Legendary filmmaker Ismail Merchant of Room with a View and Cotton Mary fame has three great passions film, food, and cooking and he's with us this week to share tales of filming and feasting. Ismail is renowned in the motion-picture community for the weekly curry suppers he prepares for cast and crew. Try the recipe for Ismail's Incredibly Instant Chicken, created during the filming of A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries. It's from his new book, Ismail Merchant's Paris.
We're on the road this week, first to Europe and the beautiful mountains straddling the border between France and Spain. The Basques who inhabit this area are some of Europe's most fascinating people. Mark Kurlansky, author of The Basque History of the World, introduces us to Basque life and culture, a subject he's researched for 25 years.
We're heading to the quintessential Christmas town, Naples, Italy, with Arthur Schwartz author of Naples at Table. Arthur shares recipes form the edge of Mt. Vesuvius! Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan talks us through the myriad of wine magazines on the racks, we talk to a Stilton maker in England, and our roadside warriors Jane and Michael Stern are mail-ordering Buffalo from Wyoming!
It's our annual Thanksgiving show and minimalist cook Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything, has streamlined a luscious feast you can prepare in three hours, start to finish, with nary an "instant" or packaged ingredient in the entire menu. Mark shares his recipes for this fast and fabulous dinner: roast turkey with bread stuffing and sherry gravy, sweet potato home fries, cranberry-orange relish, green beans with lemon, and pear, gorgonzola and mesclun salad. Jane and Michael Stern suggest a diner in Maine for post-holiday repast, wine wit Joshua Wesson says the side dishes you serve should dictate the wine you pour, food historian and author of The Story of Corn Betty Fussell explains why corn should be designated our national food, and we'll hear about Tofurky, a vegetarian option for your feast.
This week we're learning to make simple fresh cheeses such as ricotta, crème fraîche, and cream cheese with the proprietor of the New England Cheesemaking Company. Jane and Michael Stern take us to the Affy Tapple Factory in Chicago, and Martha Gill, author of Modern Gifts, has some unconventional ideas and recipes for gifts from your kitchen.
We're meeting the woman behind the great French chefs this week. Award-winning author Dorie Greenspan talks about what it's like to work with the likes of Daniel Boulud and Pierre Hermé, two French legends. Jane and Michael Stern recommend a place for sustenance after an all-nighter in Pittsburgh; you've heard of heirloom vegetables, well, we've a look at heirloom cattle; and grocery guru Al Sicherman challenges Lynne to a canned tuna tasting.
Restaurant critics can make or break a restaurant. Today we've a behind-the-scenes look at how a restaurant critic works with Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, authors of Dining Out, Secrets from America's Leading Critics, Chefs and Restaurateurs. The Sterns take us to Portland for coffee and Corby Kummer, author of The Joy of Coffee, tells us how to case out an espresso bar.
We're heading into the kitchen with our kids with the help of Lynn Fredericks, author of Cooking Time is Family Time. Jane and Michael Stern fill us in on the Midwest Turtle Phenomenon, wine wit Joshua Wesson tells us about the nouveau nouveaus—no need to wait for Nouveau Beaujolais, there's plenty more out there—and kitchen designer Deborah Krasner gives us her take on kitchen cabinets.
The low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet fad seems to never end, but are we destined to eat slices of plain turkey the rest of our lives? We talk with Deborah Chud, M.D. and author of The Gourmet Prescription, a book devoted to flavorful low-carb cooking. The Sterns take us to St. Louis for the St. Paul Sandwich, minimalist cook Mark Bittman talks octopus, cheesemonger Steve Jenkins tastes cheeses from the Franche-Conte region of France, and Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan wants you to set up a wine tasting at your next get-together.
Imagine drinking a cup of Gun Powder Temple of Heaven or Curled Dragon Silver Tips! This week, it's Tea Authority Bill Waddington, a man who determines what kind of tea you'll like by the kind of apples you like to eat! The Stern's take us to Clark's Outpost in Texas for BBQ Brisket, and we check in with Wine Mogul Joshua Wesson about wine bargains in 1999.