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

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Anthony Bourdain Jan 04, 2003

Show notes

Chef and author Anthony Bourdain described his first book, Kitchen Confidential, as an "obnoxious and over-testosteroned" account of his life in the restaurant business. Still, the book remained on the New York Timesbestseller list for weeks. Now the food world's outrageous bad boy is at it again with his new book, A Cook's Tour, the chronicle of his planet-circling jaunt in search of the ultimate meal. Mr. Bourdain likes his adventure with a generous dose of risk and an occasional touch of the bizarre—like dodging Cambodian minefields to have cocktails in Khmer Rouge territory and eating poisonous blowfish in Japan.

By comparison, the normally over-the-top Jane and Michael Stern are simply eating pie at the Coffee Cup Cafe in Sully, Iowa. Steve Jenkins returns to talk about goat cheese, which inspired Lynne to create a recipe for Aged American Goat Cheese with Salad of Honey-Piquant Greens and Apples. Reporter Scott Haas checks out the secret of Belgium's sensational frites, we'll hear from a dairy farmer who practices Reiki on his cows, and Lynne shares her mail-order source for exquisite dried fruits for holiday gifts.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 8, 2001 (originally aired)
January 4, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Friuli-Venezia Giulia Dec 28, 2002

Show notes

This week we're off to a region of Italy only 20 minutes outside Venice—yet known and visited by few. The wonderful cuisine here could be called a fusion of "Northern Italian Soul" meets the Arabian Knights. The greatest varieties of wines in all of Italy come from the area, and the scenery is pretty good too. It's Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and our guide is none other than culinary explorer Fred Plotkin, author of the new book La Terra Fortunata. Fred shares a few undiscovered wine bargains from the region and a recipe for Polenta With Five Flavors, a dish containing most of the classic foods of central Friuli.

Jane and Michael Stern are across the pond as well, eating Couscous Royale at Relais des Six Boules, a French version of the truck stop. Who but the Sterns goes looking for road food in France? Beer expert Stephen Beaumont, author of Premium Beer Drinker's Guide, reports on Lambic, an eccentric style of commercially made beer. Movie critic Rex Reed reminisces about eating with Tennessee Williams. Lynne has a trivia question about baby food and cotton candy and leaves us with her recipe for Dark and Moist Gingerbread.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

November 10, 2001 (originally aired)
December 28, 2002 (rebroadcast)

Nigella Lawson Dec 21, 2002

Show notes

This week it's talk of life, food, and Christmas dinner with television food star Nigella Lawson. Her show Nigella Bites (which also happens to be the title of her latest book,) is all about the sheer lustiness of food. Get ready to be a guest at your own party with holiday eats from Nigella. It's the perfect menu for entertaining, because everything is made in advance!

The Sterns suggest we spend New Year's Eve at a gospel supper in an Indiana cafeteria. Tickets are on sale now. Wine maverick Joshua Wesson expounds on the art of the toast, and reporter Scott Haas tells the story of how a kid from the projects became the star chef of Boston's Beacon Hill. Lynne haslast-minute gift ideas, and Francis Ford Coppola fills us in on Christmas at the vineyard.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 21, 2002

Miss Manners Dec 14, 2002

Show notes

If a dinner party place setting with more than a knife and fork causes angst, this week's show brings relief. Judith Martin, the high priestess of etiquette known as Miss Manners, has tips for maneuvering smoothly through the minefield of dining and entertaining at this most social of seasons. Her new book, Star Spangled Manners, defends American etiquette and takes a look at what sets it apart.

Jane and Michael Stern call in from the road, where they've found a top-notch-but-different chili in the Northeast. And Lynne shares her recipe for another different chili: Lynne's Nearly New Mexican Chili.

Steve Beaumont wants us to try smoked beers, and tea merchant Bill Waddington stops by to talk about the year in tea. We have mail-order gifts from the forthcoming Slow Food Guide to New York City. And Lynne tells of the wonderful dried fruit she loves to give for holiday gifts. Finally, we have an interesting and probably controversial piece about the heritage animals at Kelmscott Farm in Maine.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 14, 2002

Kermit Lynch Dec 07, 2002

Show notes

Our guest this week is Kermit Lynch, a wine pioneer who's been bucking trends since he began importing wine from France in the 1970s. He's devoted his career to seeking out the small and unique in a world of big and uniform. His book, Adventures on the Wine Route, chronicles his life in wine.

Jane and Michael Stern are checking out the goods in Calgary, that eater's paradise up north. Steve Jenkins talks Cheddar, and David Rosengarten stops by to tell us about his three favorite books for cooks. Martha Holmberg of Fine Cooking magazine has tips for holiday cookie baking and a recipe for Lime Nut Buttons. And Lynne takes your calls and shares gift ideas for the book-lover on your list.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

December 7, 2002

Madhur Jaffrey Nov 30, 2002

Show notes

Her father wanted her to be a diplomat. She had other ideas. We'll hear the story of how two passions came together to define the life of legendary cook and actress Madhur Jaffrey. You've seen her in Merchant-Ivory films as well as her own productions, and her books introduced Americans to authentic Indian food. Her latest work, Madhur Jaffrey's Step-By-Step Cooking, takes readers from India to Thailand, Indonesia to Malaysia, and has her recipe for Lamb Cooked in Dark Almond Sauce.

A sign at a LaGrange, Texas, gas station alerted Jane and Michael Stern to the top-notch kolachkes at Weikel's Store and Bakery. We'll stop by a four-star restaurant near "ground zero" in New York to find out how the workers are doing and get the recipe for Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Curried Couscous, a staff favorite from Chef David Waltuck's book Staff Meals from Chanterelle. Tea merchant Bill Waddington talks scented teas, Phil Silverstone has tips for finding good cheap wine, and Trish Telesco helps us prepare for Halloween with the recipe for Rose Geranium Punch from her book A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

October 27, 2001 (originally aired)
November 30, 2002 (rebroadcast)

Thanksgiving at Zuni Cafe Nov 23, 2002

Show notes

This year it's Thanksgiving big time with Judy Rodgers, one of America's most gifted chefs and author of The Zuni Café Cookbook. Judy's Thanksgiving Menu is modern but homey, and includes a turkey roasting technique designed to free up precious oven space and an interesting stuffing idea.

Jane and Michael Stern bring us soul food at its best from Ellen's Soul Food Restaurant in Memphis. Steve Beaumont thinks all that angst about selecting the perfect wine for turkey and trimmings can be eliminated by serving beer instead. He recommends a trio of beers for the Thanksgiving table, including one that could double for champagne.

Kevin Murphy, author of A Year at the Movies, tells what happened when he tried to smuggle Thanksgiving dinner into a theater. And reporter Scott Haas dines in the dark at Blindekuh (Blind Cow) in Zurich. Lynne takes your calls and has trivia about an over-the-top holiday entrée from medieval England.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

November 23, 2002

MIT's Media Lab Nov 16, 2002

Show notes

The kitchen of tomorrow is on scientists' drawing boards today at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, and we love what they're cooking up. Are you ready for a kitchen table that cleans itself and a coffeemaker in your car? We are! How about dial-a-smell that sends the tantalizing scent of tonight's dinner wafting over the telephone line to family and friends? It's the new kitchen science, and we've got the scoop.

Jane and Michael Stern are eating saltwater taffy and fairy food at Fralinger's on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, and wine maven Joshua Wesson explains the fuss over old vine wines. Soybean Queen Dana Jacobi, author of Amazing Soy, talks edamame and shares her recipe for Brunswick Style Sweet Soybeans. Our hungry reporter Scott Haas takes us truffle hunting in Italy with a dog named Diana, and Lynne's recipe for Classic White Truffle Pasta celebrates this rare and expensive jewel from Italy's Piedmont region.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

October 13, 2001 (originally aired)
November 16, 2002 (rebroadcast)

American Restaurants Oct 05, 2002

Show notes

We're eating out in America with Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. Ruth will talk about what's driving chefs these days, how our eating habits are changing, and where in the entire country she would eat if given only two choices and they couldn't be famous restaurants. Gourmet's October 2002 issue is all about restaurants—from big-city, upscale, and grand to local, down-home, and cozy.

Jane and Michael Stern find hidden treasure in Cranston, Rhode Island, and wine maverick Joshua Wesson accepted our challenge to come up with some very drinkable wines for $5.00 and less a bottle!

Cookbook author and teacher Rick Rodgers takes us to the coffeehouses of Vienna, where writers, artists, poets, and philosophers have gathered for centuries to debate the issues of the day and nibble glorious pastries. Rick leaves us with a recipe for Marble Gugelhupf from his latest book, Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. Finally, we'll get a new take on food and lust from Men's Health magazine. You can read the entire interview in the October 2002 issue.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

October 5, 2002

A Splendid Autumn Menu Sep 14, 2002

Show notes

Hints of fall are in the air, we want to get back into the kitchen and cook, and Sally Schneider, author of A New Way to Cook, is going with us. Sally's healthy, lusty food is what we want to eat right now, and her sensational Fall Menu for A Splendid Table is the best inspiration we know.

Jane and Michael Stern are eating loose meat sandwiches and onion chips at the Tastee Inn & Out in Sioux City, IA. Joshua Wesson talks low-alcohol wines and tells us if they're worth trying or merely forgettable. Kitty Morse, co-author of The Scent of Orange Blossoms, introduces us to Morocco's Sephardic cuisine and shares recipes for Aniseed Biscuits and Candied Grapefruit. We'll learn of an insidious new control in our lives from novelist Jim Crace; and you'll want to have Lynne's Brandied Fruit tucked away for the holidays that are closer than you think.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

September 14, 2002

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