The Silver Palate Cookbook (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First published in 1982, The Silver Palate Cookbook was an instant smash. It offered 350 stylish but easy recipes that reflected and helped cement America's burgeoning interest in quality cooking. It acquainted cooks with "gourmet" ingredients, just beginning to appear in our markets. And it helped many a host to shine.

The collection, whose recipes range from hors d'oeuvres to sweets, now arrives in a 25th-anniversary edition, which reproduces the original text and adds color photos throughout, often dropped into the text pages. All the old favorites, including Marinated Eggplant Livia, Chicken Marbella, Blanquette de Vaeu, and Blackberry Mousse are present, along with information about ingredients, menus, quotes, and other asides--all the things that help make the book such a pleasure. It's hard to imagine a cook--and especially one who entertains--not owning Silver Palate. This printing, which includes a retrospective foreword, offers more satisfaction still while reiterating the reasons for the book's enduring appeal. --Arthur Boehm

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Amazon.com Exclusive: A Brief History of The Silver Palate Cookbook by Sheila Lukins
Twenty five years ago seems like the distant past but we still make ratatouille the same way and who would have ever dreamed that so many people would say to us, "I had Chicken Marbella at a dinner party last week and I just loved it." It took slight madness to open our little store in 1977. Florence Fabricant was writing an article on the renaissance of Columbus Avenue, where our shop was opening, we needed a name, she was on a deadline and called and said, "What are you calling your store?" We didn't know. "Why don't you call it The Silver Palate," she said. We loved it. It took sheer bravery in 1982 to write our book--who would need to buy food in our store any longer once they had all of our recipes? But that never happened for one hour. In fact, it helped us go national even further. Here we are, 25 years later, celebrating with a brand new edition of our book that finally highlights our recipes with vibrant color photographs. I once picked up the phone and someone on the other end said, "Sheila, I just baked the Decadent Chocolate Cake and my cake doesn't look like the drawing." I didn't know how to reply. I assured them the taste made up for the looks. It's bittersweet, but those problems are solved forever. While different, the color adds an exciting new dimension to the cookbook that has been a treasure to so many cooks for two and a half decades. Julee and I had a fantasy food partnership and the publication of this book has given us the opportunity to spend some wonderful time together.

Continue Reading A Brief History of The Silver Palate Cookbook

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A Springtime Menu for Amazon.com
When the weather warms us up, there is no more welcome beginning to a meal that a light swirl of noodles tangled up with crisp spring vegetables. Follow this amusing starter with a succulent roast leg of lamb, the meat we all long for in the spring. Serve our Swiss Gratin Potatoes and some haricots verts alongside. A delightful finale to this springtime luncheon is a moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting or a delicate strawberry mousse. --Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso Miller

Pasta Primavera Gregory

Roast Lamb with Peppercorn Crust

Carrot Cake

Strawberry Mousse

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--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

. . .Rosso and Lukins have found a recipe for success, a combination of hard work and the love and knowledge of good food. -- Cuisine --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; Later Printing edition (January 4, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894802046
• ISBN-13: 978-0894802041
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,726 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #54 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Special Occasions > Gourmet
  #90 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Professional Cooking > Professional

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you can only have one cookbook , this is the one., February 22, 2001

By	mirope "mirope" (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is cookbook is as fresh and relevant today as it was when it was first published in the early 80s. It truly revolutionized home cooking in America with its emphasis on fresh ingredients and basic cooking techniques. It isn't a particularly long cookbook, but it still manages to be incredibly comprehensive. You'll find everything from elegant appetizers to comfort food desserts. Any time you're interested in trying something new or wanting to revitalize an old classic, this is the place to start. The authors went on to write other cookbooks which also contain lots of great recipes, but even "Basics" is not as comprehensive as this one. I can honestly say that I've cooked just about every recipe in this book and that each one has been a success. Not only are the recipes consistently good, but this book also makes great reading. In very practical terms the authors share truly useful tips on cooking techniques, kitchens gadgets and how to select produce. The book is particularly well organized so it's easy to find the recipe you're looking for.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Return of a Beloved Friend, May 27, 2007

By	Channon Coats "channoncoats" (Yuba City, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)

I've had this cookbook for 25 years, and while the recipes are the same, there is some new commentary, and the pix are now photos instead of the original drawings. While not altogether more helpful in that respect, my old and beloved version is tattered, stained, and really deserves to retire from almost daily use. I have met more interesting people over Chicken Marbella all over the world than any other recipe I "do." It has been a family fixture every July 4th at Lake Almanor for 25 years. I've had it at Passover at friends' homes; and bcs of it renewed relationships with women who really would have preferred to avoid me forever. Sounds weird? Well, there is little in life that crosses all political, religious and emotional borders like food; and there is even less like Chicken Marbella, which can even spark conversations in Urdu (which I do not speak, yet we managed to communicate to each other our passion about CM). If you try nothing else, and believe me, you will try a lot else, do the CM. The ingredient list appears long, but it is very easy. In fact, there is nothing in this whole book that is difficult, yet the results are deeply complex and pleasurable. Rosso and Lukins make me look like a chef instead of a cook and I will bless them forever for it. If you don't have a copy of Silver Palate, try it. If you do have one, you already know what I'm talking about, and you NEED a replacement just as I did.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites!, February 15, 2003

By	Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

THE SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK was one of the first cookbooks to introduce new American cuisine into the kitchens of ordinary homes. With its emphasis on fresh ingredients and innovative dishes, it freed many cooks from mundane meals. Now, of course, two decades after its first printing, many of the recipes no longer seem inventive. Goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are no longer exotic ingredients, and balsamic vinaigrette can be found at almost every restaurant. Now, instead of surprising cooks, THE SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK supplies them with a wonderful array of recipes that can liven up meal time.

Most of the recipes contained in this volume are relatively easy to prepare, with some requiring more time and effort than others. The techniques do not require any special knowledge, and the recipes are logically laid out, with numbered steps and clear English. You'll find easily assembled dishes such as "Tomato, Montrachet, and Basil Salad" as well as the much more complicated "Layered Vegetable Terrine." My favorite recipes are "Marinated Beef Salad," "Curried Butternut Squash Soup," "Tarragon Chicken Salad," "Skewer Shrimp and Proscuitto," "Salmon Mousse," and "Coconut Macaroons." I can't come close to listing all the successful recipes I've prepared from this cookbook, although I occasionally find one that I don't like. Because most of the ingredients are now readily available in a good supermarket, you can assemble what you need without hassle.

Anyone with a minimal amount of cooking experience should be able to succeed with these recipes. They are especially great for company since you can select impressive recipes that don't require long hours in the kitchen.