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

She's sensual, iconoclastic, and hungry. In the late 1960's she blew the lid off stuffy food writing with her restaurant reviews for New York, the smartest magazine in town. She's Gael Green, a critic like no other and the woman who led the pack in a dining revolution. Gael joins us this week to share memories from her new autobiography, Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess. The recipe for Danish Meat Loaf is from the book.For the Sterns it's classics with a Texas twist at Houston's Avalon Diner. The pharmacy lunch counter is a favorite genre for our dining duo and the setting soothes Jane's hypochondria! It's a rhubarb revelation for our favorite improviser, Sally Schneider. She says discoveries happen when you let yourself go in the kitchen. Her recipe for Rhubarb Confit with Rhubarb Syrup for Improvising is quintessential springtime fare.Kai Ryssdal, host of Marketplace and a former resident of China, talks going back after ten years and eating in the new China. Are our kitchens making us fat? Some architects claim they are! We'll take a look at the latest patsy for our weight woes. A new exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt museum in New York City takes a look at feeding desire, and Lynne shares a favorite springtime recipe, Roasted Asparagus and Spring Potato Salad.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 13, 2006 (originally aired)April 14, 2007 (rebroadcast)

Fred Kirschenmann of The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture joins us this week to talk why America lost touch with her food source—the farm—and looks at the resurrection taking place, right now, on farms across the land. The Sterns are at the final stretch of the famed Route 66 in Stroud, Oklahoma.Our wine wizard Josh Wesson is back and this time he's debunking all those wine myths, starting with sulfites. Bee scientist Dennis Van Englesdorf joins us to investigate the mystery of the vanishing honeybees and the impact on crop pollination.Gourmet magazine's John Willoughby, author of Let the Flames Begin, has ideas for Easter lamb and ham, new party cuts to try, and a recipe for Mensaf (Lamb in Spiced Yogurt Sauce with Rice and Bread.) Stanley Feder of Simply Sausage, Inc. tells of cooking paella for 3,000 in Spain. It's a story that gives new meaning to cooking for a crowd.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 7, 2007

This week we're going inside the process of how exceptional cookbooks are brought to life. Our guide is Judith Jones, often called the cookbook editor's editor. Forty-some years ago she discovered Julia Child. In the ensuing decades Judith's influence changed the American cookbook forever and her authors became a "who's who of food."It's camp for the Sterns—roadfood style—at Mike Linnig's Fish Camp in Louisville, Kentucky. Our master of the wine bargain, Joshua Wesson, talks second labels, the hidden deals from world-class vineyards. We'll take a look at the delicious and the deadly when we go to the Fungus Festival in Santa Cruz, California.New York Times writer Kim Severson brings us chocolate with a passport; and Mark Kurlansky, author of The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, talks the bivalve mollusk's golden age in New York City.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 8, 2006 (originally aired)March 31, 2007 (rebroadcast)

This week it's a look at how the pros decide what to drink with nearly every food you can imagine. Our guest, Karen Page, author of What to Drink With What You Eat, talked with expert chefs and sommeliers to find out what goes with everything from apples to veggie burgers. She takes us beyond wines and waters to coffee, soda and even vinegar!The Sterns are in Tampa, Florida where they swooned over the Cuban sandwiches and ropa viejo at La Teresita. Lynne ponders the potential spiritual and ecumenical ramifications of Pope-approved Fish Snackers from KFC.Who knew that cauliflower of all things would become the latest darling of cutting edge chefs? Amy Scattergood, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, joins us with a report. Not to be outdone, Lynne came up with a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Sage and Rosemary that takes this often overlooked member of the cabbage family to new heights.Dr. Richard Schulze talks Carolina Gold Rice, the huge cash crop of the 1800's (extinct by the 1900's) and what brought it back. Dr. Schulze is the author of Carolina Gold Rice: The Ebb and Flow History of a Lowcountry Cash Crop.Spice hunter Nirmala Narine looks at the herb you never actually eat — the bay leaf — and shares her recipe for Turkish Lamb Kebabs. Nirmala is the author of In Nirmala's Kitchen: Everyday World Cuisine. Gyro artist Bill Swislow tells a story of culinary collecting of a different sort, and, as always, the phone lines will be open for your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 10, 2007

This week Mary Ewing-Mulligan puts wine where she thinks it belongs: it's all about taste. Mary claims quality is second to flavor, geography is more important than the grape, and a number on the bottle can help us match a wine to a menu. Mary's new book is Wine Style: Earthy Whites to Powerful Reds: Using Your Senses to Explore and Enjoy Wine.The Sterns have found the ultimate babka and bagels of their dreams in Montreal. Who knew? Vegetable gardening expert Jack Staub shares new ideas for gardeners and mail order seed sources. How about sweet little pocket melons, super lush tomatoes and day-glo lettuce for your garden this year? Jack is the author of 75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden.Julie Hauserman fills us in on the Florida tomato fight that's all about appearance over flavor. Our very popular refrigerator game, Stump the Cook, is back with Lynne and Stump Master Christopher Kimball! We return to the MIT Media Lab for dinner plates you toss when you're finished eating ... and make new ones whenever you want.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 4, 2006 (originally aired)February 24, 2007 (rebroadcast)

Imagine Mexico without tacos or tamales. Imagine Mexican intellectuals trying to eliminate corn from the country where it was born. History professor Jeffrey Pilcher, author of Que Vivan Los Tamales: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity, joins us this week for a look at a national identity crisis.The Sterns tuck into a weird-but-delicious chow mein sandwich at Evelyn's Drive-In in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Seattle's famed Herbfarm chef Jerry Traunfeld returns to the show to talk the next herb in the spotlight: shiso. His recipe for Shiso Crab Cocktail is from his latest book, The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor.Gourmet magazine's John Willoughby reports on the best place in the world for a protein high: the meat palaces of Argentina. His article appears in the May 2006 issue of Gourmet. When famed restaurateur Mario Batali took his chefs to Italy for five days of non-stop eating and research, dining morphed into hard work. Bob Sloan, author of The Tailgating Cookbook: Recipes for the Big Game reads an excerpt from the article "Mario's Excellent Adventure: 5 Days in Bologna, 62 Courses" which appeared in the April 2006 issue of Gourmet. Broadcast dates for this episode:April 22, 2006 (originally aired)February 10, 2007 (rebroadcast)

Natural scent expert Mandy Aftel, co-author with Chef Daniel Patterson of Aroma, The Magic of Essential Oils in Food and Fragrance, joins us this week to talk about perfuming our food. With scent accounting for most of what we taste, the idea seems logical. A delicious example of scent meets taste is Rose and Ginger Soufflé.Jane and Michael Stern experience the outrageous sandwiches at Blue Ash Chili in Cincinnati, Ohio.We'll hear the story of two chefs, an exalted restaurant, and a trial by tragedy from Chef Eric Ripert of the famed Le Bernardin in New York. Chef Ripert shares the recipe for Warm Snapper with Ginger Oil from A Return to Cooking, his book with co-author Michael Ruhlman.When a lab geek takes on liquid nitrogen and ice cream something is bound to happen. We have the story. Washington Post Bureau Chief T. R. Reid has advice for eating cheap in Japan, and we'll hear about eating out in our jammies at Cereality.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 22, 2005 (originally aired)February 11, 2006 (rebroadcast)February 3, 2007 (rebroadcast)

Japanese culinary scholar Elizabeth Andoh talks washoku, the philosophical and spiritual heart of traditional Japanese home cooking. It's a concept of possibilities and transformations and a side of Japanese food few outsiders know. Elizabeth leaves us her recipe for Fried Eggplant with Crushed Green Soybeans from her book Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen.The Sterns report from Cattlemen's in Oklahoma City where it's all about beef—from the horns to all parts south. Our bargain-hunting wine maverick Josh Wesson is back with more cheap wines. Just how low can we go?Seattle chef Thierry Rautureau brings us kitchen Zen—a peaceful stop-by-step guide to Butter-Poached Scallops on Celeriac Purée, a showstopper dish from his book Rovers: Recipes from Seattle's Chef in the Hat. NYU grad student Matty Sallin fills us in on a kinder, gentler way to wake up in the morning: his Wake n' Bacon alarm clock, and the phone lines will be open for your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 4, 2006 (originally aired)January 27, 2007 (rebroadcast)

Check out the grocery meat case these days and there's rarely a bone in sight. We're talking flavor-enhancing bones that give cuts of meat ambrosial succulence. Food writer Jennifer McLagan wants to change this trend of boneless everything so she wrote Bones: Recipes, History & Lore. Her recipe for Beer-Glazed Beef Ribs is serious and delicious finger food.Jane and Michael Stern report on a couple making nothing but one exquisite loaf of bread at Wave Hill Bakers in Wilton, Connecticut. Sally Schneider is back with the Italian shortcut to crispy chicken. All you need is a brick and a bird. Crisp, Brick-Fried Chicken with Rosemary and Whole Garlic Cloves is the peerless result. Our New York City food guy, Mike Colameco, weighs in on Gotham's classic seafood restaurants.Gourmet magazine's John Willoughby investigates induction stovetops. Is it a case of "worth the cost," or "why bother?" We have the story on "scent kits" for wine lovers and, as always, Lynne takes your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 28, 2006 (originally aired)January 20, 2007 (rebroadcast)

Paula Wolfert, the culinary scholar and author who brought cassoulet, roast garlic and confit to America, joins us to talk about the updating of her groundbreaking classic, The Cooking of Southwest France. Her recipe for Chicken Breasts in Garlic Wine comes from the area around Agen, located halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse.The Sterns are visiting the Museum of Taxidermy and eating a stellar breakfast at Lisa's in Greybull, Wyoming. The always-curious Peter Mayle is back in Provence and this time he's making bread. He tells all in his new book, Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes.We'll take you to Portland, Oregon, where Andina is the Rose City's restaurant of the year. The story behind the fabulous food is especially fascinating. On a recent visit, Lynne was intrigued by the unusual and delicious chicha Morada.Finally, Ben Davis of Portland's Grand Central Bakery explains why late-night drivers are stealthily pulling up to the back door of the city's restaurants.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 10, 2005 (originally aired)December 30, 2006 (rebroadcast)