge shaded terrace at this brasserie is right on the canal and open all day. A festive trendy atmosphere is provided by these young restaurateurs from nearby Narbonne. It is THE place to meet friends for a few beers, or to sip chilled rosé while watching the barge traffic. The stone canal bridge often proves challenging to those piloting small rental boats, who negotiate the underpass with quite a lot of shouting and bumping - excitement guaranteed. The chef doles out fancy plates, specializing in Mediterranean seafood, and les frites (French fries) are freshly made in-house. Tables are nearly always full at meal time with menus ranging from €21 to €29.

Le Somail B&B Barge  

Bateau Mariance B&B
Allée des Cyprès, 11120 Le Somail, France / 06 33 69 01 06
For those who do not have an entire week to spend on a barge cruise, a perfect solution may be this pretty and well maintained Dutch barge, converted to a B&B by owner Mariance. It stays moored in one spot, and provides a great base from which to explore the surrounding area. Bookings are available by the night for a single cabin, or your group could rent all three cabins and have the barge to yourselves. There is a spacious living/dining area, tree shaded deck, and Wifi throughout the barge. This is a favorite stop-over for bicyclists riding along the canal, with access to hot showers, comfortable beds, and a meal cooked up by Mariance, featuring specialties from her native Madagascar. Highly recommended by BHB.

Learn more about barge cruises on Canal du Midi that include a visit to Le Somail at Boutique Hotel Barges.

A French National Pasttime - Pétanque

You see it being played in parks throughout Paris, and in Plane tree shaded village squares everywhere in France.  It is pétanque (pronounced pay-tonk), a game with ancient roots, first played in its present-day form in France around 1907.  It can be played almost anywhere outdoors by anyone, regardless of age or athletic ability.

All that's needed is an open space, a friend or two, a pétanque game set, and the ability to aim and throw a ball. The game set includes a small wooden ball called a jack or cochonnet ('piglet'), six or eight larger hollow metal balls (boules), and a measure.

The rules of the game are easy to learn — the challenge comes in mastering your throwing skills. The goal is to throw the hollow metal balls as close as possible to the jack, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground. The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel, but can also be played on grass, or sand.

The French name pétanque comes from petanca in the Occitan language, derived from the expression pès tancats ('feet together'.)

Learn more about pétanque during your week aboard a luxury barge from Boutique Hotel Barges.

Featured Barge: Après Tout

Private Charter Bookings for 4 - 6 guests as well as Individual Cabin Bookings

Après Tout is the star boutique barge in Burgundy. It's perfect in every way. Huge cabins with emperorer beds, modern décor, excellent cuisine, fantastic tailor made shore visits, and a crew who love their job. You may have to book one year ahead as it is very popular.

Rory and Caroline Macrae are living their dream. After 10 years working on hotel barges and 10 years managing Orient Express barges they have created the ultimate barge cruise. While Rory expertly navigates the 50 small locks on the Burgundy canal, Caroline prepares delectable dishes with her signature sauces as well as creating an unsurpassed ambiance.

What Makes Après Tout Special

• Spacious cabins with extra-large beds
• Special evening river cruise while dining on deck
• Quality shore visits reflecting extensive personal knowledge of best sights from Beaune to Dijon.

Learn more about cruising on Barge Après Tout, or book your trip at Boutique Hotel Barges.

Understanding Terroir

Contributed by Dawn Shepherd from Boutique Hotel Barges' US Office 

Terroir is a French word which translates literally as 'soil', but the meaning of this word encompasses much more. To wine lovers and vintners, terroir expresses the combination of environmental elements, including soil type, weather, topography, and nearby crops or native plants, that impact the overall character of wine made from grapes grown in a particular area.

Terroir is at the base of the French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system, the strict set of rules governing how French wines can be labeled. Unlike American wine labels that generally feature the variety of grape a wine is made from, French wines are primarily labeled based on the region where the wine was produced.

Although I knew the definition of terroir as it applies to wine, I first truly understood it after spending a few weeks in the Languedoc aboard the beautiful barge Tango. It was grape harvesting time in September, with warm sunny days and refreshingly cool nights. We cruised along the Canal du Midi, past vineyards and olive groves, and fields where sunflowers had grown. It was a very pleasant and memorable experience. About 6 months after returning to the U.S., I opened a bottle of wine that I had brought back with me. It was from the domaine of Marie-Claude and Jean-Louis Poudou in Minervois, Chateau Tour Boisée. One sip and I was instantly transported back to Southwestern France. It is hard to describe the magic created by the blend of aroma and taste, but the wine held the very essence of the Languedoc - its terroir.

The concept of terroir applies to other crops, particularly tea, coffee and cacao, and increasing the term is being used as it relates to the production of artisan cheese.

When applied to cooking, the term cuisine de terroir means 'regional cooking.' It implies that the chef is using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, prepared using traditional methods and recipes unique to the region. This is the true cooking of the French people, that you can find, not only in the local bistro, but also being served at home for Sunday dinner.  It is France's 'soul food.'

Experience terroir for yourself aboard one of the wonderful barges at BoutiqueHotelBarges.com.

Recipes from "A Week on the Water": Mustard and White Wine Onion Soup

Founder of Boutique Hotel Barges and "A Week on the Water" author, Hazel Young, is a graduate of the French National Cooking School in Beaune. She has run numerous cooking seminars and culinary cruises aboard her former barge Fandango, and planned the boutique barge's extraordinary menus for over two decades.

Dijon mustard originated in 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted verjuice, (the acidic juice of under-ripe grapes) for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe.  Although still produced in France, French Dijon mustard is now made from seed and wine imported from North America.

Mustard and White Wine Onion Soup

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 potato chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of parsley
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 white of leek, sliced and washed
• 4 oz slice of smoked bacon
• 300 ml (2 cups) white wine
• 800 ml (41/2 cups) water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon grainy mustard
• 1 tablespoon Dijon smooth mustard
• 1 teaspoon vegetable stock paste
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup liquid cream
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Heat oil and butter in saucepan.

Add onion and leek, and gently fry until translucent.

Add other vegetables, cook for three minutes stirring occasionally then add water and white wine, mustards, stock paste. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and parsley sprig, blend and adjust seasoning.

Stir in cream and pour into individual bowls, decorate with chopped parsley.

Highlights of Burgundy: A Trip to the Dijon Market

Even on a grey day at the end of the barging season in late October, a trip to Dijon's fabulous Les Halles market is a guaranteed pleasure for anyone with a love for food. The covered market occupies an expansive 19th-century structure, designed and built by Eiffel Tower architect, Gustave Eiffel.

On market days, the shopping begins before you even enter the market. Vendors line the street, featuring everything from seasonal produce to tee shirts. On our fall trip there were tables heaped with late-season crops, the stars of which were les champions — the mushrooms.

Inside, Les Halles hums with activity, filled with stalls offering shoppers every sort of wonderful food imaginable. Fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, cheese, eggs, dairy products, sausages, snails, pate, bread and pastries, endless varieties of jams and jellies, wines and liqueur de cassis — all as much a delight for the eyes as for the taste buds.

A stop at the fromage counter finds the amicable vendors eager to offer samples and make recommendations for new and enticing types of French cheese to try. Our purchases on this visit included some Saint Marcellin, Fourme d'Ambert and and a particularly decadent and creamy Pont l'Evêque, later enjoyed back at the barge with a loaf of crusty bread and a bottle of sparkling Crement.

The biggest market days are Tuesday and Friday. Thursday the market is only inside Les Halles. It's always best to go early in the day. You will be done with shopping in time for lunch in one of the many small cafés and bistros within walking distance of the market.

Learn more about barge cruises that include a visit to Dijon at Boutique Hotel Barges.

Recipes from "A Week on the Water": Bourride

Founder of Boutique Hotel Barges and "A Week on the Water" author, Hazel Young, is a graduate of the French National Cooking School in Beaune. She has run numerous cooking seminars and culinary cruises aboard her former barge Fandango, and planned the boutique barge's extraordinary menus for over two decades.

Bourride is a stew of vegetables, fish and fruites de mer that has its origins in the Landguedoc and Provence regions of Southern France. The name is derived from the Occitan bourrido, meaning 'something boiled'. Less well known than bouillabaisse, but equally delicious, the major difference between the two dishes comes from the garlic-rich aioli added to the bourride at the end of cooking, giving it a creaminess and wonderful aroma.

Bourride

Monk fish and mussels in a spicy aioli stew.

• 1kg (2.2 lbs) monkfish, filleted and cut into small pieces
• 1kg (2.2 lbs) mussels, cleaned
• 2 leeks washed and finely sliced
• 2 carrots peeled and finely sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon paella spice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red hot peppers or cayenne
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 L (7 cups) water
• liquid from mussels after steaming
• 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable stock paste
• 2 cups homemade mayonnaise aioli*

Heat olive oil and gently fry leeks until translucent. Add carrots and potatoes, and stir over a low flame until coated in oil.Meanwhile steam mussels for 5 minutes in separate saucepan with a lid on, no extra water needed, to obtain liquid.

Drain mussels and add stock to vegetables along with white wine, water, tomato sauce, stock paste and seasonings. Let simmer for 20 minutes then add zucchini and simmer another ten minutes.

Remove half of the mussels from their shells then set all mussels aside to add at the last minute. When ready to serve, add monkfish and simmer for only two or three minutes, adding mussels.

Remove from heat, stir in 1 cup of aioli.

Put into individual bowls, decorate with two or three mussels in their shells on the top. Serve extra aioli in small individual sauce dishes.

Aïoli mayonnaise*

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

All ingredients should be at room temperature to ensure success.

In a deep bowl, whisk mustard with egg yolk, then drizzle in the vegetable oil whisking vigorously, hold back the oil and beat more if it isn’t thickening fast enough. If ever it separates, put a tablespoon of boiling hot water into a new bowl and whisk the mixture once again until it thickens. Resume adding the rest of the oil, beat in vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

To make aioli, add two cloves of peeled and crushed garlic.

Do You Speak French Wine?

You'll want to brush up on your French wine label reading skills before your barge cruise.  Here are some key terms.

• Appellation contrôlée - Designated growing area
• Appellation d'Origine Protegée - AOP, highest grade of French wine
• Blanc - white
• Château or Domaine - wine estate
• Clos - "an enclosure," usually an enclosed vineyard
• Crémant - sparkling wine produced outside the Champagne region
• Cru - a vineyard or group of vineyards, of recognized quality
• Cuvée - usually denotes a special blend or selected vats of higher quality, but an unregulated term
• Grand cru - Regionally graded wine, not technically a classification of wine quality, it indicates the potential of the vineyard or terroir
• Indication Géographique Protégée - IGP, Regional French wines, middle-grade French wines
• Millésime or Récolte - vintage or harvest date
• Mis en bouteille au domaine - bottled at the estate
• Réserve - implies a higher quality, but an unregulated term
• Rouge - red
• Vielles Vignes - old vines
• Vin de France - French table wines, lower grade of French wine

Resources:

Visit Rocket Languages for a list of French words about wine with audio, so you can hear the correct French pronunciation for each.

An incredible listing with ratings for wines of Burgundy and Languedoc Roussillon is available on winemag.com

Learn more about French barge cruises that feature visits to vineyards, winetasting, and special wine-harvest cruises at Boutique Hotel Barges.