“When life gives you a fridge full of over ripe bananas, make the Banana Cake recipe from The Silver Palate. Tender, moist-crumbed and full of banana flavor courtesy of almost black bananas! I was a little skeptical of the additional step of separating the eggs, beating the whites until soft peak then folding them into the batter but the feather-light texture was worth the work out (I was too lazy to get out my electric beaters...the irony!)” - Nadia A. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“An easy no-cook sauce from the Summer Pasta chapter. Scaling recipes for one and two (as I do) is a bit tricky with this book, meant for entertaining. The recipe calls for a pound (!!!!) of Brie for 4-6 people. I used maybe a quarter, but probably less, of an 8 oz wheel for my one portion. I enjoyed this but it was just another variation on something I’ve eaten many times before 💁🏻‍♀️” - Erin (@somanycookbooks on Instagram)

“Made the famous Chicken Marbella (and a side of sweet potatoes with some leftover herbs). I liked the brininess of the capers and olives, but wish I had salted the chicken itself for the overnight marinade (I have been indoctrinated by Samin Nosrat's chicken and lamented that the brine didn't penetrate below the surface).

I think I've figured out I'm not a fan of huge amounts of dried herbs (oregano, in this case). However, I am really looking forward to slathering some mayo on the leftovers and making a very tasty sandwich.” - Lauren M. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“Last night’s dinner was Chicken with Lemon and Herbs from#thesilverpalatecookbook . I give some psychological leniency to recipes for anything cooked en papillote, because it’s so easy. Wrap ingredients in a foil pouch. Bake. Ha! #ckbkclub” - Eileen (@eicookswhateiwants on Instagram)

“Well, I thought I opted for the easiest recipe. Till it was the time to make balls. Patience is definitely not a virtue of mine 🙈
Also I need to admit that I changed (improved!) recipe putting sherry brandy instead of Grand Marnier and adding hazelnut inside.
As I was hating chocolate by the end, I used the rest of it to cover the figs stuffed with walnuts. Now I need to wait till I can see chocolate again 😁
So here they are” - Irinia G. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“I love a good date cake, so when I spotted this Date-Nut Pudding recipe in The Silver Palate I had to try it! Wasn’t sure about the consistency of the mix when it went into the oven but it came out great. I served it warm and with a scoop of ice cream instead of the whipped cream. Yum!” - Isadora M. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“Eggplant Parmigiana from The Silver Palate Cookbook - it’s a classic for a reason” - Matt (@mjcockerill on Instagram)

“I made this recipe from the Silver Palate! I changed the recipe a bit because it says to use canned beans and I've always wanted to try making it with dried beans (soaking overnight and then cooking). It took way longer but I think it was worth it! My dog loved the smell and I loved the taste! :)” - Miriam Y. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“Happy May everyone!
I'm starting off this month with an easy recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook for #ckbkclub. I had grand plans to make something a little more involved but didn't make it to the market. Instead, I went with these Cheese Straws from the "Fancy Finger Food" section of the book. The recipe has you make your own puff pastry, a skill I'd love to try but given I made these at about 8 pm on a weeknight I went with the frozen version I had on hand. The recipe calls for just two ingredients, a couple passes of the rolling pin and twirling of some dough, and there you have it, a perfectly fancy appetizer. One note: mine stuck to the pan which caused a bit of breakage, might try with parchment next time.” - Monique L. (@hardcovercook on Instagram)

“Arugula and Sweet Red Pepper Salad is basically arugula (which I didn’t have because everything my store had looked slimy), red peppers, romaine, and sliced mushrooms, with balsamic vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was good, despite some silliness, like rubbing the bowl with a cut piece of garlic before adding the liquids in. The salad was fine. Nothing too exciting. 🤷‍♀️ #ckbkclub #silverpalatecookbook#cookthebook” - Eileen A. (@eicookswhateiwants on Instagram)

“You can definitely tell the difference between cookbooks put out today (very specific and way more handholding) compared to Silver Palate. The recipe didn't specify which type of lentil to use, so I opted for French puy. They kept their shape well and I'll be glad to have them again after they've had some time to marinate in the fridge.

For the lamb chops, I used sambal oelek as the "chile paste," and orange marmalade and sesame oil from Trader Joe's. The recipe doesn't specify an internal temp, but I cooked the chops to 145 for medium rare and was pretty happy with the results. The bitter orange marmalade made a nice foil to the gaminess of the lamb, and the spice from the sambal oelek mixed well with the sugar from the jam.” - Lauren M. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“I made the Linguine with White Clam Sauce for dinner this week. You'd think after all the cooking I've done (over 100 new recipes in 2019 alone!) that I would know by now to fully read a recipe before I shop and cook, but I didn't and ended up with clams I didn't know the first thing about shucking, and only half as much clam juice as I needed. So, I improvised and it turned out mostly fine. I say mostly because I got a late start at dinner and didn't soak the clams like I normally would have, my dish was a bit, well, sandy. Next up: Stuffed Artichokes Fontecchio.” - Monique L. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“I made the Mardi Gras Slaw, from Silver Palate Cookbook, minus the White Cabbage, because the one I bought was riddled with caterpillars and eggs. 🤢 I made up the difference in red cabbage. It was a fairly standard non-Mayo slaw, with the only point of interest being caraway seeds. I’ve never added caraway to Slaw, but they work great.” - Eileen A. (on the #ckbkclub Facebook Group)

“Had a friend by tonight and we both really enjoyed this! I was surprised to see olives added to the mix but they worked out great. My only nitpick is that the kind of olive wasn’t specified, it just said “imported black olives.” I used kalamatas because that’s what I had on hand. It also directs you to top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with an olive, if desired, so obviously I had to. Sides chosen by the kiddo 🌽” - Erin (@somanycookbooks on Instagram)