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The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show
A fresh take on weeknight cooking from The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally SwiftAs loyal listeners know, Lynne and Sally share an unrelenting curiosity about everything to do with food. Their show, The Splendid Table, looks at the role food plays in our lives—inspiring us, making us laugh, nourishing us, and opening us up to the world around us. Now they have compiled all the most trenchant tips, never-fail recipes, and everyday culinary know-how from the program in How to Eat Supper , a kitchen companion unlike any other.This is no mere cookbook. Like the show, this book goes far beyond the recipe, introducing the people and stories that are shaping America’s changing sense of food. We don’ t eat, shop, or cook as we used to. Our relationship with food has intensified, become more controversial, richer, more pleasurable, and sometimes more puzzling. How to Eat Supper gives voice to rarely heard perspectives on food—from the quirky to the political, from the grassroots to the scholarly, from the highbrow to the humble—and shows the essential role breaking bread together plays in our world.How to Eat Supper takes you through a plethora of inviting recipes simple enough to ensure success even if you’ve never cooked before. And if you are experienced in the kitchen, you’ ll find challenging new concepts and dishes to spark your imagination.
Paperback
First published April 8, 2008
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About the author
Lynne Rossetto Kasper
12 books24 followersLynne Rossetto Kasper is an award-winning American food writer and radio journalist. She is the host of the American Public Media program The Splendid Table, whose targeted audience is "people who love to eat." The weekly program features a series of interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, and wine experts. Guests vary from week to week, but every show includes a segment with food travelers and authors Jane and Michael Stern.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
June 26, 2008
Oh Splendid Table, I hardly knew ye. I had to return this one before I could try anything much out of it. I only really tried one simple recipe. I've been on a salad kick (when you live alone you get to humor your tastes much more) and have been having a salad with Brianna's poppy seed dressing, craisins, sunflower seeds, and parmesan cheese almost nightly. Very, very good. Only problem was that one night I ran out of craisins. Thankfully, I remembered a salad recipe from this cookbook, after I returned it, that called for red delicious apples, cheddar cheese, and sunflower seeds. I forgot which dressing it called for, and the poppy seed dressing was maybe a little sweet when combined with the apples, but it was an excellent salad all in all.
Anyway, this cookbook is wonderful. You can tell it's made by people who love food that is...splendid.
In addition to the recipes, there is a lot, lot more, and, in fact, the recipes almost take second billing to the rest of the contents. There are essays, quotes (some really hilarious), facts, tips, and even recommendations of other good cookbooks (how generous). It's a cookbook you could pore over for a long enjoyable time.
The best tip I got so far (and it should be clear by now that I didn't get past the salads section) is, don't you hate it when you buy a bagged salad mix, have salad once, and then next time you want it, the lettuce is all yucky and limp? Well, after you use the bagged salad once, put a sheet of paper towel into the bag, and make sure you seal it completely air-free. I tried this, and it works exceptionally well. Make sure you replace the paper towel with a new one each time you open the bag, as it will be damp.
Another tip that I'd like to try is, for a new year's resolution, to choose a cookbook (they suggest going with one that is specific to a style or country of cooking), and go through the whole cookbook that year. Make every recipe in it. Sounds fun!
My only gripe is that most of the recipes are what I call special recipes, meaning they contain ingredients that you aren't likely to have in the house, and would have to specially buy if you want to make them. This is not a cookbook to flip through when you're looking for something to make, and it's already 6:00. This is not neccesarily a bad thing, since it can make it more meaningful when you plan a recipe in advance, and don't just throw it together at the last minute.
For people who cook for pleasure and not just necessity, and for those who love food, this book is for you.
Anyway, this cookbook is wonderful. You can tell it's made by people who love food that is...splendid.
In addition to the recipes, there is a lot, lot more, and, in fact, the recipes almost take second billing to the rest of the contents. There are essays, quotes (some really hilarious), facts, tips, and even recommendations of other good cookbooks (how generous). It's a cookbook you could pore over for a long enjoyable time.
The best tip I got so far (and it should be clear by now that I didn't get past the salads section) is, don't you hate it when you buy a bagged salad mix, have salad once, and then next time you want it, the lettuce is all yucky and limp? Well, after you use the bagged salad once, put a sheet of paper towel into the bag, and make sure you seal it completely air-free. I tried this, and it works exceptionally well. Make sure you replace the paper towel with a new one each time you open the bag, as it will be damp.
Another tip that I'd like to try is, for a new year's resolution, to choose a cookbook (they suggest going with one that is specific to a style or country of cooking), and go through the whole cookbook that year. Make every recipe in it. Sounds fun!
My only gripe is that most of the recipes are what I call special recipes, meaning they contain ingredients that you aren't likely to have in the house, and would have to specially buy if you want to make them. This is not a cookbook to flip through when you're looking for something to make, and it's already 6:00. This is not neccesarily a bad thing, since it can make it more meaningful when you plan a recipe in advance, and don't just throw it together at the last minute.
For people who cook for pleasure and not just necessity, and for those who love food, this book is for you.
March 23, 2019
Fun cookbook read. In addition to recipes there are blurbs on the various topics regarding supper. These blurbs often come from commentary from show guests, referring their book(s) to further build your supper options knowledge.
August 25, 2009
So, I'm still working my way through all the little nuggets of info., but I LOVE this book. Tasty recipes and fabulous little tips. I've read other places that some people don't like the graphics, but I do. I think this is the book for foodies who cook.
March 19, 2009
highly recommended if only for the fettucchini alfredo. true decadence and simplicity on a plate. YUM.
January 9, 2012
This is my favorite cookbook! My dad gave me a signed copy for Christmas 2 years ago and it is now exceptionally dirty, which is a sure sign that it has spent much time open on my kitchen counter. Last Sunday my husband and I were watching the Giants try to upset the Packers' perfect record. I can't just watch TV though, its too slow, so I opened up this baby and started reading it like a magazine (during commercials and interminable reviews of referees' calls). The stories, foodie lore and quotations are as great as the recipes. Many of the dishes have become staples at our house over the past few years, including Luxury Scrambled Eggs (p.108), Dressing-in-a-Bowl Simple Salad (p.9) and Oven-Crisped Pork, Peppers and Greens (p.240). After browsing my way through the first 100 pages I was inspired to try a few new dishes. Dinner last night was South of France Tomato Soup with Young Chevre (the tomatoes were from last summer's garden, but I can't testify to the youth of the chevre) and Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs on French Lettuces. It was absolutely delicious! If you love food, you will love this book. I'm waiting to see if Santa will bring me The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends: New Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show this year. If not, it will be my first purchase of the new year. Happy eating!
January 12, 2010
The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper is a marvelous cookbook. I got it for Christmas two years ago and, I must admit, that it seemed quite intimidating to me. On the one hand, the design is very playful, so it feels comfortable. On the other hand, if you look at the recipe names (Scandinavian Flower Eggs with Sweet-Tart Mustard Dill Sauce) and ingredient lists, it seems like you're jumping in to the deep end.
For the first year or so of owning this book, I only looked at it occasionally and didn't make anything from it. However, as an avid Splendid Table listener, I signed up for Lynne Rossetto Kasper's weekly recipe email (http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/...) and slowly began to make those recipes and found them to be really delicious and not that hard at all.
After discovering that, I turned back to the cookbook and have started to make recipes out of it and I am realizing that there's really nothing to be afraid of. Many times I already have most of the ingredients and the other ones she calls for are not that obscure at all. Plus, there are many tips throughout the book, variations of the dishes, cookbook suggestions, quotes, etc.
For the first year or so of owning this book, I only looked at it occasionally and didn't make anything from it. However, as an avid Splendid Table listener, I signed up for Lynne Rossetto Kasper's weekly recipe email (http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/...) and slowly began to make those recipes and found them to be really delicious and not that hard at all.
After discovering that, I turned back to the cookbook and have started to make recipes out of it and I am realizing that there's really nothing to be afraid of. Many times I already have most of the ingredients and the other ones she calls for are not that obscure at all. Plus, there are many tips throughout the book, variations of the dishes, cookbook suggestions, quotes, etc.
May 10, 2008
This is a cookbook for all levels and the recipes I've tried so far have been knockouts.
The book goes beyond the recipes There's plenty of anecdotes, tips, and quotes. If you're a foodie or new to cooking there's something for everyone in this book.
I now have a garlic rock and if you read this book you will too.
The only thing that drives me nuts is when the recipe calls for "good tasting olive oil". What other kind am I going to use?
The book goes beyond the recipes There's plenty of anecdotes, tips, and quotes. If you're a foodie or new to cooking there's something for everyone in this book.
I now have a garlic rock and if you read this book you will too.
The only thing that drives me nuts is when the recipe calls for "good tasting olive oil". What other kind am I going to use?
January 16, 2018
This is a truly wonderful book, filled with food history and sidebars that are really fun and interesting. The recipes are good and generally family friendly (the shrimp with ginger caramel sauce was my family’s fave - you could put that sauce on anything!). I wish there were more pics and nutritional info, but this book brims with food info and is a really great read, in addition to having great recipes.
May 2, 2009
This book is awesome! I love the radio show, and I love how when I read the intros to the recipes, I can hear Lynne Rossetto Kasper's voice in my head, gently encouraging me onto culinary greatness. I've made three or four of the recipes already, which were different enough to be interesting, but simple enough not to take all day. And tasty, too!
June 26, 2013
An early birthday present from my daughter. I made the oven omelet on page 97. Delicious
'Book Dart' Recipes:
Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs 0n French Lettuces (Fried Deviled eggs)
Green Apple, Cheese, and Chard Oven Omelet
Almond-Turmeric Potatoes
Carolina Gold Rice (www.carolinagoldricefoundation.org))
'Book Dart' Recipes:
Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs 0n French Lettuces (Fried Deviled eggs)
Green Apple, Cheese, and Chard Oven Omelet
Almond-Turmeric Potatoes
Carolina Gold Rice (www.carolinagoldricefoundation.org))
April 30, 2014
I can't stand listening to this lady on the radio - I love the show, I love the content, I cannot wrap my head around her voice, for whatever reason. That being said: this book is really, really, really, really good. To the point where I have checked it out of the library, and I am falling asleep while reading it, and I wake up and I'm hugging it.
January 24, 2009
I listen to Lynne's npr show every week; it's great. Her book is not so great. The first problem is the design and layout: not enough photos, typography gone mad, and busy design elements. Add these problems to pedestrian recipes and you have the makings of a disappointing cook book.
March 15, 2013
I have not made every recipe in this book, nor actually sat down and read every word.
But I love this cook book. Those recipes I've tried are delicious and I love reading the sidebars interspersed within the recipes. Delightful cookbook for my collection.
But I love this cook book. Those recipes I've tried are delicious and I love reading the sidebars interspersed within the recipes. Delightful cookbook for my collection.
June 12, 2018
Love the mix of stories with the recipes
Excellent recipes, some very easy and with ingredients I always have around the house. I liked the mix of facts/anecdotes/stories and quotes with the recipes.
Excellent recipes, some very easy and with ingredients I always have around the house. I liked the mix of facts/anecdotes/stories and quotes with the recipes.
September 2, 2017
One of my favorite go-to cookbooks.
September 10, 2018
Love so much- practical, usable tips and ideas, already put post-its on recipes I’ve tried and those to try. Thank you!!!
October 8, 2017
A Splendid Read
If you like cookbooks, or the history of cooking, read it. You won't be disappointed. It is filled with history, anecdotes, and fabulous recipes and variations.
If you like cookbooks, or the history of cooking, read it. You won't be disappointed. It is filled with history, anecdotes, and fabulous recipes and variations.
August 15, 2018
Another recipe filled with interesting tidbits and recipes that didn't quite catch my attention.
October 17, 2019
YUMMY!! Have enjoyed the radio program on Public Radio for years. This cookbook was also a delightful read!
April 27, 2020
So fun! Love the stories that are included with the recipes!
May 28, 2020
I miss Lynne on her podcast :(
July 16, 2021
A delightful book, conveying the fun, centrality and human cultural diversity of food. The short stories are also delicious. True to the podcast.
April 19, 2023
Great cookbook with stories - Lynn taught me so many things
August 30, 2019
The book is really great.
March 27, 2009
Did the graphic designer for this book have ADD?
This book had terrible graphic design....probably the worst I have ever seen. It was so distracting with big quotes on almost every page, different fonts in varying sizes and colors - eeeek! So distracting and jarring. I cannot believe this got past an editor.
I am glad I got this book from the library and did not buy it. I tried two recipes this week and they were very disappointing. There were a lot of raves by the authors about these recipes and yep, I bought into the hype.
The first was Jane and Michael Stern's Broccoli Casserole. Quite a few ingredients and more prep than I usually do for a vegetable. It was described as creamy (not) - it was almost like the proportions were wrong. The bread on the bottom added nothing to the dish....I wondered what the point was. It looked okay, but was blah at best.
Tonight I made a warm white bean salad from this same cookbook, which did not require quite as much prep but was amazingly bland for a dish that had FIVE garlic cloves in it! The beans were dry and tasteless - it needed some kind of light sauce. But I am not sure that even a sauce would have saved this!
NOT a cookbook that I would ever recommend.
This book had terrible graphic design....probably the worst I have ever seen. It was so distracting with big quotes on almost every page, different fonts in varying sizes and colors - eeeek! So distracting and jarring. I cannot believe this got past an editor.
I am glad I got this book from the library and did not buy it. I tried two recipes this week and they were very disappointing. There were a lot of raves by the authors about these recipes and yep, I bought into the hype.
The first was Jane and Michael Stern's Broccoli Casserole. Quite a few ingredients and more prep than I usually do for a vegetable. It was described as creamy (not) - it was almost like the proportions were wrong. The bread on the bottom added nothing to the dish....I wondered what the point was. It looked okay, but was blah at best.
Tonight I made a warm white bean salad from this same cookbook, which did not require quite as much prep but was amazingly bland for a dish that had FIVE garlic cloves in it! The beans were dry and tasteless - it needed some kind of light sauce. But I am not sure that even a sauce would have saved this!
NOT a cookbook that I would ever recommend.
October 13, 2008
I am an avid listener of the show, so I'd heard a lot about this book. I didn't think I would care for it, but I was wrong. This is one of those cookbooks you read cover to cover. Aside from the recipes which rock (I've already picked up the ingredients for half a dozen), there are facts, tips, anecdotes and most helpfully- ratings(and they name names) of a variety of stand by products like Olive Oil and Canned Tomatoes. It may seem intimidating, but this would actually make a nice book for a starter cook.
I am a vegetarian of 15 years, and while this is not meat free there is still appeal. 90% of the recipes are, or can be modified to fit an animal free diet. I am finding more and more that a truly vegetarian cookbook isn't necessary if you are comfortable with making substitutions. For instance, with this book I plan to make Classic Chicken Noodle soup (using homemade Seitan) and Scandinavian Spiced Meatballs with Caramelized Apples (using a combination of TVP and smashed beans).
I am a vegetarian of 15 years, and while this is not meat free there is still appeal. 90% of the recipes are, or can be modified to fit an animal free diet. I am finding more and more that a truly vegetarian cookbook isn't necessary if you are comfortable with making substitutions. For instance, with this book I plan to make Classic Chicken Noodle soup (using homemade Seitan) and Scandinavian Spiced Meatballs with Caramelized Apples (using a combination of TVP and smashed beans).
October 20, 2014
Lynne Rosetto Kasper is a treasure on NPR's The Splendid Table, and in this cookbook she offers some of her greatest gems. Now, when I first got this for Christmas, I hesitated in immediately loving it because it was bound like a book and filled with gorgeous pictures of delicious food. This, I thought, will never work with my messy-frenzied cooking routine. However, every recipe I've tried has become a fave (I'm looking at you corn chowder, saffron-orange panna cotta, cheater's homemade broths). As important though is the book's engaging style. Rosetto Kasper's voice is faithfully captured here, and the book is filled with random bits of fun info. For example, evidently in the 17th century, gardeners added a tiny, super-fragrant melon to their produce--not because it tasted so good but because it functioned as a pocket-friendly perfume for women to hide amidst their many and voluminous skirts. I was so charmed by this anecdote that I grew my own Queen Anne Pocket Melons last summer. Anyway, the book would be a great gift for a favorite cook.
January 26, 2009
I don't listen to The Splendid Table often, but I enjoy it, since it is more of a show for people who love to cook and eat, instead of just a cooking show. This book reflects that spirit, being a collection of not just recipes, but also techniques, descriptions of different foods, food history, and amusing quotes.
Not every recipe in this book is a winner, or will even make it into your regular repertoire. But, there a quite a few keepers that can help shake things up for a regular cook, whether it's for making a quick after-work supper, or a special weekend dinner for family or friends. What I appreciate more than the specific recipes, though, is the fact that there are one or more variations on many of the basic dishes, as well as lots of general tips and techniques. These really help the novice to average home cook learn to expand and improvise these and other recipes, or even make something up on the fly with the ingredients in their refrigerator or pantry. Even though I've been cooking for years, this book was still a valuable addition to my kitchen library.
Not every recipe in this book is a winner, or will even make it into your regular repertoire. But, there a quite a few keepers that can help shake things up for a regular cook, whether it's for making a quick after-work supper, or a special weekend dinner for family or friends. What I appreciate more than the specific recipes, though, is the fact that there are one or more variations on many of the basic dishes, as well as lots of general tips and techniques. These really help the novice to average home cook learn to expand and improvise these and other recipes, or even make something up on the fly with the ingredients in their refrigerator or pantry. Even though I've been cooking for years, this book was still a valuable addition to my kitchen library.
October 22, 2014
I started out disliking this book. To begin with, I found the text hard to read; it often changes size, which looks interesting from a distance, but when you're really trying to read the book it's distracting.
Also, this cookbook is quite multicultural, in the same way that most of us are multicultural in our cooking. But I tend to like my cookbooks relatively monocultural, or if they are fusion I prefer that they stick to a consistent fusion style; it's weird to drastically (and often disharmoniously) change flavors from one recipe to the next. And meanwhile there's a focus on American classics, which in the area of salads and soups isn't always a good thing.
But once I got past those first two chapters, I started to warm up. There's still too many incongruous flavors in the Veggie chapter. But once it gets into Pasta, Meat, and Fish... wow. (And Desserts.) Then it all comes together. And the recipes are also realistic in terms of the labor to be put in.
I'd be happy to cook my way through this cookbook some time, and even try some of the recipes I'm skeptical of.
Also, this cookbook is quite multicultural, in the same way that most of us are multicultural in our cooking. But I tend to like my cookbooks relatively monocultural, or if they are fusion I prefer that they stick to a consistent fusion style; it's weird to drastically (and often disharmoniously) change flavors from one recipe to the next. And meanwhile there's a focus on American classics, which in the area of salads and soups isn't always a good thing.
But once I got past those first two chapters, I started to warm up. There's still too many incongruous flavors in the Veggie chapter. But once it gets into Pasta, Meat, and Fish... wow. (And Desserts.) Then it all comes together. And the recipes are also realistic in terms of the labor to be put in.
I'd be happy to cook my way through this cookbook some time, and even try some of the recipes I'm skeptical of.
April 18, 2011
The Splendid Table radio program is one of my favorites. Lynne Rossetto Kasper has an encyclopedic mind on all things food which makes the call-in portion of her show so interesting. In How to Eat Supper with a bi-line, Recipes, Stories and Opinions, she and Sally Swift share food & cooking knowledge that goes far beyond the recipe. I will admit to having a love affair with cookbooks, almost to the point of an addiction, but this stands out in the crowded arena of cookbooks as one you sit down and read through. I started reading with Post-it arrows at hand to mark recipes that looked interesting. Then I realized I was marking every other page and decided to cook through the book over the next year.
There is so much more than recipes in this book. For example, the chapter on Essential Equipment outlines the basic pots & pans, tools & gadgets one needs in a kitchen. You'll be surprised how short the list is. This book is for the home cook who needs to put tasty, healthy food on the table every night without spending a small fortune or hours in the kitchen.
There is so much more than recipes in this book. For example, the chapter on Essential Equipment outlines the basic pots & pans, tools & gadgets one needs in a kitchen. You'll be surprised how short the list is. This book is for the home cook who needs to put tasty, healthy food on the table every night without spending a small fortune or hours in the kitchen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews