Music Club Luncheon Recipes
Last month was a music month for me. I performed two movements of an Eric Ewazen trio for my music club with a pianist and Euphonium (subbing for the french horn). And I got a one line solo performing with my amazing band, the Tennessee Wind Symphony.
I ordered the Ewazen piece because it was supposed to be easy and beautiful. Well, that was the slow movement. For the other movement, I actually had to apply a technique that I only recently had learned. I had been practicing the Ewazen music for 6 months, but only recently learned how to apply harmonics alternate fingerings to make the tempo doable. And it was hit or miss whether I could accomplish it in front of an audience yet. Using harmonic substitute notes for fast high notes has already helped me a lot with the band music. I can’t believe I never knew this trick before! I am so grateful to be in a band that really stretches my abillities. I have improved quite a bit in the past two years, in part because the music is at such a high level, I always have to practice when I am not hiking or cooking.
The next music club meeting was the end of year meeting with performances and a luncheon; it is a fundraiser for a UT Knoxville music student scholarship. We always have this meeting at my good friend’s (Pam’s) house. She thought it would be nice to have quiche for the lunch this year. So I made two chicken mushroom quiches, a vegetable pie and watermelon salad. So many people asked for the recipes, that I am posting them here.
The most requested Chicken Mushroom Quiche recipe, I modified from a mushroom quiche recipe when I was 22 years old for a car camping trip with UC Berkeley engineering grad students. I joined a summer tour of dams, mines and significant geological engineering landform features around the west coast from Hoover Dam in the southwest up to Idaho for Star-Morning Mine?, a river trip on the Snake River and a hike in Glacier National Park… -lead by Engineering Rock Mechanics guru, Prof. Richard Goodman. I use a cast iron pan to make it a crustless quiche. I hate this to represent my cooking because I usually cook in a health conscious way, but quiches are generally not a healthy food.
Chicken Mushroom Quiche
1.5 chicken breasts, simmered in chicken broth to just done, let cool until not too hot to handle, then cut into bite size pieces
¼ cup butter
2 Cups heavy cream
½ pound thinly sliced mushrooms (I use baby bella)2 T. minced green onions¾ Teaspoon salt (plus extra salt and pepper noted below)¼ pound or 1 cup shredded Jarlsberg Cheese1 Pie crustDeep dish pie pan (9 or 10 inch)
If you don’t make your own pie crust, Pillsbury is decent. Precook it according to instructions on box for 10 minutes. I use pie weights. Don’t forget to prick the bottom and sides. Alternatively, make the quiche crustless by cooking in cast iron pan on low until quiche is done in center. Mix with fork (in medium bowl) eggs, cream and salt. Stir in grated cheese. In skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms, onions, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/8 t. pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Pour mushrooms into cream mixture. Put chicken pieces in bottom of precooked pie crust and pour mushroom cream mixture over. Put in oven at 350 for about 50 minutes. Take out of oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes.(If making crustless quiche, pour cream mixture into mushroom pan when mushrooms are done and add chicken pieces.)Note: It will be fine if pie crust shrinks and some of cream mixture pours outside crust in pie pan.
The Garden Vegetable Pie is not a quiche. It has two crusts. I used Pillsbury. The crust does not need to be prebaked. I baked the pie 45 minutes instead of the 30 minutes recommended.
Watermelon Mint Salad - I have tried many watermelon mint salad recipes. You don’t need to use any oil and vinegar, but it sure makes it good. I chose this recipe because it uses the most mint and I want to use lots of my garden mint. It uses 3 cups of watermelon, but I use 4 cups. This one is from “Delish”.
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 cup crumbled feta (about 6 oz.)
1 cup finely chopped cucumbers
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, plus more for serving
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
Flaky sea salt (optional)
Directions
Step 1 In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, and kosher salt. Add watermelon, feta, cucumber, mint, and onion and toss to coat.
Step 2 Top with more mint and sea salt (if using).
