The Lion's fare — Classic cookbook gets a makeover

Twenty-five may be too young for a face lift, unless you're a cookbook that's already sold more than 100,000 copies.

"Lion House Classics" is an updated version of the first "Lion House Recipes," which sparked spin-offs such as "Lion House Weddings," "Lion House Desserts," "Lion House Christmas," "Lion House Lites" and "Lion House International."

This National Historic Register landmark has a reputation for homey, hearty dishes, melt-in-your-mouth rolls and memorable desserts. For the 25th anniversary edition, the staff added, subtracted and updated recipes to fit with today's culinary trends.

It may not seem that long ago, but when "Lion House Recipes" came out in 1979, microwave ovens were still a novelty rather than standard kitchen equipment. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pre-cut carrots and bagged salads weren't everyday staples, and few people had heard of Roma tomatoes or portobello mushrooms. Lard was commonly used in pie crusts and pastries; this was changed to vegetable shortening in the new book, said banquet manager Julie Ulrich, who headed up the project.

The Chilled Cucumber Soup, Sweet Fruit Soup and Lemon Gelatin Shrimp and Grapefruit Salad were omitted.

"They're just not popular items these days," Ulrich said.

The first book was compiled by Helen Thackeray, a retired Utah State University Extension home economist who had also managed the test kitchens of General Foods Corp. She spent three years on the project, watching the chefs cook and adjusting and testing their banquet-size recipes for family use.

An October 1980 Deseret News review of the book adds, "If there are recipes included in the book that Lion House devotees have not tasted, it is probably because favorites of Lion House board members were used to fill and balance out the collection."

Some of those extra recipes have been taken out for the new edition, said Ulrich, "because we wanted to have the recipes that are actually served at the Lion House. We took out the Tuna Chow Mein Casserole; it just wasn't what we would serve here. We added recipes that we actually use, like the Tomato Bisque Soup, which is made with Roma tomatoes."

Stuffed Mushrooms and Parmesan Ranch Chicken were added to perennial favorites, such as Chicken Alabam and Chicken Cordon Bleu.

The Picnic Brownies in the new book were developed by pastry chef Brenda Hopkin for the Pantry shops in some of the Deseret Book stores. Baked in two 9-inch round pans and cut in wedges for serving, they got their name because they stack and travel well, according to the book's notes.

In keeping with today's streamlined approach, "We tried to make the recipes so they were more simple," Ulrich said. "The Chicken and Broccoli Bake is a few steps shorter and much easier. "