The ‘80’s greatest hits
NEW YORK CITY in the early ‘80s was a very dangerous place. My first apartment was cater-corner to the Silver Palate, and within 23 months of moving in I had switched careers. Proximity to that amazing food, first in the jewel box of a takeout shop and then in the proprietors’ groundbreaking cookbook, both emboldened me to start giving parties and helped seduce me into cooking for a living.
Countless other Americans clearly felt the ripple effect from the Silver Palate far from Columbus Avenue. Friends of mine who worked for a slick entertaining magazine, with real dinner parties photographed in live time around the country, lamented that hostesses in nearly every state inevitably had one idea for the main course: chicken Marbella. This dish with prunes, olives and capers encapsulated the allure of “The Silver Palate Cookbook” -- deceptively easy recipes that sounded as if the cook hung out with jet-setters.
Not surprisingly, that easily spoofed recipe gets huge play in the new edition just published to mark the 25th anniversary of what to loyalists is the true “Joy of Cooking.” A full-color photo inside and on half the back cover are devoted to the chicken served across America, thanks to Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso, with coauthor Michael McLaughlin.
And with this commemorative reissue (“Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition,” $30), Workman Publishing is bringing back a place and a time when American food was just kicking into high gear, when entertaining became an accessible idea and cooking a socially acceptable profession.
The recipes managed to be groundbreaking but familiar, sophisticated but approachable. Even better for a shaky cook and timid hostess, every single one worked to perfection. What you saw in the shop is what you got at home, but even if you were out in Iowa, you could experience Manhattan.
The first year my consort and I owned the cookbook was a blur of fresh pesto and gazpacho, chicken Dijonaise and beef carbonnade, two-step chocolate-toffee bars and twice-baked potatoes with cheese and chilies. This was our go-to book for mimosas and quiche, homemade mayonnaise and chilled blueberry soup, lentil salad and Linzer torte.
“The Silver Palate,” with its offhandedly charming illustrations and snappy side notes, eased us into gravlax and strudel, balsamic vinegar and creme fraiche, fresh basil and no end of chevre. Would we have ever attempted gougeres and profiteroles without such a clear road map?
Unlike with “Joy of Cooking,” the editors and publisher have not meandered down the road to ruin through reinvention. A newbie who buys “The Silver Palate” today will open essentially the same gem I did a quarter-century ago.
The introduction has been revised, a few more descriptions of cheeses and other ingredients have been added, and color photographs now bump up against Lukins’ endearing illustrations from the original. References to “sweet butter” have been changed to “unsalted butter,” although the quantities remain as unstinting as they were before the fat-free craze afflicted America.
Adding the glitzy photography was unfortunate, in the same way transforming the hippie-dippie classic “Moosewood Cookbook” with typeset rather than handwritten recipes would be. If it helps a novice to see what carrot cake dripping with cream cheese frosting looks like, the upgrade works. But if you like to fantasize about Provence, the appeal of the grand aioli platter is conveyed much better through the gauzy filter of lyrical prose and airy illustration than dead-on photography. The thrill is gone.
Another risk of trying to improve on perfection: Glitches happen. The recipe for asparagus strudel, for instance, calls for a quarter-pound of asparagus when it should be three-quarters of a pound. As a result, grease is the word.
The photography and the occasional typo can be forgiven when you add up how much has been retained, whether it’s the macaroon recipe using condensed milk or the outstanding (and party-pleasing) asparagus en croute using white bread. All my favorite recipes are still here, including walnut oil vinaigrette, creamy garlic dressing, sesame mayonnaise for asparagus and especially the molasses cookies, almost saucer-sized, chewy, buttery and spicy.
All of them are still fit for company.
“Silver Palate’s” original edition has 2.3 million copies in print, despite the fact that its authors never did what today’s cookbook moguls feel they must (start magazines, star in television shows, endorse products). They parted ways, closed the shop and sold the company, although their distinctive red label lives on in supermarkets and fancy food shops nationwide. Rosso now runs an inn in Michigan, while Lukins is the longtime food editor of Parade magazine. McLaughlin died in 2002.
Workman boasts that it has printed 150,000 copies of the new edition, which would be a huge number for a new cookbook.
But this old one should lure a whole other generation that suspects there is much more to life than Iron Chefs and 30-minute meals. This is food for the ages. And very, very few cookbooks age better than their first buyers.
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Molasses cookies
Total time: About 40 minutes
Servings: Makes 48 cookies
Note: Adapted from “The Silver Palate Cookbook.” These chewy, spicy cookies stay moist, in an airtight tin, for at least a week.
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and molasses, and mix. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and add to the melted butter mixture; blend well.
2. Sift the flour with the cloves, ginger, cinnamon, salt and baking soda and mix into the melted butter mixture. The batter will be wet.
3. Lay a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of cookie batter on the sheet, leaving 3 inches between the cookies. These will spread during baking.
4. Bake until the cookies start to darken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven while they are still soft. Let cool on the cookie sheet.
Each cookie: 65 calories; 1 gram protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 12 mg. cholesterol; 40 mg. sodium.
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Gravlax with dill mustard sauce
Total time: About 35 minutes, plus curing time
Servings: 8 to 10
Note: Adapted from “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. The dill mustard sauce also can be used as a dip for shrimp and other shellfish.
1 piece( 3 pounds) fresh salmon, center-cut from the fish, halved lengthwise and thoroughly boned
2 large bunches of fresh dill
1/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons crushed white peppercorns
Thinly sliced pumpernickel, for serving
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Dill mustard sauce
1. Place half the fish, skin side down, in a deep glass dish. Spread the dill over the fish. Sprinkle the salt, sugar and peppercorns over the dill. Top with the other half of the fish, skin side up.
2. Cover with aluminum foil or lightly with plastic wrap and weight with a board and a 5-pound weight. Refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours, turning the salmon and basting every 12 hours with accumulated juices.
3. To serve, remove the fish from the marinade, scrape away the dill and spices, and pat dry. Slice the salmon thinly on the diagonal and serve on small plates or squares of pumpernickel. Garnish with lemon wedges and black pepper and accompany with dill mustard sauce.
Dill mustard sauce
1 cup sweet mustard
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
Mix together the mustard, sour cream and dill. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce will keep for up to 3 days if refrigerated. Yields 2 cups.
Each serving with 1 tablespoon sauce: 258 calories; 30 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 13 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 73 mg. cholesterol; 471 mg. sodium.
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Asparagus strudel
Total time: About 1 hour, 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Note: Adapted from “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.
3/4 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 medium-size leeks, white parts only, rinsed well and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, divided
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 leaves of packaged phyllo pastry, thawed if necessary
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Blanch the asparagus in a large pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Place in a bowl.
2. In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, saute the leeks with the shallot in 4 tablespoons of the butter until transparent. Add to the bowl of asparagus.
3. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 8 minutes, until golden.
4. Add the almonds, Gruyere, eggs, mint, parsley, dill, chives, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and lemon juice to the bowl of asparagus. Toss together.
5. Butter a large baking sheet with melted butter. Lay 1 leaf of phyllo on a work surface (cover the remaining phyllo with a damp cloth), and quickly brush with melted butter. Repeat until you have six layers.
6. Place half of the asparagus mixture along one short end and roll up jelly-roll fashion, thoroughly tucking the ends in as you go. Place on the baking sheet. Proceed to make the second strudel with the remaining phyllo, butter and filling and place it on the baking sheet, leaving ample space between the rolls. Brush the tops of the rolls with any remaining butter.
7. Bake until golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly and slice crosswise into 2-inch pieces.
Each serving: 549 calories; 16 grams protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 45 grams fat; 25 grams saturated fat; 186 mg. cholesterol; 562 mg. sodium.