Opening the vault: The top recipes of 1989

As we count down to the L.A. Times Test Kitchen's favorite recipes of 2009, we're taking a look back at our best recipes of the past 25 years. (Unfortunately, our photo archives don't go back as far as our recipes.)

So what were we eating in 1989? We were dining on Lemon Squares, Baked Brie with Sundried Tomatoes, and the humbly-named World's Best Sugar Cookies. And I can imagine what those finished dishes look like. But I really, really, really wish I had a photo of this recipe with the intriguing title of Carolyn Capacillo's Molded Chick-A-Roni Coup.

Can anyone tell me what a Chick-A-Roni Coup is? Or, better yet, send me a picture of one? I'm sure it's tasty. (It has to be. It has a butter sauce, and involves bacon liners.)

Click here for the rest of 1989's lineup.

--Rene Lynch

File photo: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times