Cook and Drink

Think about the US, think about food and you’ll end up thinking about fast food, pale fries, endless portions of meat and bagels and waffles, sweetened orange juice and blueberry muffins with too much sugar. Which is such a pity, because the US cuisine is so much more and diverse. Just think about, eh, well, yes, eh…

The Shop

Which is exactly the reason why we bought The Silver Palate Cookbook, written by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, with Michael McLaughlin. It’s the story of two young, motivated people, Julee and Sheila, one from marketing with a passion for cooking and the other a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Both were trying and struggling to balance work, family, hobbies and interest. One day they came up with the idea of setting up a shop where people could buy great food, to take home and ‘graciously serve as their own’, solving one of the problems in their own life. And so, mid-July 1977, they opened their gourmet food shop in New York, selling Tarragon Chicken Salad, Nutted Wild Rice, Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cheese Straws and on and on.

The Book

The shop was more than successful and in 1981 they were asked to write a cookbook. It was published in 1982 and not much later it was published in various languages. The Silver Palate Cookbook was a huge success, and still is.

The book includes a wealth of recipes, ranging from finger food, dazzlers, soups, pasta to game, stew pots, vegetables, sweets and brunch drinks. The book is very well designed, with beautiful drawings and pictures. Next to the recipes you’ll find interesting background information and tips. It’s a pleasure to read recipes for dishes such as Glazed Blueberry Chicken (with homemade blueberry vinegar and thyme, so not overly sweet at all!), Clam Chowder or Sorrel Soup.

The 25th Anniversary Edition of The Silver Palate cookbook is available via your local bookstore and the well-known channels for approximately US$ 17,00 or € 22,00.