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

Latest Episodes:

Vegetable Curator Apr 26, 2003

Show notes

Elizabeth Schneider, a woman who knows vegetables from the seed to the plate, joins us this week with simple ideas for good, healthy eating from her new book Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference. Elizabeth has given over the past decade to gathering every shred of information on produce—the best varieties to buy and the best ways to cook them. Her recipes for Baked Scented Beets and Greens and Herbed Carrot and Leek Chunks, Oven Steamed are inspired.

It's terrific Mexican food at Mariscos Chihuahua in Tucson, Arizona, for Jane and Michael Stern. Our very opinionated cheese guy Steve Jenkins talkschèvre, and Randall Graham, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyards, forecasts the next thing in wine bottling—screw tops. Writer Susana Trilling, author of Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, takes us to Mexico and into the kitchen of the woman who taught her to cook. Her recipe forMole Coloradito Oaxaqueño is extraordinary. We'll hear about mind games designed to get us to tip more (listen up, waiters and waitresses!), and Lynne takes phone calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

May 11, 2002 (originally aired)
April 26, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Food Commercials Apr 12, 2003

Show notes

Dr. Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, joins us this week for a look at how TV commercials shape our eating habits. His take on how advertising may be affecting our health raises all sorts of questions. Should junk food be controlled like alcohol and tobacco ads?

On the opposite side of the health issue, Jane and Michael Stern are eating Butter Burgers at Solly's Grille in Milwaukee. Only in Wisconsin would they figure out how to add butter to a burger.

Joshua Wesson has great buys in Spring wines to go with Lynne's Spring Fling menu and recipes. Patty Volk, author of Stuffed, delivers a soliloquy on dieting, David Rosengarten evaluates pasta, and it's space food for the astronauts on the International Space Station.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

April 20, 2002 (originally aired)
April 12, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Another Look at Coffee Mar 28, 2003

Show notes

Coffee buyer and master roaster Kevin Knox, co-author of Coffee Basics, joins us with a guide to roasts and brewing methods, tells us what the pros are drinking now, and reveals a few surprises, too. To top it off, Lynne's decadent Espresso-Ricotta Cream with Chocolate Espresso Sauce is the perfect partner for a rich cup of joe.

Jane and Michael Stern muse about religion and barbecue at Harold's in Atlanta and share a recipe for Cracklin Cornbread Muffins from their book,Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs. Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan demystifies Sherry, Bill Waddington talks tea lore, and Jim Crace tells the tale of a grocer and his pygmy oranges.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 19, 2002 (originally aired)
March 28, 2003 (rebroadcast)

What Kids Taste Mar 22, 2003

Show notes

This week it's a look at why we prefer some foods more than others with Dr. Julie Menella of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. Dr. Menella studies taste preferences in infants and explains why one kid won't eat broccoli and another hates carrots.

Jane and Michael Stern return to Keaton's, one of Jane's top five road food favorites, for the outrageous fried chicken and southern-style side dishes. When they're dining at home, the Sterns might whip up some Lemonade Fried Chicken from their book, Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs.

David Rosengarten talks travel guides and reveals his new top pick. Culinary adventurer Naomi Duguid, co-author of Seductions of Rice, takes us along the rice trail into West Africa and has another citrus-based recipe: Lemon Chicken. We turn to Stephen Beaumont to fill us in on Imperial Stout, and we'll learn about Cloaca, one artist's take on human digestion currently installed at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 16, 2002 (originally aired)
March 22, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Eating Appalachian Mar 08, 2003

Show notes

We're eating Appalachian this week with food writers Ted and Matt Lee, two brothers who rented a pickup truck and headed for the back roads of Eastern Kentucky in search of the elusive pawpaw fruit. Along the way, they discovered that good food is more about human ingenuity than rich resources. Read more about their adventure in the article, "On the Appalachian Trail" in the March 2002 issue of Food & Wine magazine.

Jane and Michael Stern are eating "a little slice of heaven" at Carminuccio'sin Newton, Connecticut. We'll hear how Julia Child's Cambridge kitchenended up at the Smithsonian, take a peek inside her "junk drawer," and share recipes for Primal Soups from her book, Julia's Kitchen Wisdom. Patricia Volk, author of Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family, tells of the heartbreak of falling in love with a taste, and Joshua Wesson talks Cava - the bargain bubbly from Spain. Finally, we'll hear about a new and quite strange take on peanut butter.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 9, 2002 (originally aired)
March 8, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Sugar Addiction Mar 01, 2003

Show notes

Can you be addicted to sugar? We'll find out when Robin Edelman joins us on this week's show. Robin is the nutrition editor for Eating Well magazine and author of the article "Sweet Addiction" in the Fall 2002 issue.

The always original Jane and Michael Stern are dining inside a longhorn skull in Amado, Arizona. Wine wizard Joshua Wesson has the scoop on Argentina's Malbec. Is it the next big red? And we'll recall one of the great 1960s scenes with Jamie Bernstein Thomas, daughter of Leonard Bernstein and author of "A West Side Story" from the February 2002 issue of Gourmet magazine.

Plus, John Willoughby talks watercress and shares a recipe for Watercress and Endive Salad with Pears, Blue Cheese, and Orange-Beet Dressing from Lettuce in Your Kitchen. We'll visit College of the Atlantic, home of "America's best campus food." And Lynne shares a menu and recipes for a cozy dinner (including her wickedly sensuous Panna Cotta)!

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 1, 2003

Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards Feb 15, 2003

Show notes

This week Lynne talks with Paul Draper, CEO of Ridge Vineyards, and the winemaker who elevated California Zinfandel to world-class status by shunning market-driven, high-tech methods in favor of ancient techniques. The resulting wines are simply the essence of refinement, intensity, and complexity.

Jane and Michael Stern are eating in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at the Wolf Lodge Inn, and our hungry reporter Scott Haas is behind the kitchen door learning how to get good restaurant service. We'll hear from architectural historian Jim Heimann, author of California Crazy & Beyond, about those wacky restaurants shaped like walk-in donuts and giant burgers. And zoo archaeologist Deborah Rusilo reveals "the secrets of the bones." Dorie Greenspan, whose new book is Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, evaluates rolling pins—an essential tool for making Lynne's Caramelized Almond Tart.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 23, 2002 (originally aired)
February 15, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Casanova Feb 08, 2003

Show notes

Art historian Carolin Young, author of Apples of Gold, Settings of Silver, takes us back to 1753 and a seduction supper with Casanova himself. In those days, romantic dinners were an art form, and this one has an interesting twist. It's all about who is seducing whom.

Jane and Michael Stern have found romance and old-style Italian food at Gargiulo's on Coney Island. Sally Schneider tells us what's so special about Meyer lemons and what to do with these gems. A good start is Sally's recipe for Meyer Lemon Curd. We have an eater's guide to Chicago from Bill Rice, author of "Eating It Up: The Good Lover's Guide to Chicago" from the February 2003 issue of Gourmet magazine.

Maria Rodale tells the story of her grandfather, J. I. Rodale, an agricultural pioneer and founder of the organic movement. We hear from Melissa Wagner, co-author of The Field Guide to Stains, and Lynne has a recipe forSicilian Blood Orange Salad.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 8, 2003

Aloha Feb 01, 2003

Show notes

Restaurant critic John Heckathorn takes us to Honolulu, one of Lynne's favorite food cities, for an insider's dine-around and guide to eating like a local. In a town notorious for high prices, John's advice and restaurant picks guarantee great eating for little money.

Jane and Michael Stern investigate the Frontier restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the legendary cinnamon rolls are a foot wide! The definitive winner of The Washington Post's canned chicken broth tastingis revealed by food editor Jeanne McManus. Lynne used it in her Modena's Spiced Soup of Spinach and Cheese and agrees this broth is good! Reporter Mary Stuckey has a lesson in self-sufficiency and sustainability from the island of Cuba. Mary Ewing Mulligan talks wine glasses, we'll have a report on yak cheese, and Lynne takes your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 1, 2001 (originally aired)
February 1, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Bourbon Jan 25, 2003

Show notes

We'll take a look at small-batch bourbons with Kentucky bourbon maker Frederick Booker Noe, the grandson of Jim Beam and one of the pioneers in this new take on American whiskey. Forget bourbon and soda—this is stuff you'll want to leisurely swirl and sniff before taking a sip. Some experts claim these whiskeys are right up there with the great brandies and single-malt scotches.

Texans take their pie very seriously, as Jane and Michael Stern discovered at the Blanco Bowling Club in Blanco, Texas, home of some of the best meringue anywhere. Anya Von Bremsen takes us to Spain, the country she says is the most exciting place on earth to eat. For tips, check out her article in Travel & Leisure magazine. Beer expert Stephen Beaumont has the scoop on India Pale Ale and the spicy foods that go with it (think curries). Poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman, author of Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of My Garden, muses over bread, and Lynne shares her recipe for Marble Cutter's Soup, just the thing for a cold winter night.

Broadcast dates for this episode: