RIP Sheila Lukins of The Silver Palate

[Jenise]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/dining/31lukins.html?_r=2&ref=obituaries

Too bad. I have two of her cookbooks. I especially liked her chicken breasts with raspberry vinegar.

Thanks for the link, Jenise.

I still use the first two SP cookbooks. Good, solid recipes with lots of ideas scribbled in the margins.

[Jenise]

I have to admit something: when I lived in Alaska, a friend of mine had only one cookbook, the follow up to the Silver Palate book, the New Basics by Rosso/Lukins. And I am here to tell you that a lot of the recipes in that book were poorly written and not properly vetted because a friend of mine unerringly chose the ones that didn't work to make for dinner parties, wherein I would have to drive across town and bail her out when all went wrong. Most experienced cooks would have by intuition ignored certain instructions or done things differently than prescribed, but my friend didn't have any experience or intuition and the literal interpretation of the words as written led to disaster. Separately, I also had/have the New Basics book, which I was grossly disappointed in because of it's failure to live up to the promise of what a book claiming to be the New Basics should have been. And that caused me to forget the things about the original Silver Palate book that I *did* like and for the most part, that book has sat on my shelves ignored. That said, their recipe for Stuffed Artichokes Fontecchio became the basis for what I do today when I make stuffed artichokes--excellent, though I leave out the eggs (they're unneccessary) and grind my mixture to a more refined texture with a food processor. There's also a recipe for a pureed black olive, anchovy and fresh basil tapenade that is one of the best dips for cold vegetables (especially blanched asparagus) you'll ever eat.

Rosso was the marketer and Lukins was the cook. After the second book, Lukins was no longer involved even though her name was on the cover. One must use only the first two books.

(( Edited because I had the names reversed. They are correct now. Thank you to Chris & Jacques! ))

I loved their cookbooks too, although one of their recipes did almost cause me to burn down the house:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=25274&hilit=+flame+beef#p216648

Lukins and Rosso had a nasty falling out after the last book and didn't talk for years, getting together again only when the book had it's 25 year anniversary release.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/magaz ... ood-t.html

Have you tried Chicken Mirabella? Cooked with prunes, green olives, lots of garlic, etc. We had it at a neighbors years ago, and the smells coming through the house from the oven were heaven. When we sat down to eat, it was a disappointment to me...so many flavors, so many textures...a bit overwhelming. I have been meaning to try it again and see if my perception of the dish is any better. On second thought, maybe it was the company. At our table, for some reason, the men all got to talking about their ailments....we were all in our forties, and it was rather disgusting dinner conversation.

I thought Lukins was the cook and Julee Rosso was the marketer - I guess they both cook but ...

Never had to worry about any of their books throwing me off. Out of sight, out of mind (shut up!).

Have you tried Chicken Mirabella? Cooked with prunes, green olives, lots of garlic, etc. We had it at a neighbors years ago, and the smells coming through the house from the oven were heaven. When we sat down to eat, it was a disappointment to me...so many flavors, so many textures...a bit overwhelming. I have been meaning to try it again and see if my perception of the dish is any better. On second thought, maybe it was the company. At our table, for some reason, the men all got to talking about their ailments....we were all in our forties, and it was rather disgusting dinner conversation.

Karen, I used to make it all the time and everyone always loved it. Especially me. It's actually a terrific appetizer to just use wing drummettes. You are right that the smells while cooking are wonderful.

Lukins was the marketer and Rosso was the cook. After the second book, Rosso was no longer involved even though her name was on the cover. One must use only the first two books.

I thought it was the other way around

The New Basics is along with Marcella Hazan's "The Classic Italian Cook Book" my most stained and tattered cookbook.

Fact-checking... yes, you're all right, I have the names backwards.

I still claim that one should ignore everything after the first two books. As was said by somebody else, they were not tested carefully.