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

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

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)

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

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)

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)

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)

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:December 2, 2000 (originally aired)December 29, 2001 (rebroadcast)

Jay McInerney, the acerbically witty author of that blockbuster novel of sin and debauchery, Bright Lights, Big City, has turned his considerable talents to the subject of wine. An unabashed oenophile who calls himself a "grape nut," Jay's irreverent wine columns for House & Garden magazine have been culled for his latest book, Bacchus & Me. Fasten your seat belts and tune in for a serendipitous and highly-informed romp through the world of wine.Jane and Michael Stern are hanging out at the Shortstop Diner at Exit 148 off the Garden State Parkway. John Willoughby, whose latest book with co-author Chris Schlesinger is How to Cook Meat, wants us to think beyond turkey when we're serving a crowd. Their recipe for Crown Roast of Lamb with Saffron Rice and Apricot-Mint Sauce should do the trick. Nach Waxman of New York City's Kitchen Arts & Letters bookstore stops by with a list offood and wine reference books just in time for holiday gifting. Lynne recently returned from Salt Lake City, and tells of a delightful bed and breakfast find and "the best fish taco I've ever had!" And, finally, she reveals her sources for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, her favorite gift to give at the holidays.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 16, 2000 (originally aired)December 22, 2001 (rebroadcast)

It's our annual holiday show, and we've assembled a team of experts on cooking, entertaining, and gift giving. Sally Schneider, author of A New Way to Cook, has entertaining wrapped up with three easy menus and recipes guaranteed to wow your guests. Sally's food tastes great, it's stylish, it's healthy—it's how we want to eat now.The Sterns are eating pancakes and enjoying the spectacular holiday lights display at Clifton Mill in Ohio. Chef Gray Kunz, co-author of The Elements of Taste, reveals a new way to approach cooking and shares his recipe for luscious Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Mustard Brine and Tangy Pears. Steve Beaumont has seasonalbeers for Santa, it's stocking stuffers from gadget queen Dorie Greenspan, and Lynne has more gift ideas for the cooks on your list.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 15, 2001

Diana Kennedy, the British woman who introduced America to authentic Mexican cooking and started our love affair with the chile pepper, joins us this week to share the Mexico she knows so well. Diana's latest book,The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, is a treasure. So is her recipe for tortillas filled with mushrooms Empanadas De Hongos.The always original Jane and Michael Stern are in Charleston, South Carolina, eating at The Wreck, a restaurant that's hard to find because it's housed in an old bait locker and has no sign. Joshua Wesson, wine maverick and seeker of the unexpected, has been tasting wines from Canada and stops by with a report. Our favorite "slightly neurotic" foodie, Scott Haas, recently traveled to New York City to dine at Restaurant Daniel where deep pockets are de rigeur. He tells us if it was worth the trip.When we heard of a new spa at the Hotel Hershey where they use chocolate in the treatments Lynne rushed to the phone to get the details. She was intrigued by the chocolate fondue body wrap. We'll listen in on her conversation with spa director Jennifer Whaland Smith.Broadcast dates for this episode:November 25, 2000 (originally aired)November 24, 2001 (rebroadcast)