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| The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show | 
 enlarge | Authors: Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Sally Swift
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $21.52
You Save: $13.48 (39%)
New (29) Used (8) from $21.52
Avg. Customer Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 1725
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0307346714
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.53
EAN: 9780307346711
ASIN: 0307346714
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Delicious and inspiring October 20, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I received this book from my girlfriend, who knows how much I love Lynne's show and collecting cookbooks. I am usually skeptical of books written by media personalities (e.g., nearly everyone on the Food Network) because the books are almost always hyped and are no more special than cookbooks written by others. A pretty face does not always a good cookbook make.
Many others have commented on the book's layout and design, so I'll focus on the recipes contained within the book. Most of the them require a lot of little ingredients, especially spices, oils, and herbs, so most of your time in the kitchen will involve gathering and preparing these than actually cooking the food. I found that nearly all of these dishes tasted better the next day and needed more salt than specified.
Nearly every recipe has been a revelation of some sort:
1. The Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs are a new take on the American classic: you brown the the recipe's deviled eggs in a skillet, which enhances the taste and texture.
2. The Cuban Black Bean Stew is hearty and simple; it's perfect for a chilly fall day. It's inexpensive, too: my grocery store practically gives away smoked ham hocks.
3. The recipe for Tomato-Cheddar-Packed Turkey Burgers produces wonderfully moist burgers and the splash of wine adds a welcome (but light) complexity. Word of warning: You'll think there's something wrong after you mix the ground turkey with the rest of the ingredients: the patties will be very wet and not hold shape. Don't worry: drop them on the hot skillet and everything will work out in the end.
4. Lynne's Winter Tart of Roast Vegetables and Endive demonstrates how easy it is to use frozen puff pastry and how well it works as a "pizza" crust. The use of Asiago cheese adds a nice tang and makes the dish so savory. Lynne's variations show how easy it is to improvise on this recipe so it can work with nearly whatever vegetable you have on hand. Happily, she even includes a page describing how to roast vegetables. My mouth is watering just remembering this dish.
5. Lynne's recipe for pho is divine. The "cheater's Asian broth" that is the base of this recipe is savory, a wonderfully balanced blend of onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, pepper, chicken broth, sugar, and fish sauce.
6. Jane and Michael Stern's broccoli casserole calls for 3 tablespoons of sugar, white bread, 3 eggs, a cup of shredded cheddar, and half a stick of butter. The sugar really is the surprise in this dish; I never expected that in a casserole in which I would assume salt to dominate.
7. The 21st Century Mac 'n' Cheese is definitely an adult take on mac and cheese. The use of cheddar, cream cheese, and Gruyere, along with a finely minced onion, give this dish a real zip that is so often lacking in traditional recipes.
8. The Pork Tenderloin Pan Roast with Black Olives and Orange is delicious, juicy, and tender. I never had before thought of the combination of black olives, orange, and white wine.
What hasn't worked? It was the Sicilian corkscrews with white beans. I'm not sure what happened, but the dish lacked any flavor. I had to pour salt on it, even though I generously salted the pasta water, as Lynne is always recommending. And I am just not sure about the iced cantaloupe soup with jalapeno and basil. I think the recipe called for *too* much salt. It just may not be a taste that I like.
In conclusion, Lynne has an impressive sense of how to boost the savoriness and depth of flavor through the use of sensible amounts of simple ingredients, like wine, onions, and tangy cheeses, all without sacrificing the balance of flavor in a dish. The overall effect is a filling supper without extraordinary amounts of added fats. I would recommend this book to the amateur cook who likes cooking, new tastes, and isn't afraid to try using wine as a cooking ingredient.
 Practical AND inspiring October 19, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I work full time and cook for my husband and me. It is important to me to cook healthy meals and I am willing to purchase quality ingredients although my budget is limited and I hate waste (buying a jar when I need a quarter cup of a rarely used ingredient, for example). Once in awhile I'll cook an elaborate meal, but my preference is for meals that can get on the table with less than a half hour of my time and rely mostly on staples I can keep around. So far I LOVE the "Warm white bean salad with fragrent garlic and rosemary" which is now a weekday,throw-together-at-the-last-minute meal for us on a regular basis. I also LOVE the "Summer Zucchini Pasta." But the cookbook is worth the price for the French Fudge Cakes alone. I made the panna cotta and served it along with the fudge cakes for guests who haven't stopped talking about it when I see them. I can't remember the last cookbook where I found both weekday staples along with dishes that impress. I also appreciate that Lynne teaches techniques and encourages experimenting. I've riffed on the zuchinni pasta but now always add the pasta water to create the "sauce." I feel like I am learning to cook, not just following a recipe. I agree with one reviewer that the graphic design is a bit distracting in some cases, but I've taken to writing on the recipes myself - notes about substitutions and favorites - so it feels like a two-way conversation. This cookbook is for the just beyond basic beginner or the cook who has more ambition than time. A cooking 102 from a master teacher.
Great Cookbook October 18, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Even for an experienced cook, this book is great, with nice detail and good tips along the way. Quotes throughout are fun too. The quick chicken cacciatora was terrific, and the shrimp salad with Green Goddess dressing outstanding, just right for summer evenings, tho I'll use the Green Goddess dressing all year. Will be buying for friends for Christmas.
As good as the show! October 13, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I got this book for my husband's birthday and it's as wonderfully delicious as the show. We listen every week to Lynn's great show and wait for her stories and recipes. Now we can have Lynn in our house anytime we want, day or night!
A great gift - for yourself or someone else. October 7, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
My brother-in-law is a magnificent home cook. He's also a tough to impress and very much a critic of food writing (since he consumes so much of it in his quest for perfect new recipes), so I wasn't too sure if this book would work for him or if he'd just cast it aside.
Since he cooks for us so much, I bought this for him as a thank you. I am so glad I did. He made us the macaroni right of the bat. It was amazing. He then called me a few days later to tell me that he was now 4 recipes into it, and each one had been fabulous.
I love Lynne's radio show, so I am delighted that this book is a success for her and is so well-reviewed here. She deserves it.
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