"SilverPalate" news and stories

• The craft beer hype has brought stout beer into the mainstream -- but the public's perception of it as purely "stout" is inaccurate.
• Playwright humorist Paul Rudnick disproves parents everywhere in his new book, "I Shudder," by living 51 years subsisting mainly on candy -- and sveltely, at that. "What I love about Halloween is its childhood honesty," he says. "It's about what children want rather than what parents want them to want."
• A touching story on the "softening" of chef Thomas Keller preceding his last meal with his once-estranged father.
• Tater tots and Tecates have started to replace caviar and Chardonnay as foodie first dates take a more casual, adventurous note.
• Prompted by a resourceful reader in Beijing, a New York Times writer matches Italian wine with Chinese fare In a pairing fit to make Marco Polo proud.
• After ruinous delays for restaurateurs, the liquor license process has been streamlined by the new New York State Liquor Authority chairman, David Rosen.
• Restaurants: Flushing, Queens' Imperial Palace is "at the zenith of Cantonese cooking in New York City;" Green Apple BBQ in East Harlem proffers a Mexican influence on Southern cuisine; Brooklyn's Rocky Sullivan's in Red Hook tackles steamed lobster, successfully.
• Openings and closings; plus Dining Calendar -- highlights include Day of the Dead workshops, a pumpkin dinner and a meal in memory of Sheila Lukins of the Silver Palate.

Sheila Lukins. Photo: Parade

Sheila Lukins, one half of the team behind the iconic 1980s "Silver Palate Cookbook," died on Sunday after a brief battle with brain cancer. For those who wish to mourn her loss through cooking, Cookstr.com has put a handful of "Silver Palate" recipes online.

The following recipes are up now: chicken Marbella, salmon mousse, chili for a crowd, phyllo triangles, shrimp and grape salad with dill, tarragon chicken salad and bouillabaisse. Cook one and remember: Great chefs live on through their dishes!

[Via Cookstr]

Sheila Lukins. Photo: Parade

Sheila Lukins, the author of the iconic 1980s cookbook "Silver Palate Cookbook" has died after a short battle with brain cancer.

Lukins wrote the cookbook in the early 1980s after running a shop called the Silver Palate on New York's Upper West Side with colleague Julee Rosso. Its recipes -- including olive-infused chicken Marbella -- became mainstays of the '80s kitchen.

Lukins had been diagnosed with brain cancer only three months ago, her daughter told the New York Times.