Salt Lake Magazine

Matt's Cheesy Bits: This week-Testun al Malto

2013-05-24T14:39:09+00:00

Recently there has been an explosion of hipster culinary attention to whiskey. I like whiskey so at first I did not see a problem with this. Then I started to see whiskey in my butter, whiskey in my gelato, whiskey in my maple syrup, whiskey in my salami, and on and on.

The problem is these recipes tend to rely on the novelty itself. Unfortunately, most often the execution of these classic comfort dishes would not stand on their own without the hip new flavor addition. Take some sort of mediocre comfort food, add whiskey and, abracadabra! You have haute cuisine. I am sick of this formula. Let the classics stand on their own.

Then again, from time to time a really talented chef or artisan teaches me that I should keep my mouth shut. Case in point, Testun al Malto. This gnarly looking cheese is made by master cheese maker Beppino Occeli in Piedmont, Italy. It is a blend of cow and goat's milk packed in toasted barley and soaked in whiskey. It is then aged for approximately 14 months until the paste is full of well formed protein crystals.

On the first bite the crunch does not hide the rich butterfat in the cheese which combine for a very satisfying mouth feel. The flavor is not for the timid. It is very piquant, somewhat gamey, can have hints of bleu and a big dose of what I am assuming is some sort of pretty decent Islay Scotch with the expected peaty aroma.

I enjoy it with Lagavulin 16 year Scotch or an espresso, or both. Caputo's sells Testun al Malto for $49.99/lb but luckily so strong a little goes a long way and unlike many uninspired whiskey recipes, this cheese will definitely be around long after the hipsters have moved on to brandy, Sherry or some other soon to be trendy libation.

P.S. Don't worry Cristiano, I love your whiskey salami too.

Fashion Friday: True to Red, White and Blue

2013-05-24T09:02:13+00:00

No matter how you look at it, Memorial Day is a pretty fantastic holiday. Not only do we get a chance to recognize the people who sacrifice for our country's safety and freedom, but we also get a day off work (if you're lucky) and we get to officially kick off summer.

If you still believe in that once-upon-a-time tale of "no wearing white between Labor Day and Memorial Day," this weekend is your chance to break out the bright white again. (But really. Why would you limit yourself to wearing a color only 4 months out of the year? Seems silly, if you ask me.)

With Memorial Day on our doorstep and July's festivities just around the corner, let's give a little nod to patriotism, sans sporting a literal American flag. Pair your summer white with red or blue stripes, solids or ombre prints and get in the summertime spirit.

From left:

Linen T-Shirt, Zara

Ombre Floppy Hat, Gap

Windward White Sunglasses, TOMS

Spacedye Cargo Shorts, Anthropologie

Charles David 'Vibiana' Sandal, Nordstrom

Billy Contrast Red Super T Jean, True Religion

Double-Stripe Underwire Halter Tank Swimsuit, J.Crew

Giveaway: Two tickets to Children's Center Gala

2013-05-23T14:30:32+00:00

An ancient Japanese legend promises a wish granted to anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes. The cranes are given as gifts for good luck, happiness, health and prosperity and are said to last 1,000 years. The Children's Center is using the crane as a symbol at their gala this year, representing their their work, granting wishes for children in need.

The gala will be held Friday, June 14 from 6 p.m.–10 p.m. at Gallivan Center (239 S. Main Street). The evening includes an auction with proceeds going to the Center to provide comprehensive mental health care to young children and their families.

Tickets for the the gala are $150 per person. However, there are tables available for purchase as well. A table for eight is $1,500. The Friend Sponsorship Table ($2,500) includes sponsorship-level recognition at the event, recognition in the post-event newsletter, a listing in the dinner program and one table seating for eight. The Patron Sponsorship Table ($5,000) includes sponsorship recognition at the event, a pre-event reception to view auction items, a half-page message in the dinner program, recognition in the post-event newsletter and one table seating for eight.

More than 2,000 families visit the Center each year seeking help. The Center's team of trained psychiarists, psychologists, social workers and counselors work with families experiencing divorce, managing a household or managing aggressive children or children with disabilities disabled.

For info on sponsorship opportunities contact Courtney Garay at 801-578-2327 or CGaray@tccslc.org. For info on participating in this event as a committee member, an auction item donor or guest, contact Lisa Alleman at 801-578-2326 or LAlleman@tccslc.org.

CONTEST

Leave a comment below with a favorite childhood memory by May 30, and you could win two tickets to attend the event and show your support for the work done at the Center.

Q&A: Star Trek Into Darkness' Utahn actresses Katie and Kellie Cockrell

2013-05-23T13:43:37+00:00

The Cockrell sisters. Photo by Angel V. Prado, makeup by Andrew San Jose.

JJ Abrams' latest box office smash hit, Star Trek Into Darkness, features Utah actresses Katie and Kellie Cockrell. We chatted with the twins about their humble beginnings, experience on the Paramount set and their plans to light speed to success in Hollywood.

Now that you're acting outside Utah, what do you miss?

Kellie: "I love the mountains, I love snowboarding and I love the fact that everyone seems to be happy. It's different then LA, I feel like people are content there, and I love that people love dogs, the outdoors [and] they love family a lot; that's pretty much what I love about Utah."

Katie: "I think theres nothing better than Utah in the summer. I don't love the winter. Utah winters are so harsh but Utah in the summer is just perfect weather and so much to do outside."

Explain your journey from Utah to Hollywood?

Katie: "We started dancing when we were 4 years old in a studio in Midvale [Xpressions dance]. We fell in love with dancing, we would go dance for five hours every night after school. When we were 9, we auditioned for Ballet West's The Nutcracker and we ended up doing four seasons with them. That kind of got us into this idea that you could actually perform for a living. When we were in high school, we danced on the Bingham High Miners drill team and one day we were doing team pictures and the photographer said [to us] 'you both have an interesting look, you guys should try out for this talent agency.' We ended up taking a meeting with them and they said 'you're too short to be models, but why don't you try acting?' That actually really connected with us because, as dancers, you do a lot of acting in your dance and you're telling a story that way. So we signed on with them and we didn't really have any experience acting—it was super intimidating, but we ended up getting a role [Return to Halloweentown] and from doing that, we were kind of hooked."

Now, you two are in the new Star Trek installment by JJ Abrams. What was it like to work with him?

Kellie: "It was incredible! I was a huge fan of JJ Abrams from Lost—it was my favorite TV show, so when we met him it was just so cool. We walked on the Paramount set and there was the Star Trek enterprise set up and the actors were filming; they cut and JJ Abrams came over to us and talked to us briefly. He was just so kind and relaxing and just really down to earth."

I've seen your clip and I must ask the question that has got to be on every female Trekkies' mind—how was it to be in bed with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine)?

Kellie: "(Laughs) It was really fun but also really intimidating because Chris Pine is obviously not bad looking; he's really handsome and very charismatic, and the whole thing can be a little intimidating."

What was the process involved with your makeup for the film?

Katie: "We did 10 to 12 makeup days, which are full days—12 hours on set at least—sitting in a makeup chair with these really great special effects makeup people; we tried a ton of different things. One of the first things we got done was a head cast; Kellie went first she's a little bit more brave then I am so she was calm, but when I was doing it, I was having panic attacks because it's so claustrophobic and you can't take it off for 10 minutes. They [also] made prosthetic ears [and] prosthetic noses; in the movie we have these kind of scale type things. Our characters are cats, and for our tails, when we were filming the scene, there was a special effects guy sitting right behind us actually moving the tails."

What projects are you currently working on?

Kellie: "We just finished an independent film called, Feels So Good—it's a teenage comedy; it was really fun. We got along great with the director and theres a lot of young up and coming actors like Brendan Robinson from Pretty Little Liars and Matt Shively from Paranormal Activity."

Katie: "The independent film that we just did, Feels So Good, that's our first lead roles, so it's really a big deal for us. It's kind of like a stepping stone in our careers."

Take a Hike: Timpooneke Trail

2013-05-23T12:09:11+00:00

The opposite of a date hike—yes, the "break-up" hike

Distance: 13 miles round-trip

Elevation gain: 4,700 feet

Time: Eight-plus hours. Like Mt. Olympus, another must-do for the hardcore hiker.

Trail: Bruiser. It's quite the climb (almost 12K feet). There are two trails up Mt. Timpanogos, but this is the most well-traveled. It's a gradual climb, but your quads will burn less than halfway up. Stick it out, because the views over Provo and beyond are... Well, you'll just have to find out for yourself. Bring a date only if you're both hikers. If not, this may actually be the hike that breaks you up, but maybe that's why you want to take it.

Who you'll see: BYU students, BYU professors, power couples, the occasional Utah hippie and ultra-runners.

How to get there: I-15 to State Route 92 to American Fork. Go straight nine miles into the Timpooneke Campground (yep, you're gonna need a permit).

Notable: Even though it's both longer and a much harder climb than Olympus, you're not going to need the mountaineering skills, just plenty of water.

Apres-hike: Toast at the Tree Room at Sundance Resort, 801-225-4107

Dig out your green tights!

2013-05-23T10:25:20+00:00

Ellie Grass takes careful aim and releases on target.

Robin Hood, at least in movies, makes it look easy—nock an arrow, go to full draw release and, whoa, the arrow splits another arrow already squarely located in the bullseye.

Believe me, it ain’t that easy. I used to shoot with bow and arrows back when bows somewhat resembled the one Robin used, only with a few more recurves. It was a time when compound bows were just starting to be discovered.

What I like about archery is the quiet. The only noise is the twang of the string and the whisper of the arrow in flight. It can be competitive, but mostly, it’s between you and your eye, arm and body. A good shot hits the target; bad shots are forgotten after the next good shot. And you know whether they are good and bad shots instantly.

Archery was an occasional effort on my part, done with a few friends at outdoor targets—a box or straw bale—and occasionally at an indoor range with regular targets. It faded from my schedule because of time constraints and other interests, like work and family. But I revisited the sport this last month with the grandkids. I wish now I’d kept it up. It was one of those: “Do as I say, not as I do,’’ times.

It was fun and they picked it up rather quickly.

But, archery is so much easier these days, due mostly to the compound bow with its pulleys and cables. Compounds came into the market in the 1960s and are now the choice of most archers for hunting or recreational shooting.

Compound bows with their cams and cables have made archery easier.

With the old recurves what you bought was what you pulled. Meaning, in my case, I bought a 55-pound recurve. So, I pulled at 55 pounds and anchored at 55 pounds, which typically meant that if I held an aim too long, my hand would get shaky.

Compounds work differently. The draw starts at, say, 55 pounds but midway through the draw the pull drops to anywhere between 11 and 20 pounds, depending on the bow, which makes it much easier to anchor and aim. And, of course, be more accurate. The arrow has all the force of the full 55 pounds, but requires much less work to shoot.

There are compounds on the market that have what they call 99 percent let-off, which would reduce the hold to less than a pound.

The importance of this is young shooters can draw and hold with little difficulty, making it easier to aim and shoot, and, as I found, easier to hit the target regularity.

Arrows have also evolved. Robin shot wooden arrows that were not always perfect. After wood came aluminum, fiberglass and then carbon fiber, which are lighter and fly at a high, flatter speed.

There are several archery ranges in Utah. I like the indoor ranges. I like compound bows. And, after being away for some time, I found it relaxing.

The range I chose was Utah Archery Center, 60 E. Gordon Ave., in Salt Lake City.

The range is open noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Range fees are $8 with your own equipment, $10 using their bows and arrows.

Instruction, said range manger Christian Neff, comes with the range fees.

Christian Neff helps young shooter with the basics of shooting.

Indoor Ranges in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake Archery, 1130 Wilmington Ave., 801-486-8242

Bad Lands Bow Hunters, 2827 S. 2300 East, 801-487-3665

Utah Archery Center, 60 E. Gordon Ave, 801-263-7880

Full Draw Archery, 8385 Allen St., 801-996-8292

Redefining the High School Jock

2013-05-23T09:46:24+00:00

Established in 2012, the Park City High School Mountain Bike Club Team snagged the Utah High School Cycling League’s first-ever state championship title last year.

With more than 400 miles of singletrack riddling the mountains surrounding Park City, it comes with more than little surprise that last year was the first for the Park City High School Mountain Biking Club.

The club was formed by a group of parents and coach Evan Hyde to provide a place for kids who don’t fall within the typical team sports to compete athletically on behalf of their school. “Any kid who is a student at Park City High School and can ride a bike can be a member of the team,” Hyde says. “We have a category for every ability level. Fun is the primary goal of the club.”

The PCHS MTB Club is sanctioned by the Utah High School Cycling League (UHSCL), which itself was established just two years ago. Despite its short tenure, however, the League already includes 37 clubs. The first official UHSCL race was held on Sept. 8, 2012 at Park City’s Round Valley, attracting more than 350 teenage riders from all corners of the state. UHSCL events award riders points for individual results as well as team performance—teams earn points for every rider that finishes a race.

Varsity rider and current sophomore Matthew Turner racing at Soldier Hollow in the Utah High School Cycling League 2012 State Championships.

The Park City club trains and practices more than any other team in the state, likely a key factor in the Park City team ending Utah’s first-ever high school competitive mountain bike season as state champions. The upcoming 2013 season will include four races culminating in the State Championships in Moab on Nov. 6.

Competition aside, however, the PCHS MTB Club is about teaching kids the skills to enjoy mountain biking now and into the future. “We spend one day per week focusing on skills. Things like going around switchbacks, climbing steeps and navigating obstacles are much easier for kids to learn than adults. Fitness will come and go, but these skills will stay with these kids for a lifetime,” Hyde says. Trail etiquette is also a huge part of the club’s philosophy. “We call it the Spirit of howdy. We teach the kids that when them come across another trail user, they should slow down enough to say hi to that person and for that person to say hi to them,” Hyde says.

And though mountain biking may seem like an inherently dangerous sport, its injury rate is actually much lower than other more popular high school sports like football and soccer. “Even when we come across a natural jump in the trail, we always roll over it rather than trying to get air,” Hyde says. “There’s this perception that mountain biking is dangerous but last year with 20 kids participating in four races and probably 15 times as many practices, we had only one injury: a scraped elbow that required stitches.”

It’s the sport’s “extreme” gestalt, however, that’s threatening the future of the PCHS MTB Club just as it’s hitting its stride. The Park City School Board is currently reviewing its relationships with all clubs (including hockey and lacrosse) in terms of liability exposure. The board plans to make its recommendation to the Park City Board of Education in the coming weeks.

Melissa Fields is a Utah-based freelance writer. Her blog is utahvagabond.com.

Gaybie love abounds in SLC

2013-05-22T18:53:06+00:00

Don't you love the ironies of living in SLC?

A. We're the global headquarters of the family focused Mormon Church, which has made its opposition to same-sex marriages and adoption by gay parents well-known.

B. A new study finds SLC is No. 1 for same-sex couples raising children.

In short, the LDS church might not see gay marriage as part of family values, but Utah gays, like their Mormon neighbors, are sold on family. As Weston Clark, who has an adopted 3-year-old, explained in The Salt Lake Tribune:

"In Utah, especially those of us who are from Utah originally, it’s ingrained in our culture that family is important. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight, you still want that."

And we thought the Advocate was just jerking the LDS Church's chain last year when they named Salt Lake City America's gayest city.

If you've got to have the T-shirt: Zazzle.com

Dan Nailen's Lounge Act: Red Butte Garden's opening act

2013-05-22T12:00:00+00:00

Red Butte Garden opened its summer concert series earlier than I can ever remember with a sold-out Vampire Weekend show Tuesday night.

Clearly, they knew what they were doing.

On what proved a classic Salt Lake City spring evening--crisp and clear and the hills, at least briefly, a lush green, with a three-quarter moon hanging low--Vampire Weekend delivered an energetic burst of jittery pop-rock with a distinct dance flavor for 3,o00 or so folks who never left their feet from the moment the quartet hit the stage.

Now with three albums under their collective belt--all three albums that have improved on their respective predecessors--Vampire Weekend was remarkably assured on stage, and their sound was pristine, their instruments mixing with samples and synthesizers to, at various points, evoke surf-rock, reggae, ska, world-beat and straight-up pop.

Once singer Ezra Koenig and Co. got things started with a near-perfect three-song burst of "Cousins," "White Sky" and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," the proceedings were a relentless march of sunny jams, incisive sounds and clever wordplay. "I Stand Connected" was solid, and "Diane Young" from the band's latest release, Modern Vampires of the City, was a bombastic delight, and as rocking as the band ever got during their 90-minutes-plus show.

The set veered seamlessly between songs from the new album and older favorites; Vampire Weekend now has enough familiar "hits" to sprinkle them generously among the new material. Among the new ones, the ballad "Step" offered the first respite from the nonstop dance party six songs into the night, while "Unbelievers" settled nicely between crowd favorites "Holiday" and "Horchata."

If there's a criticism of the band to be found, it's not from their live performance, but rather how so many of their songs settle into the same tempo and vibe--it's all good stuff, but at times it was a bit like a reggae show where the consistent rhythms from song to song can get a little dull.

Despite that, songs like the raucous "A-Punk" and lush "Don't Lie"--played for only the second time ever, according to Koenig--still offered some legit aural thrills. And the arrival of older favorite "Oxford Comma" just before the band paused before a brief encore was received with some of the loudest cheers of the night.

All in all, a damn strong opener at Utah's best summer music venue, with a bit of a Twilight Concert Series vibe thanks to the atypically young (for Red Butte shows, at least) and constantly moving crowd.

Dan Nailen's Lounge Act: Yo La Tengo's dual personalities shine in SLC

2013-05-22T06:00:00+00:00

Yo La Tengo made a bold decision before they even started their current tour.

Wanting to find a way to showcase the expansive sonic palette displayed on their latest album, Fade, the New Jersey trio decided to eschew opening acts on the road in favor of delivering two sets each night–the first offered seated, and largely acoustic, and the second electrified and noisy.

While the set-up allows Yo La Tengo–Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew–to easily explore all aspects of their three-decade career, it also risks shocking some new fans with the difference between the two halves of the show. Monday at The State Room, anyone who only saw the woozy, narcotic first set, for example, would have no idea that the latter half showcased some arty noise-rock that veered between thrilling and perplexing.

Even so, the show was always entertaining, with the three members trading turns on vocals and the stacks of guitars, keyboards and drums on stage. At this point in their career, Yo La Tengo is seemingly capable of easily creating ballads that are painfully beautiful and pop-rock gems that in a more just world would fill the airwaves of radio stations from coast to coast.

That’s not going to happen, so we’ll have to be happy with seeing Yo La Tengo in concert every few years and listening to their music through our headphones.

Monday, they opened with a sprawling, delicate version of Fade‘s opener, “Ohm,” a song that appears to address the ambiguous morality of our world via lines like, “Sometimes the bad guys come out on top, sometimes the good guys lose.” Kaplan, McNew and Hubley traded lines and gently strummed through before proceeding into the quiet half of the show by leaning heavily on other songs from the new album, including “Two Trains,” “Cornelia and Jane” and the excellent “I’ll Be Around.” Other highlights of the show’s “acoustic” portion were McNew’s “Gentle Hour” and Hubley’s take on old fave “Tom Courtenay.”

After a short break, Yo La Tengo returned to a slightly reconfigured stage and proceeded to provide a deliriously and joyfully noisy excursion into their noisier tendencies. A beefed-up re-imagining of the set opener “Ohm” was a definite highlight, as were takes on “Stockholm Syndrome” and a couple of my personal favorites from the band’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One album: “Little Honda” and “Moby Octopad.” Before the show was over, they had covered an NRBQ tune (perhaps “Magnet;” I’m not positive) and closed with an excellent version of “What Can I Say,” a tune from their 1990 album, Fakebook.

1990 was also, as Kaplan noted, the first time Yo La Tengo toured through Salt Lake City, for a gig at the Speedway Cafe. I missed that show, but I’m older now–and that means I’m smart enough to never miss them again.