Favorite cheeses

People often ask any one of us at les amis "What's your favorite cheese". It's a tough question to answer. I personally don't have just one. It also depends what day it is, and what' I'm in the mood for. Sometimes if we haven't had a cheese for a while, and then I see it...Bam...that's the one.

This cheese is one of Allison's favorites. It's like a fermier style of St. Felicien. Unpasteurized for flavour, and hand ladled curd for tenderness.

Port soaked stilton

Alice's port soaked stilton is marinating as we speak. She gives it a drink almost every day. This year we have the following cheeese soaking in Taylor Fladgate LBV.

• Long Clawson
• Colston Bassett
• Thomas Hoe
• Stichelton's

They should be ready in a couple of weeks. I can't wait.

Alice also made some of her Xmas cookies again this year. She made them herself (with some help from Allison). They need time to rest and soften up, and also the flavors meld together. Some old school recipes just need love...and time.

Taste of April Point

Allison and I recently spent a weekend at April Point Resort on Quadra Island with Anthony Gismondi of the Vancouver Sun. The reason for our stay? We were participating in the "Taste of April Point". This sold out event was a great getaway for everyone who attended. Personally, I think the whole package was way undervalued. The food and beverage alone was worth the price of admission. The event started off on Friday evening with a cheese and wine tasting hosted by Anthony and Allison. The next day saw us tasting more wines in the lodge during the afternoon, followed by a sensational dinner. All of the staff did a sensational job, with a big round of applause for Executive Chef Stephanie Dykes and her crew. Saturday's meal exceeded our expecations. The highlite for me was a mushroom consomme that paired perfectly with La Crema Pinot Noir. A big thanks also to sponsor Everything Wine. If you get the chance to attend next year, you should.

Both of us have never been to Quadra Island. What a beautiful place. It's certainly a lot quieter than where we live. The air is fresh, and the water is clear. The big thing for me? No sirens. They go past our home at all hours. I don't miss them. We went for a drive during the day to explore the island. We were surprised to see not one, but two young deer eating lunch. The noise from a nearby flock of crazy ducks quacking while trying to escape a focused sheep herding dog did not phase the deer at all. Their only focus was lunch.

We stopped along the way in Parksville to visit our friends at Little Qualicum Cheeseworks. There were lots of happy farm animals to visit with including ducks, rabbits, cows and goats. Let's not forget the main focus of our visit: delicious cheeses. We had tried to visit Natural Pastures, but a scheduling miscommunication left us with closed doors. Perhaps next time.

Acs 2010 farm tour

I'm trying out a new phone that does mobile uploads to this blog. Hope you like the wagon pic from gothberg farms in washington. The Samsung phone takes great pictures. Hopefully it will inspire me to start posting more often.

Test pic

Vancouver Playhouse Wine Fest Award

Au Petit Chavignol was awarded a "Silver Glass" award for our wine list at the Vancouver International Playhouse Wine Festival today. We're proud to keep such company as all of the other award winners. We couldn't have done it without the initial set up from House Wine.

Speaking of wine, you should try our newest wine list aquisition:

2006 Chateau Beaumont

This lovely cru bourgeois from the Haut-Medoc is drinking lovely right now. A blend of Cab sauv, merlot, cab franc and petit verdot. It offers soft tannins with hints of cherries and dried herbs. It screams "drink me with charcuterie and cheese". A steal at $10 a glass.

Cheese & Sweets in Paris

Visiting cheese shops and eating sweets in Paris. Someone has to do it...