Discover the secrets of cooking with food historian Bee Wilson and food writer Sylvie Bigar. Learn about finding joy in the kitchen, the transformative power of garlic, and the therapeutic aspects of cooking. Explore the obsession with the iconic French dish Cassoulet and its regional variations.

It’s the holiday season, and we’re kicking it off this week with some sweet treats. First, food editor and recipe developer Ben Mims joins us with his latest project, covering over 300 cookie recipes from Asia to the Levant to Scandinavia to the Caribbean. The varieties are astonishing.  We get into cookie styles, the fascinating ingredients in regional cookies, and the hundreds of flavor combinations. Ben is the author of Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World. And he left us with a recipe for Guava-Filled Butter Cookies from Brazil. Then, we step into the world of wild chocolate with Rowan Jacobsen. We hear about the new breed of cacao farmers and the amazing flavor profiles found in wild chocolate and meet some of the farmers who are making it. Rowan is the author of Wild Chocolate: Across the Americas in Search of Cacao’s Soul.Broadcast dates for this episode:December 6, 2024 (originally aired)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today

Join baker Samantha Seneviratne, known for her teaching style in 'Bake Smart', as she reveals a butter trick for her delicious Gooey Cranberry Crumb Cake. Chef Jon Kung shares his experience as a third-culture kid through his debut book, 'Kung Food,' featuring a fusion recipe for Hong Kong-style Chicken and Waffles. Restaurateur Rose Previte discusses her culinary travels and her passion for live-fire cooking, spotlighting dishes like Omani Grilled Shrimp Kebabs. Dive into a delightful mix of baking tips and cultural culinary explorations!

Join Tiffany Derry, a celebrated chef from Dallas, Joe Yonan, food editor at The Washington Post, Andrea Nguyen, acclaimed cookbook author, and pastry chef Paola Velez as they revolutionize Thanksgiving. They share tips on plant-based main courses and unique side dishes, discuss nostalgic comfort foods like mashed potatoes, and offer practical turkey cooking techniques. The conversation flows from innovative baking inspired by bodegas to celebrating multicultural traditions, showcasing a Thanksgiving filled with creativity and culinary joy.

We are a week away from Thanksgiving, and this week, Award-winning authors J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman give us the best advice on making the perfect Thanksgiving spread. From gravy hot takes to best brining practices and the ideal way to cook a perfect turkey we have you covered. J. Kenji López-Alt and Deb Perelman are co-hosts of "The Recipe with Kenji and Deb" podcast. Deb left us her recipe for delicious dinner rolls, Sour Cream & Chive Fantails. Then, we move on to delicious Indian-inspired desserts with cookbook author Hetal Vasavada. Her flavor combinations will transform your typical bars, cookies, and pies into deliciously nutty and sometimes spicy desserts. Hetal is the author of Desi Bakes, and she left us her recipe for Pistachio & Cardamom Muddy Buddies.Broadcast dates for this episode:November 22, 2024 (originally aired)Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

Guests Amy Thielen, Eric Ripert, and Pierre Thiam share tips on stress-free Thanksgiving hosting, cooking moist turkey, simple seafood dishes, West African flavors, and crispy roasted Brussel sprouts. They discuss their books, including Thielen's Company, Ripert's Seafood Simple, and Thiam's Simply West African. They provide techniques for cooking salmon gently, creating reimagined Thanksgiving side dishes, and incorporating unique flavors like palm oil and collard greens.

Yotam Ottolenghi, beloved for his Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, shares insights from his latest book, discussing how dishes like 'Thousand Hole Pancakes' connect us to memories and emotions through texture and taste. Luisa Weiss, author of 'Classic German Cooking,' reflects on her childhood favorites, such as hearty school lunches and the comfort of ‘abendrot’ dinners. Together, they explore the cultural significance and global diversity of comfort food, challenging stereotypes while celebrating the richness of traditional German dishes like Käsespätzle.

When it comes to cooking, do you follow a recipe to a T, or do you do a little improv? This week, we learn a lot about cooking by feel with the star of the Peabody and Emmy-award-winning show A Chef’s Life, Vivian Howard. She talks to Francis about how she “deprogrammed’ herself from precision cooking and started thinking outside of a written recipe. Plus, she sticks around to help answer your cooking questions. Vivian’s latest book is This Will Make It Taste Good. Then, we take advice from the scientist-turned-cook Nik Sharma, author of The Flavor Equation, on how to be intuitive with our food.  Broadcast dates for this episode:January 22, 2021 (originally aired)January 28, 2022 (rebroadcast)November 1, 2024 (rebroadcast)When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!Celebrate kitchen companionship with a gift to The Splendid Table today.

Cookbook season is back, and we talk to the authors of some of our favorite picks. We're joined by Carolina Gelen, who talks to us about learning how to cook, her favorite Romanian dishes, and how she comes up with her signature recipes like Butter Beans alla Vodka, a fast, one-pot dish inspired by the famous vodka pasta sauce. Carolina is the author of Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Sharable, Everyday Recipes. Then, Sonoko Sakai tells us how to “wafu” our food! Wafu means Japanese in style, and Sonoko takes familiar dishes and adds a little Japanese flair. Check out her recipe for her Pasta with Miso Bolognese Sauce. Sonoko is the author of Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style. Then, Jody Eddy talks to us about the incredible food she found and cooked in religious communities around the world. She walks us through some of her favorite recipes, from condiments and Chicken soup in Tibet to a recipe she learned from a Minnesotan monastery, Honey Glazed Turkey Tinga. Jody's book is Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Space.Broadcast dates for this episode:October 25, 2024 (originally aired)Sign up for our Weeknight Kitchen newsletter here and enter to win one of the incredible cookbooks featured in this episode.Donate to The Splendid Table today and we will show our appreciation with a special thank-you gift.

This week, we dedicate the hour to the fabulous Dorie Greenspan. We talk about her start in food, from burning her kitchen down when she was a pre-teen to her love for project baking early in her career and becoming the iconic writer and cookbook author we know today. She shares stories about meeting Julia Child, working alongside high-level pastry chefs, including France’s Pierre Hermé, and her highly- creative process for writing recipes. Dorie is the author of 14 Cookbooks, including the best-selling Baking with Dorie, Everyday Dorie, Dorie’s Cookies, and Around My French Table. Check out our collection of Dorie interviews and recipes here.Broadcast dates for this episode:October 20, 2023 (originally aired)October 18, 2024 (rebroadcast)Your support is a special ingredient in helping to make The Splendid Table. Donate today