Silver Palate Cookbook author Sheila Lukins dead at 66

[charlie]

I still have the copy I got 25 years ago.

Cookbook author Sheila Lukins died yesterday at the age of 66 from brain cancer at her home in Manhattan. She was a New York food institution and an arbiter of food trends in the 80s and early 90s, and she deserved a much better obituary than the one she received from Julia Moskin at the New York Times today.
...

On a more positive note, it is worth remembering that Sheila Lukins was one of those rare cookbook authors who actually changed the way we eat. Much in the way Julia Child turned cooking into a passionate, creative act in the 1960s, Lukins forged a path for professionals who had an interest in gourmet foods, but didn't necessarily have the time to learn the intricate French techniques that usually accompanied them.

I cannot recall ever seeing a copy of The Silver Palate Cookbook in mint condition. That is to say, the familiar burgundy tome found on so many cookbook shelves is used, frequently, and most often exists in a food-stained, broken-spined, frayed, and annotated state. In the age of the pristine, gigantic coffee table cookbook, much-used, much-loved cookbooks are a rarity. Sheila Lukins will be missed for her ability to craft interesting, accessible recipes that became staples in our kitchens.

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/08/sheila-lukins-cookbook-author-dead-at-66

[panader0]

1. "eatmedaily.com" ? Is that really a cooking website?

[charlie]

2. Not cooking

Food, food culture, food in the media, that sort of thing. It's safe to click :)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. I gave so many copies of that cookbook

as gifts - hostess gifts, wedding gifts, birthday gifts. It was just a hallmark book to have, and even today, along with my Joy of Cooking, it's the one I look to for what they did with basics, and how interesting they made them.

She died 'way too young, but she had had a cerebral hemorrhage years ago. I hope her time in between was happy.

I remember standing outside the shop in Manhattan years ago, and a shabby-looking guy ambled past, stopped, and said to me, nodding at the store, "When the revolution comes, that place gets it first."

'way too young....................

[charlie]

8. That's how I got mine

Birthday gift, a splendid one. It was the first time I managed to cook hoity-toity recipes that actually worked for a change.

[begin_within]

4. Oh no! I liked her recipes that appeared in "Parade" each week!

I never got any of her books but tried some of her recipes in Parade. All her recipes were full of flavor. By the way what ever happened to Julee Rosso?

[charlie]

5. She quit the biz...

...then promptly got back into it. And got into a feud with Lukins that was only patched recently. She's still around, as far as I know.

[begin_within]

7. OK thanks...

I read something about a falling out between them, then heard nothing about Rosso for years until now. Apparently it was pretty bitter and long-lasting. At least they made up before Sheila died. I read about Julee's cookbook, apparently it was very poorly received.

[begin_within]

6. Sheila's famous Chicken Marbella recipe

let's make it in honor of her.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_marbella/

[Tangerine LaBamba]

9. I don't eat chicken,

but, you know, it's not a bad idea. I'm off to the market tomorrow, and I think I'll pick a recipe out of the book and fix it. Just because.

Thanks for the idea................

:toast:

[Beaverhausen]

10. Oh that is sad. I make one of her dishes fairly regularly

RIP

this is a perfect late summer dish for a hot evening.


Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

Ingredients

4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb Brie cheese, rind removed, torn into irregular pieces
1 cup clean fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
3/4 to 1 cup, plus 1 Tbsp, best quality olive oil
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs linguine or cappellini (angel hair)
freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese

Directions

Combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, garlic, 3/4-1 cup olive oil and salt (optional) and pepper in a large serving bowl. Prepare at least 2 hours ahead before serving and set aside, covered, at room temperature.

Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and remaining salt. Add pasta and boil until tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain pasta and immediately toss with tomato sauce. Serve at once, passing the peppermill and grated cheese if you like.

Serves 4 to 6.

Source: The Silver Palate Cookbook

[Tangerine LaBamba]

11. I was just looking through

the Silver Palate Cookbook - and I discovered I also have The New Basics by those great women.

It was so funny to find a recipe for Balsamic Vinaigrette, and balsamic vinegar had an asterisk beside it, with the notation that you can find it in specialty food stores.

Those women changed the way we eat, big-time. The Six-Onion Soup is sensational - http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Six-onion%20soup

I'm gonna keep these cookbooks within reach, now that I'm reminded of them.....................

[chelsea0011]

12. I can't believe you picked this recipe to print. I once did this recipe without the brie

to serve to my in-laws for dinner. There was some stirring among both of them as I oveheard them asking each other, "there's no the meat". So my father-in-law fried up some boiled ham to go with the meal. I said nothing but just shook my head.