Sheila Lukin's, who co-wrote the Silver Palate Cookbook , died earlier this week. We probably all have old copies of The Silver Palate Cookbook in our libraries. When the book was published it was pretty revolutionary with its sidebars, illustrations, and fun style. The book was based on the recipes of the store and catering company that used to be around the corner from where I grew up, and we used to buy a lot of food there. One of the great dishes was Chicken Marbella and much to my happy surprise Bryony loves to make it too. Not only delicious it also takes me back to my childhood in a happy way. Katie Workman who is a Editor-in-Chief of Cookstr also has a special connection to the book, being the daughter of its Publisher and she writes really eloquently about it. I don't understand why Cookstr doesn't have an archive of their newsletters on their site... but in any case...here is a an excerpt of the newsletter which can be found on their Facebook page.
Welcome to The Cookstr 10, Cookstr.com's weekly newsletter. In each newsletter we highlight ten chefs and authors, recipes, books, tips & techniques, or other selections we think you'll enjoy. The word bittersweet is the only word for this week's newsletter. This week we had to say goodbye to one of the greats in the food world, Sheila Lukins. Exploding onto the cookbook scene with The Silver Palate Cookbook in 1979, co-authored with Julee Rosso, Sheila opened our eyes and ushered us into our new kitchens. The woman had some serious culinary pipes. It would be ridiculous to not start by writing two words: "Chicken Marbella," the dish that was the centerpiece of countless dinner parties across this country for years (and still is made monthly in my house). Sheila gave us recipes for Salmon Mousse, Curried Butternut Soup, Poppy Seed Dressing, Chili for a Crowd, and wrote about artisanal cheeses, balsamic, and even blueberry vinegar (goodness, who had ever thought of such a thing?). Sheila went on to write many more cookbooks, wins tons of awards, and become the long-time food editor for Parade...but really the point is that Sheila knew what we wanted to cook and eat, and she knew it just before we realized it, which made her wonderful. What was it about Sheila that struck such a chord? I think the answer lies in the pure joy, pure pleasure in the pages of her books. From the sidebars flung about with reckless abandon, to the whimsical drawings, to the writing itself, the feeling of pure delight flowed off those pages and into our kitchens. And the recipes, the food...Phyllo Triangles with Three (Three!) Fillings! Cheese Straws! Shrimp and Grape Salad with Dill! Decadent Chocolate Cake! Carrot and Orange Soup! Tarragon Chicken Salad! Chevre! Raspberry vinegar? Oh my God, had we all been living under a rock? The happiness of this food, the throw-caution-to-the-wind spirit of these recipes. With ingredients like these to explore, and new countries to discover (Moroccan olives!) who amongst us would choose to stay stuck in our ruts, when there were all these brilliant new flavors to play with? Like millions of others, I fell in love. I fell in love with the book, with the recipes, and with the peppery woman who made Bouillabaisse not only a reasonable thought for a Saturday night dinner party, but an obvious one. Not invention for the sake of invention, but nothing dumbed down. I was a very young food nerd when the book came out--11 years old--and I essentially taught myself how to cook by poring over The Silver Palate Cookbook, and the books that followed. Page by page, I enjoying the reading as much as the cooking, that was the book that flicked on the light switch in my head. There are only a very few people who have whacked us in the back of a head with a spoon in that way, and made us the better for it Sheila was one of those people. And so this Cookstr 10 is dedicated to her. And I wish it were The Cookstr 100. Love, Katie 1. Chicken Marbella. If you haven't yet made Chicken Marbella, I envy you. It's like your first kiss--it's a one time only thing. In paper, this dish is made up of the most improbable ingredients--chicken, red wine vinegar, garlic, capers, brown sugar, olive oil, prunes--and the result is one of the crazy-best savory recipes ever to grace a dinner table. Hyperbolic? Oh, we don't think so. Make it, and see if you think that's an overstatement.
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