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

The Blackout AllStars - I Like It

I remember hearing I Like It by The Blackout AllStars for the first time in 1994. Let me tell you, it was so infectious. For days, all I would sing was "Stomp your feet if you like my beat, Clap your hands if you want some more... I like it, I like it, I like it like that". 

'I Like It' has remained one of my all-time favourite tunes. The version I most enjoy, is this Bobby D'Ambrosio Club Mix that runs 7 minutes. This is an excellent rhythmic version, that just gets you up dancing and stomping your feet to the beat.

The Blackout Allstars was a Latin super-group that was formed to record "I Like It', for the title theme song of the comedy-drama film "I Like It Like That" released in 1994.

The Blackout All-Stars' line-up consisted of musicians; Tito Puente and Sheila E. (percussions), Grover Washington Jr. (sax), Ray Barretto (congas), Paquito D'Rivera (clarinet & sax), Dave Valentin (flute) and Tito Nieves on vocals.

When doing my research on this song, I learned that 'I Like It' is a cover version of a 1967 boogaloo hit "I Like It Like That (A Mi Me Gusta Asi)" by Pete Rodriguez.  A great new discovery! I Like It. I Like It.

L'Hercule de Charlevoix

L'Hercule de Charlevoix is a firm, washed rind, non-pasteurized cow-milk cheese. This large artisanal mountain-style 12 kg (26.5 lbs) wheel is produced by La Laiterie Charlevoix, located in Baie-St.-Paul in Québec's Charlevoix region.

L'Hercule de Charlevoix has a firm, cooked paste and is aged anywhere from 8 to 24 months.  The washed rind has a golden pinkish hue and the smooth paste is dark yellow. The texture is firm and slightly granular and becomes creamy in the mouth. L'Hercule is very flavourful with notes of nuts and butter then developing into a more fruity finish on the tongue.

Opt for the older 24 months aged L'Hercule, its sharper taste and more complex flavours are quite a delight. L'Hercule pairs nicely with a white French Chablis or Riesling.

L'Hercule de Charlevoix was named after Baie-St.-Paul native Jean-Baptiste Grenon. In 1759, Grenon had been captured by General Wolfe's troops and was quickly released due to the fact that they were unable to overcome the powerful physical strength of this man, who was known as Hercule du Nord.

The milk used to produce L'Hercule de Charlevoix comes from the milk of a herd of Jersey cows from the neighbouring Stessi Farm located less than a kilometer from the dairy.

La Laiterie Charlevoix was founded in 1948, it has been owned and operated by the Labbé family for four generations. The successful Charlevoix dairy recently won an award in sustainable development for two major environmental projects they have incorporated on their premises; an innovative water treatment process and the conversion of whey into energy.

La Laiterie Charlevoix also produces cheddars, a fondue, Le Fleurmier de Charlevoix and now they produce 2 cheeses made exclusively with the milk of the Canadienne breed of cows; L'Origine de Charlevoix and Le 1608. Le 1608 of La Laiterie Charlevoix will be one of Quebec's first cheese to receive Quebec's AS (Appellation de Spécificité), a Designation of Specificity - for cheese made with the milk of the Canadienne breed of cow.

http://www.fromagescharlevoix.com

Joan Osborne – Shake Your Hips

American singer-songwriter Joan Osborne sure kicks ass in this excellent rendition of Shake Your Hips. This song was written and originally recorded by blues musician Slim Harpo in 1966. The Rolling Stones also recorded a great version of this song on their 1972 album Exile on Main Street.

Joan Osborne has been recording albums covering many musical genres, since 1991. Shake Your Hips is taken from Joan's seventh studio album Bring It On Home, an excellent collection of vintage blues, R&B and soul songs. Bring It On Home is nominated for the 2013 Grammy Award - Best Blues Album.

www.joanosborne.com/

Neufchâtel

Why not offer cheese to your Valentine this year?

You can't go wrong with a cute heart shaped French cheese, good crusty bread and your favourite bottle of wine.

 

Neufchâtel - Coeur de Bray is a soft bloomy rind, cow’s milk cheese from the Pays de Bray located in the French region of Normandie. Neufchâtel received its AOC (Appelation d'Origine Controlée) designation in 1969.

Neufchâtel is believed to be one of France's oldest cheeses dating back to the Middle Ages. 

The white edible moldy rind of Neufchâtel is dry and velvety. The lightly pressed, uncooked, cream coloured pâte is firm yet supple and slightly grainy. After an affinage of 8 to 10 weeks, the mold starts flavouring the cheese leaving a pleasant mushroom aroma and a salty sharper flavour.

The popular shape for Neufchâtel cheese is the heart, but the AOC allows it to be made in six different sizes and forms of either briquette, cylindrical or square.

Neufchâtel pairs well with a nice Bordeaux red such as a Pomerol - Château Treytins.

 

 

Neufchâtel can be found as a farmer, industrial and artisanal cheese. Here is a list of the official AOC Neufchâtel producers in the France's Normandie region.

There are other heart-shaped cheeses that can be served on Valentine’s Day, such as the Coeur du Berry a lovely French goat-milk cheese.

Parked

Parked is the story of Fred Daly a middle-aged Irishman, who is down on his luck. The role of Fred is superbly played by Irish actor Colm Meaney (Hell on Wheels, The Perfect Stranger). Fred has just returned home to Ireland after living in England and discovers there's no work to be found. With no means to support himself, Fred lives in his car parked by the sea in a car-park.

Life changes for Fred when a young dope-smoking Cathal played by Colin Morgan (The Adventures of Merlin, Island) moves his car in the same car-park and starts living there. The two befriend each other and help each other out.

Cathal introduces Fred to a nearby pool where they can clean up and enjoy a swim. This is where Fred meets Jules, an attractive music teacher played by Finnish actress Milka Ahlorth. The three grow closer to each other and are set on a course that will change their lives forever.

Parked is at times a comedy and at other times dramatic, but it is consistently engaging and quite moving, a good directional film debut for Irishman Darragh Byrne.

Clandestin

Le Clandestin is an exquisite soft, washed rind cheese made with the pasteurised whole milks of both cow and sheep.

 

Le Clandestin has a lovely soft orange hued washed rind lightly specked with white. The sumptuous rich white coloured paste becomes very creamy after an affinage of five weeks.

Le Clandestin has a rustic farmer’s aroma. The cheese has a somewhat marked lactic flavour slightly acidic yet without being too aggressive.

Le Clandestin is produced by Fromagerie LeDétour located in Notre-Dame-du-Lac in Québec's Lower St-Laurence region in the Lake Témiscouata area near the New-Brunswick and the USA's Maine borders.

Fromagerie Le Detour is run by husband and wife team Ginette Bégin and Mario Quirion. They have been making artisanal cheeses since 1999. They produce a variety of milk products; butter, cream and hard, soft & semi-soft cheeses among them Magie de Madawaska and the lovely chèvre Grey Owl.

Le Clandestin pairs well with a classic Italian Chianti from Toscany. La Fromagerie Détour suggests pairing it with an Irish Malt Whiskey from Islay. Splendid!

http://fromagerieledetour.ca/index.html

Professor Longhair - Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Professor Longhair was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist active in the early rhythm and blues and in the returned interest in traditional jazz. Longhair was a key figure in bridging the worlds of boogie-woogie and the new style of rhythm and blues. His style was known as "rumba-boogie".

"Mardi Gras in New Orleans" became Longhair's signature song. It was originally recorded in 1949, but has been re-recorded and featured on some of his later albums.

I've chosen Professor Longhair's "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" to honour the occasion of the official beginning of the 2013 Mardi Gras Parades in New Orleans.  

I know you will go on whistling this tune for the next days to come. It is quite infectious.

Piano excerpt above is from "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" (1949) by Professor Longhair. 2-3 clave is written above for rhythmic reference. Source: Wikipedia

Parade photo source: www.bestneworleansattractions.com