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Online
News September 1, 2009
Table of Contents
In Memoriam: Sheila Lukins
 We are saddened to hear of Sheila Lukins death at the age of 66. Sheila had been diagnosed with brain cancer three months ago and passed away Sunday August 30th.
With her business partner Julee Rosso, the duo awakened North Americans to a whole new era of cooking and ingredients (raspberry vinegar anyone). Their seminal, and tiny, food shop in New York city called Silver Palate was an extension of their catering business, which in turn lead them to write the ground breaking book The Silver Palate Cookbook in 1982, which has sold over 2.5 million copies!
We hosted a party for the dynamic duo in honour of the book's 25th Anniversary in 2007 and both Sheila and Julee were in attendance. What a time we had! In honour of her passing we should all make a bee line to the kitchen and prepare Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate Cookbook - the recipe is included in this e-news.
The Cookbook Store Community
We have now set up our Cookbook Store blog, as well Alison is on Twitter and of course we have a Facebook page. Follow our excursions, discoveries and happenings. The e-news will still carry all the new books, events that you have come to expect. The other electronic communications gives us a chance to write about ingredients, markets, food, books and authors and get it to you faster. Josh is travelling to Spain in September and is eating at wonderful restaurants, el Bulli for one, so watch for his blog updates directly from Spain.
Events
In addition to our events in store and off site we have included events that we are participating in either by speaking at them, or selling books for a visiting author, or events we feel are important, these come at the end of our events below.
Word on the Street - Cooks 'n' Books Stage
Sunday, September 27th 11 am. to 6 pm.
For the first time there will be a cooking demo stage at this hugely popular one day book and magazine festival. We will be there with the authors' new books - you can see them in action, talk to them, have them sign a book, taste a treat. Laura Calder, Jane Rodmell, Jeff Crump & Bettina Schormann, JP Challet, Brian Morin, Jennifer McLagan and Mairlyn Smith. Check out the times of demos. See you there!
 Apple Day with Nuit Blanche & special guest Chef JP Challet, author of One Pot French
Saturday October 3rd, 2 pm. to midnight
Our ever popular annual Apple Day, in conjunction with Nuit Blanche, is back! Taste heritage apples from Siloam Orchards during the afternoon and evening, as well as baked apple goodies. Sample treats from JP from 2 to 3 pm. Also appearing for an in store performance between 7 to 9 pm is the talented jazz group Electro Current. There will also be a movie presentation on our building on Yorkville after 9 pm, so something for everyone, come and enjoy!
New Books
 Black Pudding & Foie Gras
Andrew Pern
From a thatched-roof inn in North Yorkshire, Andrew Pern and his crew create a unique cuisine that blends elements of terroir /locavore cooking with traditional British cooking, taking the gastropub to a whole new level. Along with recipes for his celebrated dishes such as the black pudding and foie gras of the title, Pern paints the whole picture of how his plates evolve from his background to the landscape to his suppliers and staff. Most of all he emphasizes how the season and their specific produce dictate what appears on his menus. Evocative photos and a sueded cover make a wonderful package. Hardcover, 394 pp. $82.95.
 Dessert
David Everitt-Matthias
Chef at Cheltenham’s two Michelin starred Le Champignon Sauvage, David Everitt-Matthias brings his fascination with wild foods, and savory flavours to the dessert course. Gorse flower panna cotta with gorse and coconut sorbet and camomile cream with soft meringue brambles and sugared verbena are two of his hedgerow-informed creations. As in his earlier work, Essence ($65.00), there is a nod to molecular gastronomy. Like the Duby’s, David Everitt-Matthias brings real innovation to the dessert course. Colour photos. Hardcover, 159 pp. $59.95.
 Economy Gastronomy
Allegra McEvedy
Popular British cooking stars Allegra McEvedy (Leon, $49.95) and Paul Merrett serve up their collective wisdom on eating better and spending less. Their idea of spending less might not be the same as oursseafood is not always so cheapbut their slow-cooked recipes are guaranteed to fall into the eating better category. Macaroni cheese with artichoke hearts, beef pasties, and ribs and beans are sure to leave the eater with a sense of satisfaction. Colour photos. Hardcover, 320 pp. $40.00.
 From Nature to Plate
Tom Kitchin
A veteran of the kitchens of Pierre Koffman, Guy Savoy, and Alain Ducasse, a Scot, Tom Kitchin returned to Scotland to open The Kitchin in Edinburgh where he won a Michelin star in 2006 less than a year after opening. Seasonality is his mantra so although many of his techniques are quite simple the ingredients from produce to game must be the absolute best. Colour photos. Hardcover, 271 pp. $65.00.
 Gourmet Today
Edited by Ruth Reichl
Another door-stopper, the more than 1000 recipes in this collection represent the new face of Gourmet with hundreds of quickly prepared dishes redolent of international flavours. Fresh produce is the building block for many of the recipes which include many choices for vegetarians.To make the massive book easier to use, there are recipe indexes for each section along with the index at the end. There are loads of tips and suggested menus to ease both entertaining and weekday meals. Line drawings but no colour photos. Hardcover, 1008 pp. $49.95.
 In the Mood for Entertaining
Jo Pratt
The follow up to In the Mood for Food provides solutions for your every entertaining need from intimate breakfasts for two to a New Year’s Eve bash for a crowd. Pratt’s menus cover both relaxed and formal occasions. A regular on British television, she has worked with Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, and Brian Turner amongst others. Colour photos. Hardcover, 288 pp. $49.95.
 La Maison du Chocolat
Gilles Marcha
Subtitled Timeless Classics with a Twist, this collection of chocolate fantasies from the creative director of the famed Maison du Chocolat are for the most skilled of chocolatiers or pastry chefs. Some involve classics like éclairs, and molded confections, while others involve dashes of the savoury warm chistera ganache with roasted banana peppers. Each preparation includes “a word from Gilles Marchal” to ease the work. Colour photos.
Hardcover, 151 pp. $51.99.
 Love Soup
Anna Thomas
As summer fades away, we find ourselves turning on the stoves again and looking for inspiration for Fall vegetables. Thomas, author of The Vegetarian Epicure, is back with 160 all new vegetarian recipes for soups. Organized by seasons there are chapters on Holiday Soups, Big Soups and Stews, First Tastes of Spring, Green and Greener......additional chapters on breads, side dishes, salads and a few sweet treats round out a very appealing book from a favourite author. Softcover, 528 pp. $28.50.
 The New Portuguese Table
David Leite
Although he learned about Portuguese cooking at his grandmother’s knee, award-winning food writer, David Leite introduces us to a lighter and more contemporary version of Portuguese cooking from both the mainland and islands. There is a good selection of vegetable, dessert, and bread recipes along with the to-be-expected seafood offerings. Colour photos. Hardcover, 256 pp. $37.95.
 Preserving the Italian Way
Pietro Demaio
Australian-born to Calabrian-born parents, Pietro Demaio presents recipes for traditional Italian preserving interwoven with the story of Australia’s Italian immigrants. Preserved vegetables and mushrooms, fish, and wines and liqueurs figure heavily in the book. Demaio also offers instructions for making salami and other cured meats. Although bread does not really fall into the preserving category, there are bread recipes and directions for building a wood-fired brick oven. Some photographs in colour and black and white. Softcover, 236 pp. $39.95.
 Rose's Heavenly Cakes
Rose Levy Beranbaum
More than two decades after her benchmark, The Cake Bible ($45.95), the always meticulous Rose Levy Beranbaum is bake to seduce a whole new generation of cake bakers. There are cakes for every occasion from a coffee break to an elegant wedding and textures that range from dense butter cakes to airy angel cakes. As always, Levy Beranbaum has advice for every conceivable situation from measuring flour to storing the finished cake. Each recipe features both weight and volume measurement. There is a colour photo of each finished cake plus photos of some techniques. Hardcover, 498 pp. $47.95.
 Vegan Yum Yum
Lauren Ulm
Vegan and blogging are popular companions and this author has an award winning blog that is sensible as it is informative. Now comes the book which is equaling appealing. Although you might have to hunt for some ingredients most are readily available. Recipes are good for everyone not just vegans, and many are budget conscious as well. Softcover, 290 pp. $25.95.
August Bestsellers
- Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle & Julia Child
- Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
- Ottolenghi by Ottolenghi & Tamimi
- My Life in France by Julia Child & Alex Prud 'Homme
- Fare For Friends, new edition, from Fare for Friends Foundation (Canadian)
- Muffin Mania by Prange & Pauli (Canadian)
- Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving by Topp & Howard (Canadian)
- Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver
- No Time to Cook by Donna Hay
- For the Love of Soup by Jeanelle Mitchell (Canadian)
Recipe: Chicken Marbella
Recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso
This was the first main-course dish to be offered at The Silver Palate, and the distinctive colors and flavors of the prunes, olives and capers have kept it a favorite for years. It's good hot or at room temperature. When prepared with small drumsticks and wings, it makes a delicious hors d'oeuvre. The overnight marinating is essential to the moistness of the finished product: the chicken keeps and even improves over several days of refrigeration; it travels well and makes excellent picnic fare. Since Chicken Marbella is such a spectacular party dish, we give quantities to serve 10 to 12, but the recipe can be divided to make smaller amounts if you wish.
Makes: 16 pieces or 10 or more portions
4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.
5. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauce boat.
6. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juices over chicken.
The Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition
Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins & Michael McLaughlin
How time flies when one is enjoying oneself in the kitchen.! The quintessential
cookbook of the eighties, the book which changed cookbook design forever, is
now officially a classic. All the favorite recipes are still here - yes the Chicken
Marbella in all its glory - the only change is the addition of colour photos
and some lovely testimonials. Hardcover, 450 pp. $22.95.
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