January 21, 2012

This week, we learn what it takes to be a cheesemonger with Steve Jones, proprietor of Cheese Bar in Portland, Ore. We're also looking at willpower with John Tierney, co-author of Willpower, Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. And Jane and Michael Stern are breakfasting at Green Salmon in Yachats, Ore.

Episode Rundown

01:30 – 10:17 Willpower

New York Times science columnist John Tierney has co-authored a new book about willpower. He says the dieter's catch-22 is that in order not to eat, you need willpower; but in order to have willpower, you need to eat.

Book: Willpower
Excerpt: Introduction
Recipe: Harvest Black Bean Soup

10:44 – 14:35 The Sterns

Jane and Michael Stern rave about their breakfast at the Green Salmon Coffee Shop in Yachats, Ore.

Website: Green Salmon Coffee Shop
Website: Roadfood
Books: 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late and The Lexicon of Real American Food, by Jane and Michael Stern

15:30 – 23:07 World's Best Cheesemonger

Steve Jones, proprietor of Cheese Bar in Portland, Ore., holds the crown from the 2011 Cheesemonger Invitational. His tips include flipping belled cheese, removing labels and proper packaging for refrigerator storage.

Website: Cheese Bar
Recipe: Cheese Souffle

Steve's favorite cheeses right now:
  ·Capriole, Wabash Cannonball
      Goat's milk (Indiana)
  ·Samish Bay, Ladysmith
      Cow's milk (Washington)
  ·Black Sheep Creamery, Mopsey's Best
      Sheep's milk (Washington)
  ·Pholia Farm, Hillis Peak
      Goat's milk (Oregon)
  ·Spring Brook Farm, Reading
      Cow's milk (Vermont)
  ·Maytag Dairy, blue
      Cow's milk (Iowa)

23:20 – 31:18 Roasting

Author Molly Stevens talks about how to choose the proper roasting temperature. When you want rare/medium-rare meat or a crisp skin, high heat (450-500 degrees) is appropriate. Moderate temps are right for pork roasts and Thanksgiving turkeys. Barbecuing happens at low heat because the juices are preserved.

Book: All About Roastings
Recipe: Ginger Roast Chicken

31:25 – 50:25 Calls

Lynne takes questions about lamb riblets, seafood, chunky granola, quinoa, boozy cherries and key limes.

This Week's Recipes

Ginger Roast Chicken

Harvest Black Bean Soup

Cheese Souffle

Images from This Episode

Steve Jones
Cheese Bar
Cheese Bar
John Tierney
Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney
Molly Stevens
Ginger Roast Chicken
All About Roastings, by Molly Stevens
Jane and Michael Stern

Jane and Michael Stern: Yachats, Ore.

Green Salmon Coffee Shop

Enticing as the coffees are, it's the eats that won our allegiance. In mid-summer, the height of berry season, the menu offered a stunningly beautiful breakfast called triple berry toast: crunch-textured whole wheat spread with creamy Italian mascarpone, topped with freshly picked blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, each at the peak of their natural, sunny fruitiness, and finally drizzled with honey and sprinkled with powdered sugar.