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

Latest Episodes:

Thai Food Traditions Apr 27, 2002

Show notes

This week it's a look at Thai food traditions with Su-Mei Yu, chef/owner of Saffron Restaurant in San Diego and author of Cracking the Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking. Su Mei tells of the rather curious way she researched her heritage, and leaves us with etiquette tips for dining in Thai restaurants and a recipe for sticky rice.

Jane and Michael Stern report from Nick's Nest in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where they're eating wienies the way they were served in mid-century New England. Jewish-food authority Matthew Goodman wants us to try the spicy cuisine of Yemen. His recipe for Yemenite Fish in Tomato Sauce is a fine introduction. We'll hear how TV chef Sara Moulton juggles two jobs and a young family, and we'll meet a beekeeper who tends his hives on the rooftops of New York City.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

May 4, 2001 (originally aired)
April 27, 2002 (rebroadcast)

Pike Place Market Apr 13, 2002

Show notes

This week it's a private tour of Seattle's Pike Place Market, the gold standard among farmers markets. Our guide is none other than award-winning chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas, who was just named Best Chef in the Northwest by the James Beard Foundation. Tom reveals some of his favorite market vendors and shares his recipe for Sake-Steamed Sockeye Salmon with Sake Butter. His new book, Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen, is a celebration of the city's rich and diverse culinary heritage and wealth of fresh local ingredients.

Jane and Michael Stern are in the California desert chowing down among the dinosaurs at the Wheel Inn. They leave us with a recipe for Highway Patrol Succotash, a fresh take on this often maligned vegetable mix. Wine maverick Joshua Wesson returns with some excellent but overlooked bargain French white wines that deserve more respect. Calvin Trillin, author of The Tummy Trilogies, gives us his unique take on eating in Japan, and we'll talk with the farmer behind those packaged ready-to-eat salads. We wonder what keeps them fresh.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

May 11, 2001 (originally aired)
April 13, 2002 (rebroadcast)

Off The Shelf Apr 06, 2002

Show notes

Donna Hay, Australia's diva of divine dining, is credited with rescuing a generation of young people from the clutches of take-out and fast-food. Her latest book, Off the Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry, offers tips and recipes for fresh, quick, stylish, and flavorful meals using what you have on hand. Her recipe for Chili Fish with Sweet Lemon Salad is a fine example.

For Jane and Michael Stern, it's warm cinnamon rolls and fresh pie at Gus Balon's Restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. John Willoughby takes on that vexing question of grilling—charcoal versus gas—and shares his recipe for Rosemary-Grilled New York Strip with Smoky Eggplant Relish. Let The Flames Begin, John's latest book with co-author Chris Schlesinger, will be published in June. Kitchen designer Deborah Krasner reveals what they never tell us about non-stick cookware. Reporter Scott Haas goes into the kitchen with TV's Iron Chef Morimoto, who has a new restaurant in Philadelphia called, appropriately, Morimoto. Finally, we'll hear how the Bread Bakers Guild Team USA 2002 prepares to defend their World Cup title.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

April 6, 2002

The American Cocktail Mar 23, 2002

Show notes

When Americans first mixed spirits and poured them over ice, they took a path with alcohol that set them apart from the rest of the world. William Grimes, restaurant critic for The New York Times and author of Straight Up Or On the Rocks, joins us with the story of how the cocktail came to be and why it has a place alongside other Americana like animated cartoons, comic strips, and jazz. He shares recipes for a Vesper (the James Bond martini) and a Champagne Cocktail.

Jane and Michael Stern are eating shrimp boats in New Orleans, and wine maverick Joshua Wesson of Best Cellars recommends white Burgundies we can actually afford. Reporter Scott Haas is back from a cow pasture in Switzerland where he discovered what makes Swiss milk so special, and Joey Green, author of Clean Your Clothes with Cheez Whiz, gives us reasons to stock up on the stuff.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 23, 2002

Fast Food Nation Feb 16, 2002

Show notes

Journalist Eric Schlosser, author of the New York Times best-seller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, says the fast-food industry should be exposed to the same scrutiny given tobacco and drug companies. We'll take a look at what's become the All-American Meal — a take-out burger, fries and soda — and find out what's really in those "goodies" that will have us shelling out over $110 billion this year.

On a brighter note, Jane and Michael Stern are eating old-fashioned apple dumplings at Southern Kitchen in Charleston, West Virginia. Our cheese guy Steve Jenkins is back with advice on picking American Cheddars, Stephanie Curtis talks food in the movies, and Lynne has a TV-Tray Menu for Academy Awards night.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

March 17, 2001 (originally aired)
February 16, 2002 (rebroadcast)

A Valentine Classic Feb 09, 2002

Show notes

If you've ever wondered who comes up with the messages printed on those little heart-shaped candies that appear every year at this time, tune in for the story behind a Valentine's Day classic from the New England Confectionary Company.

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 this the next big red? We'll recall one of the great 1960s scenes with Jamie Bernstein Thomas, daughter of Leonard Bernstein and author of A West Side Storyin the February issue of Gourmet magazine.

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 gives us a menu and recipes (including her wickedly sensuous Panna Cotta) for a cozy Valentine's Day dinner at home.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 9, 2002

Offbeat Food Feb 02, 2002

Show notes

It's a look at the unusual, the unexpected, and the extraordinary aspects of food and food culture this week with Alan Ridenour, author of Offbeat Food: Adventures in an Omnivorous World. From how Betty Crocker has changed through the years to the dangers of Pez dispensers and a history of pie throwing, we promise an entertaining look at popular culture that we hope sparks a dinner table conversation or two.

Jane and Michael Stern got lost in Texas but found great New Mexican Soul Food. Wine Maverick Joshua Wesson wants us to try the unfamiliar but luscious Eiswein, and Chinese scholar Li Ping Wang gives our hungry reporter, Scott Haas, a lesson on celebrating Chinese New Year and a recipe for New Year's Feast Fish. New York Times columnist Amanda Hesser reports on restaurant surveillance, a new privacy issue that should give you the willies.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 20, 2001 (originally aired)
February 2, 2002 (rebroadcast)

A Spoonful of Ginger Jan 26, 2002

Show notes

Asian-food authority Nina Simonds joins us this week with remedies and relief for those of us suffering the miseries of a cold or flu. Nina, author of A Spoonful of Ginger and star of the public television special by the same name, tells us how the Chinese use food as medicine. Her recipe for Ginger-Scallion Root Tea is the elixir you'll want when sniffles and chills set in.

Jane and Michael Stern are feeling warm and fine and eating dates in the California desert. Our cheese guy, Steve Jenkins, has never led us astray when it comes to good eating but this time he's come up with a hard sell. He says sour milk leads to an array of good stuff. We're skeptical, but keeping an open mind. Reporter Carol Shapiro talks eating French and speaking English in Paris, and we'll check out what's happening with the Bubble Tea trend on the West Coast.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

February 16, 2001 (originally aired)
January 26, 2002 (rebroadcast)

The Spice Coast Jan 12, 2002

Show notes

This week we're off to the Spice Coast of southern India where the air is fragrant with cinnamon and pepper, the people are gracious, and the food is grand. It's the family home of our guest, Maya Kaimal, author of Savoring the Spice Coast of India, and hospitality is a way of life. Maya's recipe for Steamed Mussels in Coconut Milk is an example of the exotic fare you'll encounter here.

Jane and Michael Stern have stumbled upon a family feud at Manganaro's, one of their favorite places in New York City. Food expert John Willoughby is back with some good news about sea scallops, and sculptor Kiko Denzer says you can build your own wood-fired oven for little money by using mud! His book, Build Your Own Earth Oven tells us how. The idea has Lynne so excited we hear she's attempting to thaw the earth in her backyard and start construction. In the second half of the show, it's open lines for your calls, and Lynne tells us how to cook Effortless Polenta.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

January 27, 2001 (originally aired)
January 12, 2002 (rebroadcast)

The Chef Test Dec 29, 2001

Show notes

Journalist Michael Ruhlman, author of The Soul of a Chef, takes us behind the scenes of the Culinary Institute of America's grueling Certified Master Chef exam. It's the Iron Man challenge of the food world and not for the faint of heart.

Jane and Michael Stern are eating artisan breads at the Red Hen Bakery in Chicago, and we'll hear from a scientist who has the lowdown on white salmon, the twenty-dollars-a-pound fish chefs fight over. Remember the Smothers Brothers? Jon Kalish pays a visit to the Smothers' Winery where Tommy has been making some highly regarded boutique wines for nearly as long as the brothers have been making people laugh. Alice Waters of Chez Panisse is back to tell us about her dream for the White House. If we ever get out of the election mess, her idea promises help with great spin potential for the new president.

In the second half of the show the phone lines are open for your calls and Lynne has some trivia about a runcible spoon she might use to serve her Oven-Roasted Canned Tomatoes.

Broadcast dates for this episode: