Tours for the Thinking Person : Galley Gastronomy : Aboard a barge in France, a food float through Gascony

I’m sitting topside on the beautifully renovated barge, the Julia Hoyt, sipping vin de noix, a walnut wine, while floating through a leafy golden canopy of plane trees. I have taken this opportunity to ponder my itinerary for the next five autumn days. We are three guests, a couple and me, and we are here to study and consume the food of this region on a float down the Canal Lateral off the Garonne River. We will journey 55 miles, through 21 locks, past 19 medieval villages. There will be vast opportunities for sampling the region’s hearty food through on-board cooking lessons, market visits, winery tours and many excellent meals.

Hours earlier my traveling companions and I were standing in front of a hotel in Bordeaux, awaiting pickup by the barge’s captain and chef, Kate Ratliffe. A bold, attractive woman, Ratliffe welcomed us with the region’s traditional hug and triple brush of cheeks. Within minutes we were in her van cruising the 25 miles to the village of Castets--about halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse--where her barge is moored.

This part of southwestern France, off the Bay of Biscay, has intrigued me for years. Whether it’s the walled towns built during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, the history of France’s King Henry IV (whose escapades were like those found in “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas), or foie gras and Armagnac at their source, the lure of un-touristy Gascony has been intense.

The minute we meet, Ratliffe begins preaching her infatuation with Gascony. Her enthusiasm continues throughout the week, whether she is pointing out historic sites or describing the market where she purchased an exceptional ingredient or the cook from whom she learned to make a dish. She tells us about the five years she spent working in a San Francisco art gallery to save for the purchase of the barge. We hear about her six-month journey to this part of France from Holland where, in 1986, she bought the Julia Hoyt. But mostly, the talk is of Gascony: its wonderful food, its customs, its history.

At the end of the week my traveling companions and I graded Ratliffe’s culinary prowess as praiseworthy, as was her piloting of the 85-foot barge. She served us dishes of the region, which she simplified for preparation in her galley. As the week unwound we tasted foie gras, pa^tes, rabbit cooked with prunes from Agen and Armagnac. Dining experiences included intimate dinners on the barge, picnics on grassy riverbanks, snacks from the markets and dining out at local restaurants.

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Arriving at the dock that first day, though, I was pleasantly surprised by the sight of the Julia Hoyt: so long and sleek and carefully painted white and navy blue. I was impressed by the mahogany-paneled wheelhouse and the well-designed kitchen, open to the dining room and sitting area (a surprising 25 feet long), which are decorated like a country French cottage. The Julia Hoyt is carefully furnished with plush couches, original artwork, antiques and French fabrics. Ratliffe has even hand-painted trim on the dining table--which can seat six comfortably--and chairs.

Two bedrooms and a shared bath are the extent of the Julia Hoyt’s floating hotel accommodations. But they are spacious and beautifully appointed, one with a queen-size bed (or twin beds, should guests prefer) and one with a king; both rooms have portholes and skylights that allow in the sounds of the lapping water and wildlife outside. Ratliffe demonstrates how to pump water in the bathroom for use and drainage. She then conducts a tour for my fellow passengers--a couple from North Carolina--and myself.

Flower boxes line the deck where the walnut wine rests on a table. We won’t be cruising until morning, so I take a brisk walk along the dock to see other barges--only a few of which contain foreign tourists, who tend to cluster on barge trips through the Loire Valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy. Then I stroll down the tree-lined towpath that edges the canal; bikes are on board for us to ride along these paths.

Our first dinner features the local catch. Ratliffe calls the appetizer Sturgeon Clementine and tells us that sturgeon are making a comeback in the Garonne, and that the name honors Pope Clement VI, who moved the seat of the papacy to Avignon, France, 1309-1377. A chateau in Castets, built for his nephews, overlooks the river. From it tolls were once collected from boats and barges along the river. This was before the canal was built southeast to extend the river as a transportation route from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Along with thin slices of sturgeon on toast, Ratliffe serves a flute of local sparkling wine. For the entree, the table is set with antique silver, which we use to scoop up the tender pink flesh of baby steelhead. A gratin of leeks and endive is served along with white wine from Entre-Deux-Mers. With coffee, Ratliffe’s husband and co-captain, Patrick, brings out an assortment of eaux de vie (fruit-infused brandy) to introduce us to the wonders of Gascon distillation, which they promise will be elaborated on, should we wish, by a tour of one of the local distilleries. (Barge tours are tailored to guests’ preferences; participatory cooking lessons are an option.)

I am reluctant to end the day but eager to snuggle into my cabin, so I mosey down and unpack my suitcase for the week. Out of the porthole, a nearly full moon reflects on the water. Plenty of pillows and excellent reading lights are two thoughtful accouterments, but I sink into sleep anticipating the next day’s motoring to another village.

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On Day Two we awake at our leisure and find coffee and croissants on the table. Place mats are set with small French plates and large coffee mugs, excellent yogurt and peach jam from a local market. Kate and Patrick are busy checking the engine in preparation for our 10 a.m. departure.

The first lock is one of the deepest in the canal. Inside, ropes are tied to keep the barge in place while the water pours in. The gate is closed and the rise begins with a rush, like a faucet suddenly turning on.

We help untie the forward line and Patrick removes the rope holding the stern. Kate is in the wheelhouse and steers us forward into a quiet and wild part of the canal, just southeast of Castets. There are no medieval villages along this stretch, but there are plenty of kingfishers, hawks and poule d’eau (a pretty little waterfowl), to hold our attention. The canal hugs this southern escarpment of the Garonne Valley and we begin to see the farms that are more prevalent along this route than vineyards.

By noon we have passed the village of Bassane and stop at Fontet, a wide spot in the canal. After exploring the village, we eat lunch: a salad of tender greens, Roquefort cheese and walnuts dressed with walnut oil and red wine vinegar. We also have our first tasting of Gascony’s famous foie gras in a variety of styles: a block of the stuff in it’s pure form, plus three different pa^tes, one with cepes, one with truffles, one mixed with duck rillettes. A creamy celery root soup is followed by an apple tart.

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In the afternoon we travel through three more locks and pass the village of Hure. Although the canal is generally straight, occasional sweeping turns move it in unison with the geography. We moor at the village of Meilhan, its fortified stone ramparts rising up the hill. We dine at La Tertre, a delightful restaurant with an Italian-accented menu and a great view. The Italians have had a long presence in this part of France. In addition to Roman ruins, which can still be found, some of the area’s medieval chateaux were decked out with Italianate interiors during the Renaissance.

The charming interior of the restaurant feels like someone’s living room. We order prawns flamed in whiskey and escargots Bordelaise--snails with ham, tomatoes and garlic. I have rigatoni with eggplant sauce and steak grilled over wood. After dinner, we walk down the hill to the boat under the full moon. Patrick is waiting to pour snifters of Armagnac, Gascony’s Cognac-like brandy.

One day we eat lunch while cruising past camps with brightly colored laundry floating from clotheslines. Another day, we stop at Le Mas d’Agenais to visit the village church that contains an original Rembrandt painting of the Crucifixion.

When a lock is only a mile or two away, we sometimes take the bikes and ride along the canal path, re-boarding the barge at the next lock. The canal overlooks the rich agricultural valley of the Garonne. One village, Marmande, is famous throughout Europe for strawberries and tomatoes and its Saturday market is a showplace for regional produce. There we followed Ratliffe through the stalls, declaring our favorite vegetable or fruit, which she promptly purchased and cooked for the next meal. Crusty loaves of bread baked in wood-fired ovens, roasted chestnuts, a rabbit and a big bouquet of flowers filled the market basket before we stopped at Le P’tit Creme for a cafe au lait.

That night we had dinner celebrating foods of the region. We watched Ratliffe make bargemen’s soup from the last of the season’s tomatoes, garlic and water. Just before serving this simple but sublime combination, eggs were dropped in and stirred around with a healthy dose of black pepper. The meal also included lentils and sausages from Toulouse and a big pan of creamy potato and mushroom gratinee. Our green salad was made from lettuce purchased from one of the lock keepers whose gardens supplement their tiny incomes.

My favorite dinner was in a private home in Lagruere, where Ratliffe’s French friends welcome her clients. Claude and Vetou Pompele shared their home, as well as a few of the culinary traditions that have defined Gascony dining for centuries.

A bowl of soup is always the first course, they told us. If a host offers le chabrot--a glass of red wine poured into the soup--you have transcended all cultural and language barriers and are embraced as a friend. Vetou’s poule au pot (chicken in the pot), for example, was served as broth over noodles, then doused with red wine. The chicken was carved separately on a platter and served with mushroom sauce and a sauce of capers and shallots. Then we had a mushroom and leek tart, roast pintade (guinea fowl) and choucroute (sauerkraut), a green salad and, for desert, a wedge of sweetened polenta cake, a specialty of Vetou, who is half Italian. Homemade chocolates accompanied tiny cups of espresso.

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On the fifth day we cruised into the Buzet region, one of the best known appelations of the area’s tart red wines thatare perfect for washing down rich foie gras and hearty local stews of cabbage and beans. We visited the cooperative winery at Buzet, where we discovered the most interesting thing about buying wine purchased by the liter: The wine is pumped into your container from a nozzle resembling a gas pump and the price is determined by the amount of alcohol. Wine of 11.5% alcohol costs about $2 a liter. The wines are made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes.

That night Ratliffe made a traditional dish, watercress soup, heated on her four-burner stove, and braised rabbit and prunes accompanied by potato puree. For dessert, (proving she could create a variety of dishes in the galley’s tiny space) was a custard cake with prunes steeped in Armagnac.

On other days we visited a foie gras farm near St. Colombe and an Armagnac distillery near Poudenas. On the final day a couple of steep locks lifted us over an aqueduct that crosses the Baise River. That afternoon we docked at Camont, Ratliffe’s farmhouse and cooking school about six miles north of Agen.

In Ratliffe’s nicely restored kitchen, which contains a cooking fireplace, we sipped aperitifs with little toasts topped with fresh mushrooms and parsley and a little bit of pa^te and foie gras. After boning a duck to remove the breast filets, Ratliffe grilled the ribs over coals. It was a heavenly way to savor duck.

Our last morning found a reluctant group of departees and breakfast didn’t make leaving easier. There was a frittata, breads, yogurt, fruit and wonderful coffee. If we had wanted, we could have stayed and rented one of the rooms Ratliffe has available in her farmhouse. But it was time for me to head home and save up for the next trip.

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GUIDEBOOK: Cuisine on the Canal

Getting there: From LAX, United and Air France fly nonstop to Paris; USAir, TWA, Delta and AOM French Airlines offer service involving one stop but no change of planes. Lowest advance-purchase, round-trip fares start at $585.

Delta, United, KLM and Air France also offer service to Nice involving a change of planes. Advance-purchase fares start at $655.

From Paris, the TGV high-speed train makes daily departures to Bordeaux. Round-trip fares are $160-$220. From Nice, the train makes daily departures to Bordeaux with round-trip fares of $140-$232.

Tours: Julia Hoyt Canal Cruises & Kate Ratliffe’s European Culinary Adventures, 5 Ledgewood Way, No. 6, Peabody, MA 09160; telephone (800) 852-2625 or (508) 535-5738. Cost for a six-day cruise is $3,275 per person, based on a four-person occupancy, including all food and wine but excluding air fare to France.

Ratliffe also teaches cooking classes at her 18th century farmhouse. “The Country Kitchens of Gascony” is a week of classes alternating with visits to farmers’ markets, medieval villages, foie gras producers and Armagnac distilleries, and meals at local restaurants. Price starts at $2,250 per person, not including transportation between the U.S. and Agen, France.

For more information: French Government Tourist Office, 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 715, Beverly Hills 90212, (900) 990-0040 (calls cost 50 per minute); fax (310) 276-2835.

--H.H.C.