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

Paul Dolan, president of Fetzer Vineyards and author of True to Our Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution, has made some unconventional changes at one of America's most successful wineries. We'll hear how this big producer is practicing what usually works only on a small scale. It could be the new way of wine. The Sterns settle a meat pie debate at Cousin Jenny's Gourmet Cornish Pasties in Traverse City, Michigan, and Lynne weighs in with her take on the meal in a crust: Pizza Rustica.Gourmet magazine's John Willoughby talks that Asian classic, Steamed Sticky Rice, and David Rosengarten wants us to try veal breast, an inexpensive and overlooked cut. His recipe for Confit of Veal Breast is a good place to start. Mary Stuckey reports on the happy return of abalone, and Lynne takes your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 17, 2004 (originally aired)April 30, 2005 (rebroadcast)

California Chef Paul Bertolli, author of Cooking by Hand, gives new meaning to "cooking from scratch." He makes his own balsamic vinegar, cures his own salami and hams and grinds his own flours. We'll learn what drives this talented artisan and owner of the award-winning restaurant Oliveto in North Berkley. He leaves us with his recipe for Boiled Chicken with Vinegar Sauce.The Sterns are surrounded by teddy bears and scented candles as they dine on clam hash and Grape Nuts pudding at Pat's Kountry Kitchen in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.Wine maverick Joshua Wesson has traded hearty winter reds for bargain-priced spring wines from France, and Max Jacobson has an insider's guide to Las Vegas restaurants. We'll check out a new take on dinner theater in New York, and hear about what happened when one company decided to apply their salmon freezing techniques to lobster.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 3, 2004 (originally aired)April 23, 2005 (rebroadcast)

British journalist Christy Campbell joins us this week with the story behind the plague that threatened to destroy the world's vineyards. The fascinating account of how scientists working with vintners stopped a near disaster is documented in Mr. Campbell's book, The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World.The Sterns are half way between Miami and Havana, eating Cuban home-style food at El Siboney in Key West. Josh Wesson suggests wines to pair with smelly cheeses. His picks might surprise you. Chef Jerry Traunfeld is back and he's talking chervil. His recipe for lemony Chervil Avgolemono is light, fresh and perfect for spring. It's from his forthcoming book, The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor.New York food authority Mike Colamecco tells us where to find the best version of that Harlem special, Chicken and Waffles. Food historian and writer Cara De Silva previews the upcoming PBS special, The Meaning of Food, and, as always, the phone lines will be open for your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 2, 2005

"Our guest is BBC journalist Fuchsia Dunlop, the first foreigner invited to study at the professional chef's school in Sichuan, China. She fell in love with the spicy, hot, and unique cuisine the Chinese call "audacious cooking," and went on to pen Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking. She leaves us her recipe for Fish-Fragrant Eggplant from the book.For the Sterns, it's French toast and Red Velvet Cake at Diana's in Charleston, and Lynne reveals her "Southern Fantasy Trip Back Seat Library!" We'll talk international beans and weenies with Anya Von Bremzen. Her recipe for Feijoada Completa is from her new book, The Greatest Dishes!: Around the World in 80 Recipes.Wine expert Jay McInerney is back offering his opinions on the world of wine. This time he's predicting Sauvignon Blanc will cancel out Chardonnay! In a bow to the current political climate, we'll address one of the issues dividing the nation—the diet wars. And we'll hear from Murph Dawkins who, during a renovation of her St. Paul bar, discovered hidden treasure in the basement!Broadcast dates for this episode:March 20, 2004 (originally aired)March 26, 2005 (rebroadcast)

This week it's heartbreak, glory, and big money. We're talking cooking contests with Amy Sutherland, author of Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America. If you think the Superbowl is competitive, wait until you hear how serious cooks go for the gold!The Sterns dine family-style at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House in Savannah, Georgia. Food forager Ari Weinzweig delights chile heads with talk of the great pepper duo from Spain, and leaves us his recipe for Stuffed Piquillo Peppers.Tea man Bill Waddington takes us to the new center for cutting-edge teas, then we're off to Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery where liquid refreshment isn't limited to humans.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 31, 2004 (originally aired)March 12, 2005 (rebroadcast)

This week it's the story of two Southern cooks from different generations, different places, and different races. Young chef Scott Peacock talks about his special friendship with Edna Lewis, a cook, writer, and octogenarian who is one of our national culinary treasures. Scott leaves us his recipes for Sugared Raspberries and Scott's Chicken Stock from The Gift of Southern Cooking, the book he co-authored with Miss Lewis.The Sterns are also in Dixie, eating banana splits and dipsy doodles atElliston Place Soda Shop in Nashville. Sally Schneider talks chicories and other aggressive greens that she tames in her recipe for Bitter Greens with Seasonal Fruit and Roasted Nuts. Lynne joins in with Nonna's Sneaky Greens Soup.New York Times food writer Amanda Hesser, author of the charmingCooking for Mr. Latte, tells of a dinner where courtship, family relations, and culinary intimidation came together. Ginger Duck is what they ate. And we'll hear from a harvester of one of the planet's most complete foods—seaweed!Broadcast dates for this episode:March 13, 2004 (originally aired)February 26, 2005 (rebroadcast)

Brush the snow off the Weber! Steven Raichlen is back and he's talking winter grilling. Never mind that the wind chill is 10 below. Steven's Green Lightning Shrimp, from his book BBQ USA, will warm you to your toes.The Sterns get a jolt from the Tabasco Ice Cream at Robin's Restaurant in Henderson, Louisiana. "Bright Lights, Big City" guy Jay McInerney wants us to think Rose Champagne for Valentine's Day. It's what we'll be sipping with Lynne's Double Dark Chocolate Excess.Tea expert Bill Waddington brings us his guide to pairing tea with food. Monique Truong takes us back to Paris in the 1920's with a peek into a very private dinner, and some marketing folks want us to smell like Bombay Sapphire Gin!Broadcast dates for this episode:February 12, 2001 (originally aired)February 14, 2004 (rebroadcast)February 15, 2005 (rebroadcast)

This week Miles Cahn, creator of Coach handbags and, ultimately, Coach Farm Goat Cheese, tells the story of trading big-city life for dairy farming in the Hudson Valley. It's a tale of one man's journey from successful businessman to being held hostage by 1,000 goats. His book is The Perils and Pleasures of Domesticating Goat Cheese.Jane and Michael Stern are eating pancakes at Dot's Diner in Wilmington, Vermont. Josh Wesson addresses the thorny issue of the disappearing wine cork, and shares his picks of wines with screw tops.Boston Globe food editor Sheryl Julian talks the real world of cooking today, and shares a recipe forPortuguese Chicken and Rice from her book The Way We Cook. We'll have an intriguing restaurant report from Ann Marie Ruff, and Andrea Wilson introduces us tobiodegradable utensils for take-out food.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 24, 2004 (originally aired)January 29, 2005 (rebroadcast)

Did you know that one quarter of all vegetables eaten in America are french fries? Our guest, Dr. Kelly Brownell, Director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders and author of Food Fight, thinks huge advertising budgets have more to do with this frightening statistic than our lack of will power. But Dr. Brownell says there's hope on the horizon. He joins us for a look at some of the victories in our battle with obesity.With much of the country in a deep freeze, we think a bowl of steaming chili is in order. The Sterns found a fabulous one at Porubsky's Grocery in Topeka, Kansas, and Lynne shares her recipe forWinter Veggie Chili. Sally Schneider talks healthy ways to cook with bacon, as in her recipe for Roasted Root Vegetable Hash. Cooper Gillespie, a charming pooch of discriminating taste, inspired his human, Susan Orlean, to penThrow Me a Bone, a collection of his favorite recipes. Susan joins us to talk the merits of cooking nutritious, tasty food, like Goldie's Meatloaf Cup Cakes, for your best friend.We'll hear of a student's year abroad and lessons in culinary patriotism, and we get the latest from Vogue magazine—are you ready for status mints?Broadcast dates for this episode:January 17, 2004 (originally aired)January 15, 2005 (rebroadcast)

We're cooking in the raw, vegan style, with renowned Chicago chef Charlie Trotter, co-author of a new book aptly titled Raw. It's stunning food using new techniques like those in his recipe for Cauliflower Soup with Balsamic Red Onions and Wilted Lettuce.The Sterns are nibbling succulent shrimp while basking on the sunny deck at the Anchor Line in South Carolina's James Island.David Rosengarten has hot chocolates that "will likely improve your winter by geometric proportions!"Kitchen detective Christopher Kimball's reveals how ordinary carrots and turnips became "ravishing roots" in his recipe for Ten-Minute Root Vegetables.Maria Bakkalupa takes us to Bali for its quintessential celebration of babies, gods and food, and New York's Mr. Cutlets, author of Meat Me in Manhattan, has advice for carnivores and Dr. Atkins' fans looking for their next meal in the Big Apple.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 10, 2004 (originally aired)January 1, 2005 (rebroadcast)