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

This week it's an antidote to the dog days of summer from Raghavan Iyer, a native of Bombay and author of The Turmeric Trail: Recipes and Memories from an Indian Childhood. Raghavan knows it's all about what you eat. He'll share a cooling menu that includes Corn with Roasted Chiles and Coconut Milk, Chaat, and Green Papaya Salad, all inspired by Bombay street food.Jane and Michael Stern have a big night out at Archie's Waeside, a classic Midwest supper club in Le Mars, Iowa. Winemaker Randall Graham of Boony Doon Vineyards says riesling, long considered nerdy if not ignored altogether, is the wine to pair with nearly everything we're eating right now. Chef Jerry Traunfeld offers a simple recipe for Melon with Tarragon featuring that finicky prima donna of the herb world. We hear about a novel use for succulent ripe tomatoes from the famed French Laundry Restaurant, and the second half of the show is open to your phone calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:August 3, 2002 (originally aired)July 19, 2003 (rebroadcast)

This week Jayne Hurley, co-author of Restaurant Confidential and senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, joins us for talk about the best and the worst fast-food picks. We'll learn why Burger King is out and Wendy's is in when it comes to healthy choices for eating on the run. And let's face it: Many of us occasionally do the drive-through.Jane and Michael Stern are eating fast food at Hamburger Inn in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Beer aficionado Steven Beaumont wants us to try his favorite summer drink: spicy Belgian white beers. Kitchen designer and cook Deborah Krasner has great Web food finds; reporter Scott Haas is making Brazilian cocktails in Rio; and you'll learn why your cat is finicky, while your dog eats anything.Lynne's Belgian Tartine is just the thing to pair with those white beers, and we have a refreshing summer wine cooler called World Cup Cup.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 20, 2002 (originally aired)July 12, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Film director, novelist, and playwright Nora Ephron, whose latest book is Crazy Salad, is a woman who loves to cook and have friends in to eat. Everyone has a great time at her house and her dinner parties are legendary. She'll tell us how she stopped worrying, broke a bunch of rules, and learned to enjoy entertaining.It's mini hot dogs, not lobster, for Jane and Michael Stern at Flo's on the coast of Maine.Travel & Leisure magazine's Anya Von Bremzen has a connoisseur's guide to authentic paella and shares arecipe and tips from her forthcoming book. We have mail-order sources for specialty rice, the key ingredient in the classic Spanish dish. David Rosengarten picks the best ice creams in America, we'll hear from a Wisconsin man who's been making butter for over 40 years, and Lynne has a menu for summer entertaining.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 6, 2002 (originally aired)June 21, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Lynne talks with Dr. Andrew Weil, the maverick medical doctor who's become a renowned authority on integrated healing. He shares three simple things we can all do to be healthier, along with a recipe for Mexican Chicken Soup from his latest book, The Healthy Kitchen: Recipes for a Better Body, Life and Spirit.For balance, Jane and Michael Stern tuck into chicken fried steak and scones at Mom's Cafe in Salina, Utah.Joshua Wesson talks wine cocktails and gives us recipes for Sangria and White Sangria, both perfect for summer sipping.Gourmet magazine's John Willoughby introduces us to some new Latin vegetables, one of which is in his recipe for Hobo Pack of Yuca, Corn, and Tomatoes from his latest book, Let the Flames Begin.We hear from the man who blended hot chiles with cold juices to come up with Loco Soda. And Lynne reviews her favorite bargain-priced olive oils and an outstanding premium oil from New Zealand.For information on the glycemic index of foods, check these Web sites:www.mendosa.comwww.diabetesnet.comBroadcast dates for this episode:July 13, 2002 (originally aired)June 14, 2003 (rebroadcast)

 This week it's a saga of money, ecology and a struggle to survive on the South Dakota prairie. Dan O'Brien, author of the autobiographical Buffalo for the Broken Heart, is a cattle rancher who asked some difficult questions and found some unexpected answers. One led to the restoration of life to his Black Hills ranch.Jane and Michael Stern recently returned from South Dakota where they found irresistible homemade potato chips. Savored right from the bag or crumbled atop a comforting Perfect Tuna Casserole, one is never enough.Kitchen designer Deborah Krasner stops by to explain why she believes proper seating is the key to kitchen happiness.From her book A Thousand Days in Venice, American journalist, chef and woman in love Marlena de Blasi tells the story of leaving her native Saint Louis to follow her Italian fiancé to Venice. There she prepared for her wedding and embarked on a romantic journey of discovery. Fresh Pasta with Roasted Walnut Sauce is a dish from her early days with the man who is now her husband. Broadcast dates for this episode:June 8, 2002 (originally aired)May 31, 2003 (rebroadcast)

French chef-turned-barbecue expert Steven Raichlen is back with some off-the-wall grilling techniques from his new book Beer-Can Chicken. Whether it's in a leaf or in the coals, on a stick or under a brick, Steve inspires us to fire up the grill and start cooking. His recipe for Basic Beer-Can Chicken gets us started.Jane and Michael Stern tell of the sublime hand-formed biscuits at Mamie's in Conyers, Georgia, and Lynne shares her favorite biscuit recipe—Shirley Corriher's Touch-of-Grace Biscuits. Beer expert Steve Beaumont wants us to try cask ale; and novelist Jim Crace has a tale of the psychology ofcrabapples. Lynne's trivia segment concerns a ship and rye crackers, and we'll check in with the folks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watchto learn what's on the "avoid" list.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 4, 2002 (originally aired)May 17, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Broadcast dates for this episode:May 10, 2003

Elizabeth Schneider, a woman who knows vegetables from the seed to the plate, joins us this week with simple ideas for good, healthy eating from her new book Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference. Elizabeth has given over the past decade to gathering every shred of information on produce—the best varieties to buy and the best ways to cook them. Her recipes for Baked Scented Beets and Greens and Herbed Carrot and Leek Chunks, Oven Steamed are inspired.It's terrific Mexican food at Mariscos Chihuahua in Tucson, Arizona, for Jane and Michael Stern. Our very opinionated cheese guy Steve Jenkins talkschèvre, and Randall Graham, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyards, forecasts the next thing in wine bottling—screw tops. Writer Susana Trilling, author of Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, takes us to Mexico and into the kitchen of the woman who taught her to cook. Her recipe forMole Coloradito Oaxaqueño is extraordinary. We'll hear about mind games designed to get us to tip more (listen up, waiters and waitresses!), and Lynne takes phone calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 11, 2002 (originally aired)April 26, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Dr. Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, joins us this week for a look at how TV commercials shape our eating habits. His take on how advertising may be affecting our health raises all sorts of questions. Should junk food be controlled like alcohol and tobacco ads?On the opposite side of the health issue, Jane and Michael Stern are eating Butter Burgers at Solly's Grille in Milwaukee. Only in Wisconsin would they figure out how to add butter to a burger.Joshua Wesson has great buys in Spring wines to go with Lynne's Spring Fling menu and recipes. Patty Volk, author of Stuffed, delivers a soliloquy on dieting, David Rosengarten evaluates pasta, and it's space food for the astronauts on the International Space Station.Broadcast dates for this episode:April 20, 2002 (originally aired)April 12, 2003 (rebroadcast)

Coffee buyer and master roaster Kevin Knox, co-author of Coffee Basics, joins us with a guide to roasts and brewing methods, tells us what the pros are drinking now, and reveals a few surprises, too. To top it off, Lynne's decadent Espresso-Ricotta Cream with Chocolate Espresso Sauce is the perfect partner for a rich cup of joe.Jane and Michael Stern muse about religion and barbecue at Harold's in Atlanta and share a recipe for Cracklin Cornbread Muffins from their book,Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs. Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan demystifies Sherry, Bill Waddington talks tea lore, and Jim Crace tells the tale of a grocer and his pygmy oranges.Broadcast dates for this episode:January 19, 2002 (originally aired)March 28, 2003 (rebroadcast)