"silver palate" 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.

The Sacramento Bee compiled a list of the most valued cookbooks in America, based on previous lists and interviews with members of "cooking trades" - which I take to mean caterers and professional cooks. They are definitely some of the best general interest cookbooks that cover everything from breakfast to baking, roasts to vegetables, and excellent books to have, especially if you only have one or two cookbooks. I, on the other hand, have six of the top ten. I'm not going to try to count how many other cookbooks I have.

1. "Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book," first published in 1930
2. "Betty Crocker Cookbook," first published in 1950
3. "Joy of Cooking," first published in 1931
4. "The New Basics Cookbook," first published in 1989
5. "The Silver Palate Cookbook," first published in 1982
6. "The Art of French Cooking," first published in 1961
7. "The Fannie Farmer Cookbook," first published as "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" in 1896
8. "The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook," first published in 1988
9. "The Moosewood Cookbook," first published in 1992
10. "Larousse Gastronomique," first published in 1938

 

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