Sunday, July 17, 2011

Tomorrow, July 18th, the November 2010 Chamber Classics concert will be rebroadcast at 8:00 on WUOT, 91.9 fm. You may recall this was the re-creation of the KSO’s first-ever concert, given in 1936 at Church St. United Methodist Church. I am going to suggest that you crank up that giant stereo system you have, invite some friends over, and make these recipes that have been shared by KSO players.
Bassist Dan Thompson is a lucky man. He is married to clarinetist Erin Bray, who is an award-winning cook and a devotee of (among other things) all things barbecue. (You also may remember her name from years ago when she was an announcer on WUOT while a UT student).

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My favorite summer asian bbq marinade:

5-10 cloves of garlic, peeled (depends on how much you like garlic)
2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and cut in half
1/2 of a yellow onion, roughly chopped
1/3 cup soy sauce (or more to taste)
juice & zest (grated) of one lime
1 cup of cola--not diet (or more to cover meat)

Place 1st four ingredients in the bowl of a food processor--process to a chunk-free paste. Remove contents to a large bowl or baking dish. Whisk in lime juice & cola.

This works supremely on pork butt, pork loin, chicken thighs or breasts.

For pork butts, marinate overnight in fridge. To cook, remove from marinade, wipe off excess (it can burn)--either in a 300 degree oven, uncovered for at least 3-4 hours, until meat reaches 190 degrees or grill--indirect heat for at least 5-7 hours, until meat reaches 190 degrees. I am sure you could do it in a slow cooker, but I have not tried it.

http://www.bbqu.net/direct4.html

For pork loin, wipe off the marinade & either roast in a 325 degree oven until meat reaches 150 degrees or grill over indirect heat until meat reaches 150 degrees.

For chicken, marinate 2-6 hours, bake or grill as desired.

To serve: it works great over rice, but is even BETTER cut into chunks and served in lettuce wraps. It is RIDONKULOUS in lettuce wraps with sushi rice & the following sauce:

1 clove chopped garlic, smashed into a fine paste
1/4 cup chopped scallion
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon coarse Korean hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Combine in a small bowl & whisk.

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While things are cooking, people are going to want drinks. English hornist Liz Telling found this recipe for an amazing, summery drink called an ad lib.

Ad lib:

Cocktail ice cubes for muddling and shaking
5-7 fresh cilantro leaves
2 ½ oz. vodka
1 oz. fresh lemon-lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
lollipop rim

Fill a tempered pint glass with ice and add the cilantro. Muddle until the ice is slushy and the cilantro is evenly distributed throughout the ice. Add ice to fill the glass. Add vodka, lemon-lime juice and simple syrup. Cap the glass with a stainless steel cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into a 10-oz. martini glass garnished with a lollipop rim.

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Tomatoes and basil go together like Tristan und Isolde. Especially when they are fresh out of your garden, or- even better- someone else’s. Violinist Liz Farr shared this recipe with my wife and I many years ago. It is difficult to serve perfectly wedge-shaped servings of this but who cares what it looks like, it is majorly delicious.

Tomato-basil torte:

1 pie crust
1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella (6 oz.) – divided 1 c. and ½ c.
5 Roma or 4 medium tomatoes
½ - 3/8 c. flour – optional
1 c. loosely packed fresh basil
4+ cloves garlic
½ c. mayo
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 t. pepper (white pepper if you have it)

1) Preheat oven to 350. Prick the pie crust with a fork and pre-bake the pie crust for 15-20 minutes. As soon as it comes out of the oven, while still hot, sprinkle the ½ c. of the mozzarella to coat the bottom of the crust. Allow to cool on a rack.

2) Cut the tomatoes into wedges and drain on a paper towel. Alternatively, mix the tomatoes with ½ - 3/8 cup of flour. If the tomatoes are quite juicy, it’s best to both drain them AND mix in the flour. (The tomatoes can be prepared ahead of time.)

3) Pre-heat the oven to 350. Arrange the tomato wedges in a single crowded layer on the bottom of the pie shell.

4) Using a food processor , coarsely chop the fresh basil and the garlic cloves. Sprinkle over the tomatoes in the pie shell.

5) Combine the remaining 1 c. mozzarella, mayo, Parmesan, and pepper. Spread as evenly as possible over the tomatoes + basil/garlic in the pie shell, aiming to cover the top.

6) Bake the pie at 350 for about 45 minutes, until the top shows golden and the tomato’s juices are bubbling.
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Violist Katy Gawne says of this dessert that it is “so worth running the oven in July...”

Blueberry Kuchen:

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter
1 Tablespoon vinegar


Filling/topping:

5 cups blueberries
2 Tablespoons flour
2/3 cup sugar

Combine 1 cup of flour, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. Sprinkle with the vinegar. Press into an 8 inch cake pan. Add 3 cups of blueberries. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour and 2/3 cup of sugar. Bake @ 400 for 45-60 minutes until the crust is brown and the filling bubbles. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 2 more cups of blueberries.

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