Pico

Pico is a lovely pasteurized goat-milk cheese manufactured and refined in Périgord in the Aquitaine region of south-west France.

 

Pico is a small 100 g (3.5 oz) chèvre that comes in its own cute little round wooden box. It is an uncooked, unpressed soft cheese with an elegant creased natural rind that smells of fresh hay. The soft paste and rind are cream coloured with slight golden streaks. 

Pico has a fine and smooth texture, a rich creamy buttery nutty flavour with a subtle goat tang. Pico pairs nicely with a fruity champagne or a sparkling wine.

Pico is produced by Fromagerie la Picandine in Saint-Astier. Picandine have been making fresh and refined goat-milk cheeses since 1990, among them the famous Cabécou du Périgord.

Chemin Hatley

Chemin Hatley is a firm organic cheese made by Fromagerie La Station de Compton located in Québec's Eastern Townships.

Chemin Hatley is named after the road that stagecoaches used to travel on between Québec and Boston. La Station's farm and cheese factory are located along this Hatley Road located in Compton in Southeastern Québec.

This farmstead cheese comes in a 4 KG wheel which is ripened for 3 months and made with organic thermised cow-milk. The pressed semi-cooked paste is cream-coloured with a rather smooth elastic texture that features small crevices. Chemin Hatley has an orangey coloured rind and a distinct floral aroma.

Chemin Hatley has a creamy buttery texture with a moderate fruity aftertaste. Chemin Hatley pairs well with a fresh aromatic white wine from Bordeaux.

 

Fromagerie La Station de Compton is operated by Pierre Bolduc with his wife Carole and their sons. Their certified organic farm produces award winning farmstead cheeses such as Alfred Le Fermier, one of my favourite Quebec raw milk firm cheese, their popular Raclette de Compton as well as Comtomme.

http://www.fromagerielastation.com/

Der Dritte Raum - Swing Bop (Acid Pauli Remix)

 

Der Dritte Raum is a techno group from Göttingen, Germany consisting of Andreas Krüger and Ralf Uhrlandt. Since 1994, when Der Dritte Raum released their first album, the group's sound has changed without ever losing their uniqueness. From Techno, to Trance, to Tech House, to Jazz the group's style has developed into a very progressive club sound.

Swing Bop is a track from Der Dritte Raum's album entitled Rosa Rausch released on Save To Disc Recordings. This funky version is the Acid Pauli's Remix, which appears on the maxi single Swing Bop Remixes released in 2011.

I love the video that was put together for this track. It reminds me of Crystal Beach Amusement Park in Fort Erie, Ontario where we used to go in the summer time when I was growing up. Who could forget those stomach churning rides on The Comet, the famous wooden rolling coaster.

Swing Bop will make you want to get up, kick off your shoes and dance.

Electronics musician Andreas Krueger, the brain child behind Der Dritte Raum also records under Dr. DNA.

http://www.der-dritte-raum.de/

http://www.myspace.com/derdritteraum

Don Heliodoro

Don Heliodoro is a unique ewe´s milk cheese produced by Central Quesera Montesinos located in Jumilla in the Region of Murcia in the southeast of Spain. Montesinos has been a leading Spanish manufacturer of specialty cheeses since 1978.

Don Heliodoro is a delightful firm sheep-milk cheese that is covered with rosemary. It is produced in both pasteurised and raw milk versions and also without rosemary. The cheese is bathed in virgin olive oil every 15 days during the first months of affinage and then it is covered with rosemary and left to mature anywhere from 6 to 14 months depending on the type.

Don Heliodoro comes in a 3 kg wheel measuring 19 cm (7 1/2") in diameter and 10 cm (4") high. Don Heliodoro has that pleasant Pecorino aroma, characteristic to sheep's milk cheeses. Don Heliodoro is firm with a pale yellow paste that is dense yet still crumbly in texture. The cheese has a pleasant acidity, a bit spicy with rich olive oil and nutty flavours. Don Heliodoro is a real delight for all fine cheese lovers.

Don Heliodoro pairs nicely with a thick body red like a Sangiovese wine such as a Chianti Classico or a Spanish Malbec.

http://www.montesinos.es/

Adamo - En Blue Jeans Et Blouson De Cuir

Oh, I've loved this song for quite some time now. It goes way back to the 1960's.  I remember my older sister, Carmen owned a copy of this Adamo album and we played it over and over and over again.

Born Salvatore Adamo, but known simply as Adamo, is an Italian-Belgian singer composer who had commercial success during the 1960's and 1970's. "Sans toi, ma mie" was Adamo's first hit. He had numerous hits that followed among them; "Tombe la neige", "Vous permettez Monsieur", "Mes mains sur tes hanches" and another one of my favourites "Inch'Allah".

Adamo has sold over 100 million copies of his recordings worldwide. He mostly performs in French but he also sings in German, Italian and Spanish.

En Blue Jeans Et Blousson De Cuir was released as a single in 1961. It later appeared on his album entitled Adamo released in 1964.

En Blue Jeans Et Blouson De Cuir

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu vas rejoindre les copains

Si tu n'vois pas qu'est c'qu'ils vont dire

Quand tu les verras demain

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu te crois en liberté

On ne pourrait te contredire

Ça blesserait ta dignité

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu taquines tous les jupons

Vise-moi donc ça quelle allure !

T'as une affiche au pantalon !

Tu n'es pas mauvais garçon

Un p'tit rien te fait rougir

Vas profites de la leçon

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

Tes blue jeans, ton blouson d'cuir

Tu les prends pour bouclier

Contre une vie qu'tu voudrais fuir

Parce qu'elle t'oblige à t'humilier

En blue jeans et blouson d'cuir

Tu taquines les jupons

Vise-moi donc ça quelle allure !

T'as une affiche au pantalon !

Tu n'es pas mauvais garçon

Un p'tit rien te fait rougir

Vas profites de la leçon

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

T'es pas fait pour jouer les durs

http://www.adamosalvatore.com/

Valbert

Valbert is one of Québec's finest artisanal cheeses produced by La Fromagerie Lehmann located in Hébertville in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of Québec.

Valbert is a non-pasteurized cow-milk cheese with a firm, semi-cooked, pressed paste. Valbert is a large mountain style 6 KG cylindrical wheel that is aged a minimum of 6 months. The brushed rind has a golden-pink hue with the name Valbert embedded in its rind. The firm, cream coloured paste has small crevices that develop as it ages.

The Valbert I selected is aged 12 months. It has a chewy texture with a wonderful nutty, buttery flavour and quite a pronounced lingering fruity taste. It paired nicely with a white Riesling.

Valbert, received its name in homage of the Swiss hamlet the Lehmann family is originally from, located in the foothills of the Jura mountains.

Jacob and Marie Lehmann and their children arrived in Lac-St-Jean and started farming in 1983. The area's cool climate, the high quality grasslands due to the fertile soil and the Lehmann's passion for the love of the land all play an important role in the distinguished cheeses produced at La Fromagerie Lehmann.

The Lehmann's selected the Brown Swiss cow for their farm, as this breed is distinguished for its ability to transform grass and hay in one of the richest milk. For generations, the Brown Swiss has also made its mark in the production of high quality cheese.

From when they young and even today, the Lehmann children Sem, Isaban and Léa have all been involved. Whether it's caring for the animals and pastures, helping with the milk and cheese production to the marketing duties, every member of the family plays an important role to achieve a delicious and acclaimed product. 

Kénogami (a soft washed rind cheese), Pikauba (a semi-firm pressed paste cheese) and Valbert are all award winning artisanal cheeses produced by La Fromagerie Lehmann.

 According to Jacob Lehmann;

“Since the land is so precious, we must take care of it. We do not use GMOs, pesticides or chemical fertilizer. We count on a large variety of forage plants to provide a healthy diet of hay for our animals in the summer and grains in the winter.”

“At “Fromagerie Lehmann”, our entirely artisan production is based on a balance between the plants, the animals and the humans in creating a natural-flavoured, durable product.”

“Artisan products …. a philosophy, a way of life.”

Jacob Lehmann of Fromagerie Lehmann was the laureate of Le Renaud Cyr 2012. A recognition of his savoir-faire and contribution to Quebec's artisanal produce and cuisine.

Source:

http://fromagesduquebec.qc.ca

Brenda Boykin - Hard Swing Travellin’ Man

Brenda Boykin is an American singer who earned her reputation in the San Francisco Bay area as an excellent interpreter of jazz and blues material from big bands, old blues bands and honky-tonk artists.

According to blues historian Lee Hildebrand "Brenda Boykin has the most authentic and most inventive female jump blues vocal stylist of her generation". Brenda calls it “Bourbon and Cornbread,” the musical mixture of jazzy sweetness and down-home sass.

Enjoy this up-tempo jazzy swing number "Hard Swing Travellin’ Man" by one of today’s finest jazz singer Brenda Boykin.

"Hard Swing Travellin’ Man" appears on Brenda Boykin's album 'Chocolate & Chili' released in 2008 on Chinchin Records.

http://www.myspace.com/brendaboykin

Roaring Forties Blue

Roaring Forties Blue is a mild pasteurized cow's milk blue cheese produced by King Island Dairy in Australia.  King Island is located in Southern Australia south of Melbourne in the Bass Strait above the north-west tip of Tasmania.

 

The cheese is named after the notorious Roaring Forties gales which bring winds of more than 100 km per hour to King Island, which is located on the 40 degrees latitude.

The Island's dairy herds graze on lush, dense pastures and their rich diet is supplemented with kelp that gets washed up after heavy storms. King Island cows have become renowned for producing the purest, sweetest, creamiest milk which is the secret behind the fine dairy products and award-winning cheeses produced by the King Island Dairy.

King Island Dairy's head cheesemaker is Swiss-born Ueli Berger, who studied cheese-making in Switzerland for three years before moving to Australia. He's been head of the cheese making team at King Island Dairy since 1998.

 

Roaring Forties Blue is a rind-less cheese that has matured in a dark blue coloured wax coating. The wax covering cuts off the oxygen supply to the cheese while maturing to promote a sweet fruity flavour. The wax coating also helps in retaining the cheese's moisture which creates a lovely buttery smooth texture.

Roaring Forties Blue is a rich flavourful blue veined cheese with a sweet presence of honey, slightly nutty flavour and a great creamy aftertaste.

Roaring Forties Blue pairs nicely with an Australian Shiraz wine.

King Island Dairy suggests serving Roaring 40's Blue with maple syrup spiced dates, fresh pears and sliced fruit bread. (To prepare dates; cut 12 dates in half, remove pips, combine dates with a tablespoon of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spices and let stand for a minimum of 20 minutes before serving.)

http://kingislanddairy.com.au

View The King Island Dairy Story - The Island, The People, The Dairy...

Preston Singletary

Preston Singletary is a Native American glass artist who masterly combines traditional Northwest coast Tlingit themes in his modern dynamic glass works.

 

Preston Singletary grew up in the Pacific Northwest. In 1982, Preston started working at a Seattle, Washington glass blowing studio as a night watchman, but his interest in the art of glass eventually saw him joining one of the studio's production teams. He learned the art of glass blowing working with artists in the Seatle area, including Benjamin Moore and Dante Marioni. As a student and assistant, Preston initially focused on mastering the techniques of the European tradition.

 

It was when Preston began to experiment using designs from his Tlingit cultural heritage that his work began to take on a new purpose and direction. Over time, his skill with the material of glass and traditional form line design has strengthened and evolved, positioning him as a highly influential contemporary indigenous artist.

Today, Preston Singletary’s artworks are found in museum collections from The British Museum in London, UK, The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY to the Handelsbanken in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

I love how Preston Singletary's works of glass, revolutionizes the belief that Native artists are only best when traditional materials are used.

Photo source:

http://www.prestonsingletary.com/

Le Cornebique

Le Cornebique is a soft delicate little farmer’s goat-milk cheese produced by La Chèvrerie Mathurin located in Ste-Sophie d'Halifax in the Centre-du-Québec region overlooking the Appalachians.

Le Cornebique is shaped in the form of a small log (8 cm long and 4.5 cm wide) with a cream coloured natural rind. The white coloured paste is chalky in the centre but extremely creamy along the inner rim.

Le Cornebique is a young pasteurised chèvre, matured for only 14 days. It has a mild to medium goat milk flavour with a more intense creamy nutty finish. Delectable!

La Chèvrerie Mathurin is operated by Chantal Mathieu and her partner Raphaël Morin. The Mathurin farm is comprised of a herd of over 100 goats which most are Alpine breeds and a few are mixed with Nubian or LaMancha breeds. La Chèvrerie Mathurin also produces bottled non-homogenised pasteurised goat milk, yogurt, and fresh goat-milk & feta cheeses.

http://www.chevremathurin.com