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

We're taking a look at Zinfandel, the mystery grape swathed in controversy, its origins lost in the mists of time. Wine historian Charles Sullivan, author of Zinfandel: A History of a Grape and Its Wine, joins us to unravel its questionable past.The Sterns have found great barbecue behind bulletproof glass at Leon's Bar-B-Que in Chicago. Dorie Greenspan gets us ready for the return of cool weather with the best in bread baking gear. Our go-to guy in New York reveals one of his secrets for great cheap eats: the city's oldest Indian neighborhood called Curry Hill.Lynne shares her recipe for Tamarind-Glazed Pork Tenderloin Sauté, and Alice Waters, the high priestess of California cuisine and organics, reports on the latest in school lunches from Berkeley's Edible Schoolyard.Broadcast dates for this episode:September 11, 2004 (originally aired)September 10, 2005 (rebroadcast)

This week we're creating spaces for entertaining. It's not about remodeling, it's about working with what you already have. Our guest is architect Sarah Susanka, whose latest book is Home by Design: Transforming Your House Into a Home.The Sterns are eating Cuban sandwiches and mango milkshakes at Margon in Times Square. Cheese monger Steve Jenkins is back and wants us to try fresh summer cheeses.Anya Von Bremzen wanders the world as a food journalist, but Spain draws her back again and again. She joins us to talk Spanish food, including the ultimate Classic Andalusian Gazpacho. We'll hear the backstory on Terroir estate coffee from George Howell, founder of Boston's Coffee Connection. Dan Lowenstein fills us in on PlayDine, a new take on family-style restaurants, and Lynne has a recipe for Iced Summer Peaches.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 24, 2004 (originally aired)September 3, 2005 (rebroadcast)

This week it's a look at Antonin Carême, the world's first celebrity chef. Abandoned by his family at age nine to starve on the streets of Paris, Carême overcame impossible odds to achieve wealth, fame and an unheard of independence. In the process he reshaped French cuisine. His biographer Ian Kelly, author of Cooking for Kings, tells the story. Carême's recipe for Orange Flower and Pink Champagne Jelly takes us back to the 19th century when he cooked for kings.The Sterns have discovered an anomaly at Burgerville, a restaurant chain in the Pacific Northwest. Christopher Kimball of Cook's Illustrated tested ice cream makers and came up with some worth having. We'll go to Seattle for an oyster dating service, and Lynne gets a lesson in pairing wines with oysters. Our man in Athens calls in with the scoop on what the athletes are eating, and we have the latest solution to cork taint - the Vino-Lok.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 21, 2004 (originally aired)August 20, 2005 (rebroadcast)

Indian food expert Madhur Jaffrey joins us this week with the tale of how curry turned global. It's all about India's caste system and Britain's lust for empire. Madhur shares her recipe for Cilantro Chicken from her latest book, From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail.Michael Stern takes on the politics of the waffle at the Blue Plate Café in Memphis, and Josh Wesson wants us to try German wines with simple labels.Journalist Anya Von Bremzen talks the true soba noodles of Japan and names the best soba parlors in Tokyo and New York. Now is a good time to try her recipe for Chilled Zaru Soba with Dipping Sauce. We'll hear from a watermelon queen in love with petrochemicals, and Vocation Vacations has ideas for your next getaway.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 7, 2004 (originally aired)August 13, 2005 (rebroadcast)

This week, our guest Trevor Corson, author of The Secret Life of Lobsters, takes a new look at endangered sea life. It's story of underwater feminism, renegade scientists, and amorous crustaceans!The Sterns are road tripping into fried pie country where they've found a gem called Family Pie Shop.Rick Bayless picks wines to drink with Mexican food, and shares a recipe for Garlicky Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Smoky Tomato-Chile Salsa from his book Mexico One Plate At A Time. Smart cook Sally Schneider talks how to waste nothing and be ready for anything. It's all in how you use your freezer. Keep her Fool-Proof Flaky Butter Pastry on hand for a spur-of-the-moment fruit pizza or pie. B-52 rocker Kate Piersen tells about her retro Lazy Meadow Motel in the Catskill Mountains, and Lynne takes your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 17, 2004 (originally aired)July 30, 2005 (rebroadcast)

We're talking living and eating in the south of France with none other than Patricia Wells, restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune and the most prominent American authority on French food today. Patricia's new book, The Provence Cookbook, is the latest addition to her roster of titles about cooking, traveling and eating in Paris and France. She leaves us her recipe for Fresh White Beans with Garlic and Light Basil Sauce, and recommends a visit to Le Bistrot du Paradou.The Sterns tell of the sensational hotdogs at Fido's a street cart in Portland, Oregon, and then Josh Wesson suggests wines to pair with rich, oily fish like salmon and mackerel.Lynne reports on her visit to Armandino's Salumi and other Seattle restaurants discovered during her recent trip to the Emerald City where she partied with KUOW listeners. Finally, we'll have a report on picnicking in the nude, part of the fastest growing trend in vacationing - nude recreation!Broadcast dates for this episode:July 10, 2004 (originally aired)July 2, 2005 (rebroadcast)

Peter Mayle, author of A Year in Provence, joins us this week with a send-up of France's latest wine craze. It's all about the scams and hype that have us sniffing our wines for traces of impertinence and pencil shavings! Peter's new novel is A Good Year.The Sterns indulge in the fabulous frozen custard at Leon's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Josh Wesson suggests wines to pair with summer's bounty, then Mike Colameco tells us where to eat in New York City's Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood little known to those outside the Big Apple.Food & Wine magazine just named their picks for Best New Chefs of 2004 and we have the scoop! Then we'll have an update on what not to eat from sea and stream from the folks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 12, 2004 (originally aired)June 25, 2005 (rebroadcast)

This week it's the story of a life-altering sweet tooth. Our guest, Steve Almond, author of Candyfreak, has lived his entire life for candy and surely knows more about candy history than Mars and Hershey combined. The Sterns are choosing between democracy and dictatorship at Hallo Berlin, a sausage cart on the streets of New York. Travel writer Anya Von Bremzen reports on world food markets worth a trip. Sally Schneider talks the garlic of the moment and shares a recipe for Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Roasted Garlic. Al Sicherman reports on "the unfortunate pantry: a taste test." Citysearch brings us a new way to find good eats when we're on the road, and Lynne shares her recipe for Sweet and Pungent Sicilian Sauce.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 29, 2004 (originally aired)June 18, 2005 (rebroadcast)

Funny and frank journalist Linda Ellerbee joins us this week to talk travel, eating, and the meaning of life. She shares a recipe for Mama's Rescued Fudge Pie from Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table, her recently published memoirs.The Sterns celebrate Grilled Cheese Month at Clementine in Los Angeles where the banana cream pie is to die for! Deborah Madison stops by with a fresh take on crepes. Her recipe for Masa Crepes with Chard, Chiles and Cilantro is from her new book, Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen.Dr. Arthur Aufderheide, who runs the International Mummy Registry, tells a fascinating tale of exhuming the bodies of the Medici's to figure out their diet! Read a profile of Dr. Aufderheide in the May 16, 2005 issue of The New Yorker.Jeremy Jackson, author of Good Day for a Picnic, takes summer dining al fresco beyond fried chicken and potato salad. His ideas for a perfectly packed picnic hamper include goodies like Brown Sugar Almonds for nibbling, Little Meatballs with Cherries for scooping up with pita bread, and Radler for sipping.Food and Wine editor Dana Cowin names the epicurean magazine's picks for Best New Chefs 2005, and Lynne takes your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 28, 2005

When our guest, Lawrence Osbourne, wondered if he could trust his own palate he went inside the wine world to find out. He'll tell us what he learned. His book is The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the World of Wine.The Sterns are getting their licks at one of America's last great ice cream factories—the Big Dipper in Prospect, Connecticut. Sally Schneider talks duck and claims it's the new steak. Try her recipe for Duck Breast with Thyme Infused Honey and Balsamic Pan Sauce. Andrew Dornenberg, co-author with Karen Page of The New American Chef, tells of a chef's ultimate sacrifice to seasonal cooking. Suquet de Rape, a Spanish fish stew, is a delicious offering from the book.Scott Haas takes us to Tokyo for a private tea ceremony, and Marion Cunningham joins us in a tribute to James Beard's 100th birthday. Marion's charming new book is Lost Recipes: Meals to Share with Friends and Family. Her classic Chicken, Fruit and Curry Salad comes from the book.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 1, 2004 (originally aired)May 14, 2005 (rebroadcast)