The Splendid Table

Dust off the TV trays. We're partying with Oscar and the stars! Movie buff and food historian Francine Segan shares "Best Picture Menus" to pair with this year's nominees. Penne with Saffron Cream Sauce, Three P's Salad andLemon Cake from Francine's book Movie Menus add culinary drama to Oscar night. It's a blast from the past for The Sterns. They're eating chicken croquettes at Hob Nob Hill in Sa...

This week it's an eater's guide to the port city of Marseille with Daniel Young, author of Made in Marseille: Food and Flavors from France's Mediterranean Seaport. Calamari, the great Marseille passion when it comes to food, is featured in Chez Etienne's Pan-Fried Calamari with Parsley and Garlic. The Sterns are eating lobster bisque and dainty pastries at the Wenham Tea House on Boston's North Sh...

This week it's global politics at the grocery store when our guests Anne Marie Ruff and Kevin Knox examine two sides of the controversial fair trade coffee issue. The Sterns will make vegetarians happy with sensational Southern veggies at Café Atchafalaya in New Orleans and a recipe for Shockingly Sweet Stewed Tomatoes. Wine wizard Joshua Wesson talks bargain Port-style wines. And techno-musician...

When your career involves chowing down on things like fries cooked in bacon fat with a steak chaser, what do you do when your health hits the wall? John Hodgman, food and drinks columnist for Men's Journal, found out. He stops by to tell the funny story of how he navigated the bumpy road to healthy eating. The Sterns, ever faithful to fats, have a bologna find in Pella, Iowa. And, to get us back o...

This week it’s primal cooking at its most seductive—over an open fire. Our guest is William Rubel, author of The Magic of Fire. He leaves us with a recipe for Lamb Kabobs to get us started. The Sterns have found a beautiful woman who makes beautiful food at Café Poca Cosa in Tucson, Arizona. Cheesemonger Steve Jenkins names the best cheese shops in the City of Lights. Sally Schneider, author of A...

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza, we're here to help with guest Paula Wolfert, author of The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook. Paula has fabulous and imaginative do-ahead recipes that will please everyone at your holiday table. The Sterns have escaped it all and are savoring New England hospitality atVermont's Dorset Inn. Josh Wesson talks "grower cha...

The baking season is here, the oven is cranked and we have recipes for you from the great bakers of Paris via Dorie Greenspan. Dorie's book, Paris Sweets: Great Desserts from the City's Best Pastry Shops brings together her best recipe finds, including Korova Cookies and the extravaganza called Opera Cake. The Sterns take the "Mega-Bob Challenge" (and lose) at Bob's Drive-In in Sioux Falls, South...

This week we'll explore the practice of geophagy, the eating of substances like soil, chalk, and clay as a cultural custom or for dietary or subsistence reasons, with our guest Susan Allport, author of The Primal Feast: Food, Sex, Foraging and Love. Evidence of geophagy has been found at archaeological sites and still occurs in much of the world (including the United States) today. Listen in on a...

David Rosengarten, whose new book, It's All American Food, joins us this year for our annual Thanksgiving show. David is a gifted cook who's always looking for great flavors from little work. TheThanksgiving dinner menu he shares with us has an interesting twist and it's all very doable. The Sterns are eating soul food amidst politicos and locals at Florida Avenue Grill in Washington, DC. Food for...

This week we'll explore the often-confusing world of olive oil with Deborah Krasner. With extra-virgin oils going for $37 dollars a quart and higher, we want to know what the oil tastes like before shelling out such an outrageous sum. For her new book, The Flavors of Olive Oil: A Tasting Guide and Cookbook, Deborah taste tested 150 different oils. She'll tell us about three oils she keeps in her p...

This week we’re bringing you a show we recorded live at The Gourmet Institute in New York City. Guests include, Ruth Reichl, editor in chief of Gourmet magazine; Gael Greene, former restaurant critic of New York Magazine; Daniel Boulud, chef/owner, Café Boulud; and the newest television star, Rocco DiSpirito, chef/owner of Union Pacific and Rocco's 22nd Street. Broadcast dates for this episode: No...

Rolling Stone magazine calls Jamie Oliver, known by Food Network devotees as The Naked Chef, a "hot foodie." But there's another side to this tousled British charmer that viewers rarely see, and it's related to his new mission in life. Tune in to hear Jamie give us the scoop, then try his outrageous recipe for the World's Best Baked Onions from his new book, Happy Days with the Naked Chef. Jane an...

It may occur in 1 in 200 people, it runs in families, women have it more than men, and those with it probably have a superior memory. It's synesthesia, and research neurologist Dr. Richard Cytowic will explain this fascinating peculiarity in the brain that results in the involuntary joining of two or more senses. If you think a slice of apple pie tastes like an octagon, tune in for some explanatio...

For some of us, a bit of fine, luxurious chocolate can soothe our stress or brighten a dreary day. But how many of us know that our Godiva bar started out as a goopy white substance from the insides of an ugly cacao pod? Maricel Presilla, author of The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao, shares some history and cultural lore about our antidote of choice and leaves us w...

This week we're looking at where our health and nutrition information comes from with Dr. Marion Nestle, professor and chair of New York University's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. Dr. Nestle has served as nutrition advisor to the USDA and the FDA and is the author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. She suggests some Internet sites that offer help i...

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 bi...

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...

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 coa...

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 Ca...

  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 ir...

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 Co...

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...

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...

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 i...