The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

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Frank Stitt's Southern Table Jun 10, 2006

Show notes

Award-winning chef Frank Stitt put Alabama on the gastronomic map with his mecca of great eating, Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham. He joins us this week to talk the return of the South's culinary glory days, a renaissance in which he plays a major role. The recipe for Miss Verba's Pimiento Cheese is from his new book, Frank Stitt's Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill.

For the Sterns it's all about chicken wings at Dem Wangs in Memphis. Lynne's theory about the popularity of wings is apparent in her fabulous Mahogany Chicken Wings.

Herb expert and chef Jerry Traunfeld is back to talk fennel pollen. His recipe for Fennel Blossom Soup could result in some very ticked off bees!

We meet up with Tane Chan, the "wok woman" of San Francisco's Chinatown, who tells us how to pick the perfect wok. Find yours at her Wok Shop.

Manhattan's irreverent caterer to the stars, Serena Bass, has tips for effortless spring entertaining and shares a Spring Dinner Menu from her book, Serena, Food & Stories: Feeding Friends Every Hour of the Day.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

May 7, 2005 (originally aired)
June 10, 2006 (rebroadcast)

Curry Jun 03, 2006

Show notes

This week Lizzie Collingham, author of Curry: A Tale of Cook's and Conquerors, joins us for a look at the history of India through its curries. She says the most popular ones each tell a different story of a significant outside influence. It's a fascinating take on how a world-class cuisine came into being. The recipe for Vindaloo is from Lizzie's book.

The Sterns are at Clementine in Los Angeles where they're swooning over the grilled cheese sandwiches and a banana cream pie that's to die for. We have new wine roads to travel in California with Wine Spectator columnist Matt Kramer. Celebrity Chef Charlie Palmer marked one Father's Day by taking his two sons into the kitchen of his multi-starred restaurant for a peek. They've been prepping the veggies ever since. Writer and Public Radio producer David Welch has the story.

Los Angeles Times writer Charles Perry has the scoop on bitters and a Prom Dress, the latest thing in the $20 cocktail genre. Lynne shares a grill recipe for Black Pepper-Honey Steak, and in the second half of the show the phone lines are open for your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

June 3, 2006

Fried Chicken with John T. Edge May 20, 2006

Show notes

John T. Edge, Southern food and culture historian and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, joins us this week and he's talking fried chicken. His recipe for Sweet Tea Fried Chicken is from his book Fried Chicken, An American Story.

The Sterns report in from Putz's Creamy Whip, an old-fashioned custard stand in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Josh Wesson stops by to talk a wine waiting to happen: Austria's Gruner Veltliner.

The Washington Post's T. R. Reid, author of The United States of Europe, was in the enviable position of being sent to Japan to research an article for Entrée magazine, a Neiman Marcus publication. He was told to eat high and expensive. We'll have a report.

Gourmet magazine's editor Ruth Reichl hits the Brooklyn hot spots with New York food maven Ed Levine. Ruth's new book is Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise.

We'll learn about "girlie wine" and, as always, Lynne takes your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

May 21, 2005 (originally aired)
May 20, 2006 (rebroadcast)

Buenos Aires Italian May 06, 2006

Show notes

This week it's all things Italian but not in Italy. Instead of heading east to Rome, we're going south to Buenos Aires where the descendants of two million Italians have settled. Food writer Rich Lang is our guide.

The Sterns report from the Pacific Northwest, their favorite breakfast destination, where Michael says you'll find the paragon of waffles at Fresco Caffe in Portland, Oregon.

Steve Jenkins lines up a cheese vacation in Portugal, and Sally Schneider talks the little fish everybody loves to hate: the anchovy. Her recipe for Warm Anchovy and Olive Oil Sauce might change some minds about one of Lynne's favorite sneaky ingredients.

Chris Kimball of Cook's Illustrated magazine and America's Test Kitchen is back with the skinny on non-stick pots and pans. The latest book from the Cook's Illustrated folks is the 2005 edition of America's Test Kitchen Live!

Sam Perkins talks wine auctions, and the phone lines will be open for your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

April 16, 2005 (originally aired)
May 6, 2006 (rebroadcast)

Andante Dairy Apr 29, 2006

Show notes

We'll go inside the dairy with Soyoung Scanlon, California's new star cheese maker who has celebrity chefs kissing the hem of her apron. She follows the milk and her mood, not the market, at her Andante Dairy in Santa Rosa and it shows in her cheeses.

The Sterns cross the pond for pie and mash in London. Tune in to find out it they chose the optional eels.

Vegetarian expert Deborah Madison talks spring things for this teeter-totter time of year. Her recipe for Lemony Risotto Croquettes with Slivered Snow Peas, Asparagus, and Leeks comes from her new book, Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen.

Margo True, Executive Editor of Saveur magazine, tells the story of the tiffinwallah, Mumbai's lunch ritual that's the envy of General Motors. Read the full story in the May 2005 issue of Saveur.

We'll hear about the back-to-basics coffee served at Deaf Dog Coffee shops, and Lynne takes your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

April 9, 2005 (originally aired)
April 29, 2006 (rebroadcast)

Three Guys from Miami Apr 01, 2006

Show notes

This week it's Cuban Miami with Glenn, Raul, and Jorge. The "Three Guys from Miami" love to eat, they love their town, and they give us advice on where and what to eat, including airport food worth the trip. The recipe for Roast Pork is from their book Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban: 100 Great Cuban Recipes with a Touch of Miami Spice.

The Sterns are in a time warp at Lankford Grocery and Market, a 1940's era café serving divine triple cheeseburgers. The highly opinionated cheese monger and author of Cheese Primer, Steve Jenkins has ideas for what to eat with cheese. Dill pickles are on the list! Travel & Leisure magazine's Anya Von Bremzen returns with her picks of the best new American restaurants of 2004.

Wine critic Matt Kramer talks the new California grape and the latest region to watch. His newest book is Matt Kramer's New California Wine: Making Sense of Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast and Beyond. We have the story of Hamburger America, a documentary film about some of the best burgers in America and the people behind them, and, as always, Lynne takes your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 5, 2005 (originally aired)
April 1, 2006 (rebroadcast)

Umami Mar 25, 2006

Show notes

If you've always suspected that taste goes beyond science's big four of sweet, sour, salt and bitter your instincts are right. This week we're looking at umami. It's what food types call the "fifth taste." Our guest, David Kasabian, tells us how to use this wunderkind to make everything we eat taste better. Coq au Vin Nouveau, from The Fifth Taste: Cooking with Umami by David and Anna Kasabian, demonstrates the principle.

For the Sterns it's retro burgers, fabulous hand-cut fries and malts at one of Lynne's favorite haunts: Convention Grill in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina. Anya Von Bremzen talks Spain's surprise national dish and it's not paella. It's Cocido from her latest book, The New Spanish Table.

Wine critic Matt Kramer, author of Matt Kramer's New California Wine answers the controversial question: can you actually get cheap good wines? We go to Mexico for vanilla—the most labor intensive food in the hemisphere—and stop by Cake Man Raven Confectionery, a bakery in Brooklyn that claims to be the official home of the classic Southern Red Velvet Cake—and so much more.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 25, 2006

Queenan Country Mar 18, 2006

Show notes

Joe Queenan, that quirky observer of the human comedy, takes us his England this week. It's a place of people driven by good-natured insanity, where home cooking thrives, and the steak and kidney pie requires a pneumatic drill. His book is Queenan Country: A Reluctant Anglophile's Pilgrimage to the Mother Country.

Remember creamed chipped beef on toast? The Sterns tuck into the old-fashioned dish and more classic New England fare at the Blue Benn Diner in Bennington, Vermont. Wine maverick Josh Wesson talks cans, boxes and sippy straws, the next new things for serving wine. Sally Schneider returns with ideas for easy suppers starring cornbread, including her recipe for Parmigiano Cornbread.

Health authority Nina Simonds advises saying no to Botox and yes to the spice cupboard for fighting those pesky signs of aging. She shares her recipe for Fragrant Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes is from her new book Spices of Life: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Great Health.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 19, 2005 (originally aired)
March 18, 2006 (rebroadcast)

Molecular Gastronomy Mar 11, 2006

Show notes

This week we take a look at the new kitchen science that has haute restaurant chefs rethinking everything, taking foods apart and putting them back together in ways we can't imagine. The instigator is our guest, chemist Hervé This, author of Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History.) The Sterns report from Eddie's Supper Club in Great Falls, Montana, where the secret marinade is key to their renowned steaks. Then Lynne shares her Guide to Marinades, including several delicious recipes.

Cheese expert Steve Jenkins shares his latest artisan cheese finds, the ones he calls "adult candy." Mike Colamecco, our go-to guy for good eats in the Big Apple, tells us where to find the city's best hot dogs. Reporter Peter Aronson tells of the Mexican scientist who sees edible bugs saving the world's poor; and we celebrate National Potato Chip Day with the chief flavor architect of Kettle brand potato chips.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 11, 2006

A New Way to Buy Wine Feb 25, 2006

Show notes

This week it's a look at a new way to buy wine and it has everything to do with knowing the importers and distributors. Neal Rosenthal of Rosenthal Wine Merchant joins us to talk wine importers and who to look for on the label. The Sterns are eating herring "cremated" and "sunnyside up" at Cypress Grill in Jamesville, NC. David Rosengarten brings order and tranquility to that baffling liquid: sake. He shares his recipe for Salted Seaweed Salad with Lemon and Freshly Grated Ginger from his latest book, David Rosengarten Entertains. John Willoughby of Gourmet magazine has ideas for what to do between meals in London. For starters, there's cooking classes, shopping, and a secret garden. The New York Times gardening columnist Ann Raver has new veggies for us to try and shares her picks of the best seed sources. We'll check in with Rick Field, the inventive pickle maker behind Rick's Picks, and Lynne takes your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 19, 2005 (originally aired)
February 25, 2006 (rebroadcast)

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