Mark Waymack, author of The Book of Classic American Whiskeys, tells us that brown spirits—from single barrel bourbons to rye whiskeys—are making a comeback. The cold months are not far away so now's the time to begin thinking ahead to heartier foods and lustier libations. Use Mark's bourbon tasting notes, draw up a guest list, and start planning your own tasting! Jane and Michael Stern report in from Rhode Island this week with some favorite spots for jonnycakes. A question from the listener Mailbag inspired Lynne to talk about clabber, and she gives some sources for quality dairy products and cheese, along with her recipe for last of the tomatoes commemorative sandwich.
Whatever you celebrate—Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or the Solstice —there's something for you on the Splendid Table this week. Italian food legend Marcella Hazan, author of the recently published Marcella Cucina, and her husband, Victor, share a recipe for lobster pasta sauce and talk Italian Christmas traditions with Lynne, who will reminisce a bit herself. British conductor Christopher Hogwood takes us back to the Charles Dickens era with a recipe for baked goose, but only Jane and Michael Stern would take us to Christmas in Las Vegas! John Martin Taylor of deep-fried turkey fame is back but he's thinking oysters and champagne this time, and writer David Nussbaum tells of discovering a new link to Hanukkah traditions. As always, the phone lines will be open for your calls.
The holiday party season has begun and now's the time to indulge in that quintessential excess—champagne and caviar! Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy, authors of the recently published The Wine Buying Companion for Dummies, will tell us what to select for aperitifs, a dinner party or very special gift. Our favorite fish and seafood expert, Mark Bittman, author of Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking, enlightens us on what to look for when buying caviar and shares a favorite source. After such extravagant indulging who better to bring us back to earth than Jane and Michael Stern? They'll tell us their picks for down-home comfort food. Steve from Charleston tries to Stump the Cook, and Lynne shares our choice for the best 1997 mail-order gift and takes your calls. Also, some meaningful gift-giving ideas at Heifer Project International.
We'll tell you where to find the best of the best in mail-order food with Jeffrey Steingarten, food critic for Vogue magazine and author of the recently published The Man Who Ate Everything. Last year Jeff turned us on to a smoked salmon purveyor in Iceland—tune in for his secrets to inspired gift giving this season. Fried pies are on Jane and Michael Sterns' minds this week; Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan talks vintage character port; Sam in San Antonio tries to Stump the Cook; and Lynne takes your calls.
It's a vegetarian Thanksgiving with Deborah Madison, author of The Greens Cookbook, The Savory Way, and the newly published Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Deborah offers a vegetarian menu and shares her recipe for winter squash galette. For balance, that quintessential southerner, Hoppin' John Martin Taylor, author of The Fearless Frying Cookbook, talks us through a different approach to the traditional bird with his method for deep- fried turkey. Jane and Michael Stern say perhaps the best way to eat turkey is in a sandwich and tell us where to find good ones when we're on the road. Betsy from Portland tries to Stump the Cook, and Lynne gives tips throughout the show for a festive and successful Thanksgiving dinner.
From New York City to Detroit to Dallas, we're looking at the Best New Restaurants of 1997 with John Mariani, food and travel correspondent for Esquire magazine. John has restaurant tips you won't want to miss. Jane and Michael Stern tell us where to find a superb Virginia treat—peanut soup; specialty produce expert David Karp gives us his short list of great mail-order fruit for the holidays; John from Texas tries to Stump the Cook, and Lynne gives a Denver restaurant pick.
New Orleans native Lolis Eric Elie, author of Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country, shares a recipe for Kansas City barbecue seasoning and a list of not-to-be-missed barbecue joints. Jane and Michael Stern disclose the East Coast's best purveyors of lobster rolls, and Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan talks Pinot Noir.
You'll want to pack your bags and head to Italy after Fred Plotkin, author of Recipes from Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera, fills us in on Liguria. Fred will share his picks of not-to-be-missed small towns, some great Ligurian olive oils, and his recipe for an authentic Ligurian dish— potato-string bean tart. Jane and Michael Stern have been taking in the fall colors in Vermont and tell us about America's oldest general store located in Bath; and our Master of Wine, Mary Ewing Mulligan, shares her thoughts on what she considers might well be the last great buy in wine—Chianti.
Let the slurping begin! It's a look at noodles, one of the perfect comfort foods with Nina Simonds, author of Asian Noodles: Mouthwatering Dishes to Twirl, Slurp and Savor. Nina will take us through the world of pad thai, Vietnamese pho and noodle etiquette and share her recipe for rainbow peanut noodles. Jane and Michael Stern have been south sampling country hams and tell us where to find a great one. Tim from New York tries to Stump the Cook; our grocery guru, Al Sicherman, takes Lynne to the world of Halloween candy; and Lynne shares her recipe for Don Pomodoro sauce—a wonderful way to use those delicious, ripe tomatoes from the garden.
We're taking a look at kitchen design with Deborah Krasner, author of Kitchens For Cooks. Those burn marks on your arms are the true sign of how well your kitchen is laid out! Even if you only go from freezer to the microwave —there are some things you should consider. Jane and Michael Stern take us to the clam belt, specialty fruit expert David Karp tells us about a melon worth traveling to France for, and Lynne shares a recipe for honeydew salsa and talks about the Eco-Pump.
It's the high season of fresh produce, and what better time to think about the French art of preserving with Georgeanne Brennan, author of The Glass Pantry. Georgeanne spends half the year in Provence and brings a different approach—French-inspired small batches of treasures that take little time to produce. How about recipes for pears pickled in Merlot and folie of fall fruits? Both are guaranteed to bring a spark of elegance to your holiday table. That classic autumn smell is in the air for our roadfood experts, Jane and Michael Stern, but it's not from burning leaves—it's those roasting chilies along Route 76 between Taos and Santa Fe! We're traveling with Bill Penzey, owner of Penzey's, Ltd., on an adventure to the Spice Islands; Marilyn from Minneapolis tries to Stump the Cook, and our grocery guru, Al Sicherman, has some insights into America's beef crisis.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield—yes, THE Ben and Jerry—share a bit of their business philosophy, some thoughts on ice cream, and their recipe for Cherry Garcia. Our cheese expert, Steve Jenkins, talks Spanish cheese, including his pick for "Cheese of the Decade" —Torta del Casar; Jane and Michael Stern take us to a Roundup in Pendleton, Oregon; Scott from Lexington tries to Stump the Cook; and Lynne takes your calls. Labor Day and back-to-school are approaching, but there's still great barbecue weather ahead so fire up the grill and check out Lynne's picks of music to barbecue by.
We're live with Jane and Michael Stern, from that wonderful land of summertime excess and frivolity—the Minnesota State Fair! Can there ever be too many corn dogs, cheese curds, French fries, and bloomin' onions? There's gardens worth planning a vacation around from Mary Tonetti Dorra, author of Beautiful American Vegetable Gardens; Joyce from Minneapolis tries to Stump the Cook, and Lynne shares a recipe for Nonna's pan-fried zucchini flowers.
Jeremy Iggers, author of The Garden of Eating: Food, Sex, and the Hunger for Meaning, takes a look at American appetites. Are we afraid of our food? On the 20th anniversary of the King's death, Jane and Michael Stern reminisce about Elvis—the man, the legend, the food! David from New York tries to stump the cook, we have a birthday tribute to Julia Child, and Lynne shares a recipe for herbed vinegars.
Restaurateur Joyce Goldstein, author of Kitchen Conversations, takes us behind those swinging doors for an insider's peek at the restaurant biz and shares a recipe for roast fish with Sicilian sweet-and-sour onions. Jane and Michael Stern lead us to an inn, in Havana, North Dakota, and specialty fruit expert David Karp talks peaches.
It's a look at 90's etiquette with Peggy Post, the latest of the Post Family to update the classic book Emily Post's Etiquette. How, exactly, are we supposed to deal with a quesadilla, anyway? Jane and Michael Stern lament the loss of the Woolworth's Lunch Counter and trace the origins of Frito Pie. Food and humor columnist Al Sicherman examines corn-on-the-cob etiquette; Cecile from Charlotte plays Stump the Cook; we have a remembrance of dinner with Lenny—Lenny Bernstein, that is! And Lynne talks wood-fired ovens and shares a recipe for fresh lime and chile for corn on the cob.
A look at seven decades of American food fads with Sylvia Lovegren, author of Fashionable Foods, from the Prohibition era's Ginger-Ale Salad to the 90s obsession with fusion cooking—no matter what —it's all American! She even has a recipe to wax nostalgic. Don Skahill talks about the Pop Tart—a fad that outlived even the Fondue. Travelers Jane and Michael Stern report in from "Robert Redford Land"—Utah. Cheese expert Steve Jenkins gives us the rules of cheese storage—move over, plastic wrap.
This week it's the farmer's market with Janet Fletcher, author of Fresh From the Farmers Market. Jane and Michael Stern talk Santa Maria-Style BBQ, Al Sicherman, food and humor columnist for the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis, brings us the latest news from the grocery aisle.
Fine tune those Webers with John Willoughby, coauthor of the award winning book Thrill of the Grill and the newly published License to Grill. Check out this week's recipe: your basic whole grilled fish strategy. We talk to Fred Dodsworth, publisher of auJuice,The Journal of Eatin', Drinkin' and Screwin' round. Specialty fruit expert David Karp talks about cherries. Lynne takes your calls, answers listener mail, and challenges another listener in this week's "StumpThe Cook" Great news!— in the spirit of "you can get get too much of a good thing," Jane and Michael Stern will join us every week with their "Two For The Road" series starting July 5th.
Food scientist Shirley Corriher joins us to share her food freshness tips and to diagnose your culinary dilemmas with her inimitable Southern style. We talk with Karen Brooks, coauthor of the hit summer book Patio Daddy-O. Al Sicherman is back with a report from the Food Marketing Institute Show and has a "Stupid New Products Parade." Lynne takes your calls, recommends Southern cookbooks, and takes to the field in this week's episode of "Stump the Cook."
It's time to hit the road with Jane and Michael Stern, authors of Eat Your Way Across the USA. Fish specialist Mark Bittman shares his insights on fresh as compared to frozen. We talk to chef Francois Maeder about gourmet rafting in the Santa Elena Canyon. Lynne takes your calls, answers listener mail, and challenges another contestant in this week's "Stump The Cook".
It's an entire hour devoted to chocolate with Alice Medrich, author of the award-winning books Cocolat: Extraordinary Chocolate Desserts and Chocolate and the Art of Low-fat Desserts. Check out this week's recipe, bittersweet chocolate truffles "Maison." Commentator Euan Kerr lauds haggis, the "Great Chieftan o' the puddin' race." Were you wondering what to serve to honor poet Robert Burns birthday? Specialty produce expert David Karp celebrates the Chinese New Year with the pummelo, and Michael Coe, author of The True History of Chocolate (coauthored with Sophie Coe) walks us through the origins of chocolate.
This week on the Splendid Table it's the food of Vietnam with Mai Pham, author of The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking. Specialty fruit expert David Karp reports back from a recent trip to Australia. Conductor Christopher Hogwood introduces us to a 17th-century chef with some very modern ideas on the art of vegetable cookery. Lynne answers listener mail, takes your calls, and enters the ring for another round of "Stump the Cook." This week's recipe: rice paper-wrapped salad rolls
Steve Jenkins is author of the Cheese Primer and one of the country's leading and most opinionated authorities on cheese and cheesemaking. Steve will sort out the Muensters from the Munsters! Here is a list of Steve's favorites to take to your local cheesemonger. Mary Ewing Mulligan dusts off a few of her favorite Cognacs and sheds some light on those mysterious label markings. If XO looks like your favorite scrabble word and VSOP something you might find on an invite, then you'll want to take an educated look. Lynne offers up another recipe in "Beyond Takeout," a segment devoted to getting fast good food on your family table.
A look at Americans and food—why we eat what we eat, with anthropologist Sidney W. Mintz, author of Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom.
Need some advice on how to throw a really great party? Join us for a look at entertaining with one of the doyennes of good living, Alexandra Stoddard, author of Gracious Living in a New World. She brings us her knowledge and enthusiasm for living well. Whether you're entertaining friends or home alone for the evening, a cheese plate is an indulgence you won't want to miss, and cheesemonger Steve Jenkins gives us a few ideas for a memorable meal. Mindy Marin, author of The Secret to Tender Pie—America's Grandmothers Share Their Favorite Recipes, talks about her quest for those closely held secrets lurking in grandmother's pantries! CONGRATULATIONS! Among the recipient's of last Monday's James Beard Awards were Splendid Table regulars Jane and Michael Stern ("Best Magazine Series" for three articles in their "Two for the Road" series) and Steve Jenkins ("Reference and Food Guides" for his book Cheese Primer). Hats off from all of us at the Splendid Table. Lynne answers listener mail and challenges another contestant in this week's "Stump the Cook." Today's recipe: Alexandra Stoddard's welcome crudite
A look at food additives with Ed Blonz, author of the Your Personal Nutritionist series. What exactly is gluconic acid and isopropyl citrate and do we want to be eating them? Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan explains wine labeling. We talk to the creators of Starchefs.com about their site and the Monday, May 5, live netscast of the annual James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony (this is Oscar Night for the culinary world). Lynne answers listener mail and challenges another listener in this weeks episode of "Stump The Cook." This week's new recipe: homemade crème fraîche.
Food scientist Shirley Corriher will diagnose your culinary dilemma with southern style. Jane and Michael Stern venture to Brooklyn to visit Lundy's— Once the world's largest restaurant (now a mere 800 seats) it remains a boisterous Brooklyn dining hall. Specialty fruit expert David Karp delves into the exotic cherimoya. Lynne answers listener mail, and challenges another contestant in this weeks "Stump The Cook." This week's new recipe: steamed broccoli with chile oil.
Authentic Mexican with legendary chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless. This week's recipe: essential roasted tomato-jalapeno salsa, plus some simple and flavorful ideas on how to use it.
A look at the art and influence of American Jewish food with Joan Nathan, author of the award-winning book Jewish Cooking in America. Joan shares a recipe for Janos Wilder's new American haroset. Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan shares her picks of Kosher wines. Commentator Gwen Macsai takes us undercover in NYC— kosher undercover, that is! Lynne answers listener mail and we'll have another installment of "Stump the Cook."
Inspired light cooking from one of America's masters—Martha Rose Schulman, author of the award-winning books Mediterranean Light and the recently published Mexican Light. Today's recipe is refried black beans. Cheesemonger Steve Jenkins returns with his picks for the best in American spring cheeses. An interview with Kate Greer, Editor-in-chief of Weight Watchers magazine about its recent makeover. Lynne answers listener mail and tries to outsmart our contestant in this week's episode of "Stump The Cook."
Naturalist Steven Brill, author of Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild and Not So Wild Places, is your guide to delicious backyard foraging! The cattail season is NOW! The sap is running and Jane and Michael Stern have been sampling the best that New Hampshire has to offer. Pick up your spouts and buckets, put on your wellies and a warm shirt and get to Polly's Pancake Parlour in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. Commentator Mark Bittman fills us in on farm-raised vs. wild fish. We have a recipe from Lynne for roast leg of lamb with hot and sweet onion confit, we'll answer some listener mail, and have our first installment of "Stump the Cook"—our homage to the old Tonight Show.
Lynne will field your questions in an hour devoted to listener's calls on cooking basics. It's a food free-for-all—anything goes! Al Sicherman, food and humor columnist for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, has been reading all that fine print under the bar-codes only to find some fairly libertine uses of "low-fat" and "reduced fat" labelling. The things THEY don't want you to know! Commentator Bix Skahill tells us about what he learned at the family dinner table and Rex Levang talks about the intersection of food and opera. Lynne answers listener mail and shares her recipe for the perfect roast chicken
A discussion of The American Food Chain with Professor Emeritus of Nutrition, Joan Gussow
Merle Ellis, author of The Great American Meat Book, will be with us to take your calls on everything from T-bones to tenderloins and he has a new take on Easter dinner—how about a country ham! Merle will fill us in on where to find one and what to do with it. Check out his recipe for country ham with red-eye gravy. Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan gives us great ideas for pairing wine with food (think tawny port with stilton and walnuts!) Travel tips on the Tyrolean region of Austria from Margaret Fox and Chris Kump, owners of the renowned Cafe Beaujolais in Mendoncino, California—find out about staying at their Austrian castle. Lynne answers listener mail about how to pick a good CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture) and how to track down great places to eat while on the road.
Bob Klein, author of The Beer Lover's Rating Guide, has logged over 90,000 miles over the past decade and a half in search of the perfect beer—and is committed to tasting 2,000 beers by the year 2000! Consider this your guide to microbrews. We have a conversation with Peter Davidoff, owner of the H.C. Berger Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, about what its really like to run a microbrewery. Nell Newman, cofounder of Newman's Own Organics, tells us about life in a family business. Lynne answers listener questions about cumin and cocoa powder, recommends two new cooking schools in France, and shares a recipe that puts those microbrews to work.
What puts the French in French Roast? Sara Perry, author of The Complete Coffee Book and The Book of Herbal Teas, will be with us to answer your calls on coffee and tea. Interested in growing your own herbal teas? What's the secret to the perfect cup of coffee? Here's your chance to perfect your morning ritual. Darra Goldstein, author of The Vegetarian Hearth, talks about her love of Winter Foods and the power secreted away in every pantry. Celebrate living in a world where winter is real! (by the way, the book she refers to is The Golovlevsby Mikhail Sultykov-Shchedrin) Iced tea is never out of season for Kathleen Purvis—Food Editor of the Charlotte Observer. Lynne has spent some time down south and has some thoughts on butter.
This week it's the secrets behind the seasonings with master cook Julie Sahni, author ofSavoring Spices and Herbs.You may know Julie from her books on Classic Indian Cooking. Now she's traveled the world gathering recipes and information on herbs and spices. Jane and Michael Stern are back again with the best bratwurst picks (possibly the secret ingredient for Super Bowl Success) The Vinegar Man—Lawrence Diggs—shares his ideas on the one ingredient found in almost every kitchen in the world—vinegar. And, the curmudgeon shares her views on cooking sprays.
A look at why Americans are overweight with Dr. Kelly D. Brownell, Professor of Psychology at the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders. Yale Medical School Professor and Taste Expert—Dr. Linda Bartoshuk, sheds some light on why we choose to eat what we eat—the actual physiology of taste (ice cream anyone?) and how the sense of taste affects our lives. Jane and Michael Stern are back again with 3 of the country's best picks for comfort food guaranteed to warm your soul.
With Linda and Fred Griffith, authors of Cooking Under Cover —the definitive guide to stews, braises and casseroles. Who can forget Mom's famous one-pot suppers? This week's recipe,tea-smoked scallops. Gerald Asher, wine editor forGourmetmagazine, talks about his new book Vineyard Tales: Reflections on Wine. Lynne shares some cheese picks of her own plus four great books to help pass these long winter nights.
With Elaine Corn, author of Now You're Cooking and Now You're Cooking for Company, here's a show designed for the beginning cook, with some inspiration for those more advanced! This week's recipe: sautéed chicken breasts. Specialty produce expert David Karp talks about sources for one of winter's greatest pleasures —the blood orange. And what inspires America's greatest chefs? We talk with the co-author of Culinary Artistry, Andrew Dornenburg, about the creative processes of America's culinary artists.