An Old Favorite

Recently, I took a look at my email and learned that the wonderful Sheila Lukins, who was my Julia Child, had died the day before, on Aug. 30.

My first cookbook was one that came with a set of encyclopedias. I bought my own, Craig Claiborne's "New York Times Cookbook," when I met my husband Doug. I began writing restaurant reviews in 1976, and it wasn't soon after that I became very curious about how that restaurant food got to my plate from the kitchens.

I still wasn't much of a cook, but I remember buying Sheila's "Silver Palate Cookbook." I loved the headnotes (although I didn't even know what headnotes were) and I was taken with the fact that the recipes sounded intriguing, were understandable, and seemed sophisticated. (This was back when many of us still thought chicken divan was divine, a recipe included in my 1964 "Joy of Cooking," but brushed aside in the 1997 "Joy.") I loved "Silver Palate Cookbook," "Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook," and "The New Basics."

I met Sheila at a press gathering for Emeril Lagasse's new sauces at the Fancy Food convention at the Javits Center in New York City. Emeril did his announcement, then began talking to people. When he was next to me, we both noticed Sheila walk into the room. I mentioned to Emeril that my "Silver Palate" cookbooks were stained with food.

"That's nothing," he laughed, "most of mine had fallen out."

We both went to pray at Sheila Lukins's altar.

Some years later, my books were in tatters. One that I wanted to add to my column, for braised cabbage, was gone. I called her and she faxed it to me right away. She was a lovely, kind, smart, and courteous woman. I'm sure her family will miss her terribly. I'm sure those who loved her books will miss her, as will I.

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

From Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, "Silver Palate Cookbook" (Workman Press, New York, 1979)

I think everyone with that book made Chicken Marbella for company. I'm not sure we would use the marinade again over the chicken, nor would we let it cool down, then serve it cold. You can decide.

4 chickens, 2 ½ pounds each,

quartered

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely

puréed

¼ tsp dried oregano

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes

½ cup pitted Spanish green olives

½ cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white wine

¼ cup Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over evenly.

Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

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.

With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a saucepan.

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 juice over chicken.

In the last couple of weeks, I had heirloom tomato salads at both Brasserie Pip and Bee & Thistle.

At Pip, green and yellow and red tomatoes were dressed lightly with a vinaigrette, alongside thin slices of fresh mozzarella and some fresh greens. I was with two friends and all of us ordered the tomatoes. All thought the dish was luscious.

With one friend at the Bee & Thistle, we both ordered the tomato salad, this drizzled with a nice vinaigrette and served with burrata, a mozzarella-like cheese with just a bigger flavor.

If you, like I, were really worried about whether we would see any local tomatoes (The blight! The rain! The cold weather!), fear not. Try either of these restaurants or buy some yourself. Most of the farm stands have hybrid and heirloom tomatoes and probably will 'til October. They're a bit more expensive this year, but what isn't?

Brasserie Pip at Copper Beech Inn

860-767-0330

46 Main Street, Ivoryton

Bee & Thistle Inn and Spa

860-434-1667

100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme