"PEU de beurre" is French for a little bit of butter.
It's a phrase Thierry Boudry knows very well.
The New Caledonian Master Chef judge is teaching my cooking class how to make a sinfully rich orange butter sauce to pour over sauteed blue prawns.
Boudry skilfully stirs the creamy liquid gold in a saucepan and scoops in "a little bit of butter".
Then a little bit more butter.
Eyebrows are raised as he adds two more sticks for good luck. Followed by an encore.
The prawns are piled onto a bed of pureed squash and topped with a pastry shell.
The taste - c'est magnifique.
When holidaying in this French Pacific territory one quickly learns to banish all those pesky thoughts about jogging and cholesterol. Your tastebuds will be getting the work out of their lives anyway.
On a gastronomy tour through the capital Noumea, the first stop is chocolate truffle sampling at Tonton Jules followed by wine tasting at Le Pavillon des Vins.
To ensure all food groups were covered - not just the naughty ones - one also must check out the morning Port Moselle Markets, which sell an array of tropical fruit, seafood freshly plucked from the ocean, spices, tea and handicrafts.
Time spent between meals in New Caledonia is also full of sensory delights.
At Chateau Royal Beach Resort the 300-metre squared aqua tonic pool is truly the place to be.
To create inner and outer zen kick back on a submerged deck chair with massage jets, overlooking the sea and then explore the maze of jacuzzi pods.
Island hopping is also an excellent way to work up an appetite for the next seafood feast.
Ile des Pines - imaginatively named by Captain Cook, after the island's 40 metre high pine trees - is only a 20 minute flight from Noumea.
On Sundays, the angelic sound of French church hymns waft across the island.
At the popular swimming coves of Kuto and Kanumera bays, the crushed coral sand feels like walking on clouds.
There's a giant mushroom shaped rock sprouting jungle hair next to what appears to be an enchanted forest.
Snorkelling at the Oro Bay natural swimming pool - a shallow lagoon connected to the Pacific Ocean by a series of narrow caves - is simply majestic. Tropical reef fish dance to the current below. A rainbow arc of sardines skim across the water, inducing what the French call "joie de vivre" - a shiver of pure happiness at nature's little wonders.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE:
Aircalin has regular direct flights between Noumea - Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. From late October there will be a third Melbourne to Noumea flight per week. Details: aircalin.com.
STAYING THERE:
Chateau Royal Beach Resort and Spa, Noumea (complexechateauroyal.nc)
* Hilton Noumea La Promenade Residences (www3.hilton.com)
EATING THERE:
Le Roof Restaurant, Noumea. Located at the end of a board walk and has an open water pit that doubles as a shark feeding enclosure if you didn't eat your bread roll.
* L'Astrolabe Restaurant, Noumea (resto.nc/astrolabe)
* Le Meridien main restaurant La Pigogue, Isle of Pines. Try the local snails in a garlic butter sauce. (lemeridien.com)
Gourmet fun
* Tonton Jules - Chocolates
* Le Pavillon des Vins - stock up on your French wine favourites. (pavillondesvins.nc)
* Port Moselle Markets Noumea open daily 5am-11 except Mondays. Fresh tropical fruit, seafood and handicrafts. Excellent spot for a morning coffee and croissant.
* Cooking class with local celebrity chef Thierry Boudry. Arc en Ciel (arcenciel-voyages.nc/en/excursion/cooking-class)
LEARNING THERE:
* Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Noumea. Learn about traditional Kanak culture, explore interactive exhibits and check out the traditional huts. The centre was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and named after assassinated pro-independence Kanak leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou. (adck.nc)
PLAYING THERE:
Escapade Island Resort. Take a boat ride to the island from Noumea for a fun day of water sports - jet skiing, paddle boarding, canoeing and snorkelling. (glphotels.nc)
New Caledonia Tourism (haveitall.com.au).
* The writer travelled as a guest of New Caledonia Tourism and Aircalin.
AAP