All Of It with Alison Stewart

For this month's Full Bio, we are discussing the life of music legend Chuck Berry, who some consider to be one of the architects of Rock n' Roll, with RJ Smith, author of the new biography Chuck Berry: An American Life. 

We discuss the thriving jazz scene in Flushing, Queens, with jazz producer Clyde Bullard and saxophonist Camille Thurman ahead of the NEA Jazz Masters concert at Flushing Town Hall on Nov. 12.

WNYC's City Hall and politics reporter Brigid Bergin shares updates on major races the day after election day.

In our latest installment of 2022 Debuts, we talk to Ryan Lee Wong, the administrative director of the Brooklyn Zen Center and now a novelist. He joins us to discuss his debut novel, Which Side Are You On, which tells the story of a young Asian man who wants to drop out of school to dedicate himself to the Black Lives Matter movement, and his mother, who has different opinions about activism and organizing.

This month, as part of National Native American Heritage Month, the one-person play, "Where We Belong," is at The Public Theater. Written by Mohegan artist Madeline Sayet and directed by Mei Ann Teo, the play also stars Sayet performing as an indigenous theater-maker who moves to England in 2015 to study Shakespeare, where she finds comparisons between the colonialist legacies of both the UK and the United States. Sayet joins to discuss her play, which is showing until November 27.

For this month's Full Bio, we are discussing the life of music legend Chuck Berry, who some consider to be one of the architects of Rock n' Roll, with RJ Smith, author of the new biography Chuck Berry: An American Life. For today's installment, we discuss Chuck Berry's early years, his Missouri background, and how he first came to pick up a guitar.

Ben Thornewill joins as the musical guest for our Get Little radio event with Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney. Thornewill's band, Jukebox the Ghost, were featured on the soundtrack for the first film adaption of Kinney's series. Earlier this year, the band released their sixth album, Cheers, and last year Thornewill released the solo LP, Quiet At The End Of The Day. Thornewill joins us to talk about those releases as well as his "Name in Music" project. And young listeners are invited to call in and have Ben turn their names into instrumental pieces, live on the radio!

Ben will perform at Rockwood Music Hall on December 6.

Jeff Kinney's bestselling series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has captivated generations of young readers prompting NPR to call him a "rock star" of the publishing world. He joins to talk about the new Diary of A Wimpy Kid book--his 17th--as well as take calls from listeners of all ages.

Since Elon Musk has purchased Twitter, he has talked about implementing a number of changes at the company and on the platform, including charging users $8 a month to have a verified check mark. He's also fired much of the leadership at Twitter and laid off many lower level employees. What might the future of Twitter look like with the world's wealthiest man at the helm? David Folkenflik, NPR's media correspondent, joins us to discuss the Twitter takeover and how that is playing out in light of the 2022 midterm elections. Plus, we take your calls.

Claire Saffitz is one of the most popular bakers on the internet. Her last cookbook, Dessert Person, was a New York Times bestseller, and her YouTube channel has over a million subscribers. She's embracing simplicity with her latest cookbook, What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People, which is out tomorrow. Claire Saffitz joins to take your calls and baking questions.

Sticky Pumpkin-Chestnut Gingerbread

SERVES 12 TO 15

DIFFICULTY: 2 (Easy)

ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 40 minutes, plus time to cool

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: 13 × 9-inch baking pan (preferably metal), hand mixer

CAKE

Neutral oil for the pan

6 ounces (170g) peeled roasted chestnuts (1 generous cup), from a jar or bag, rinsed and patted dry

¼ cup molasses (3 oz / 85g)

½ teaspoon baking soda 1 (15 oz / 425g) can unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2½ cups all-purpose flour (11.9 oz / 338g)

2¼ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves

1¼ cups granulated sugar (8.8 oz / 250g)

4 large eggs (7 oz / 200g), at room temperature

2⁄3 cup neutral oil (5.3 oz / 150g), such as grapeseed or avocado

TOFFEE SAUCE AND SERVING

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (5 oz / 142g)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar (7.8 oz / 220g) 1 cup heavy cream (8.5 oz / 240g), at room temperature

¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt

PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE PAN: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 13 × 9-inch pan, preferably metal, with neutral oil. Line just the bottom of the pan with a rectangle of parchment paper, cut to fit, and smooth to eliminate air bubbles. Brush the parchment with moreoil and set the pan aside.

COOK THE CHESTNUTS AND MOLASSES: In a small saucepan, combine the chestnuts, molasses, and ½ cup (4 oz / 113g) water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the chestnuts are soft and easily break apart when pressed against the side of the pan, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover, and mash the chestnuts with a fork or a potato masher to break them down into pieces no larger than a pea (don’t mash into a paste, though—you want them to add texture to the cake).

MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS: To the saucepan with the chestnut mixture, add the baking soda and stir thoroughly to combine. The mixture will foam, which is normal. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl, then stir in the pumpkin, ginger, and vanilla. Set the pumpkin mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature, stirring it occasionally (to cool it down very quickly, you can stir it in an ice bath—see Chilling in an Ice Bath, page 358).

MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour,baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to combine. Make a well in the center and set the bowl aside.

BEAT THE EGGS AND SUGAR, THEN STREAM I N THE OIL: In a separate large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs on medium-low speed until the eggs are broken up, then increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the mixture is pale, mousse-y, and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. Beating constantly, very gradually stream in the oil and continue to beat just until the mixture is smooth, thick, and emulsified.

MAKE THE BATTER: Add the pumpkin mixture to the bowl with the egg mixture and mix on medium-low just until blended, then scrape that mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix on medium-low, starting in the centerand gradually working outward, until you have a smooth, evenly mixed batter with no traces of flour. Switch to a flexible spatula and fold the batter several times to make sure it’s evenly mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

BAKE: Bake until thesurface of the cake is deeply browned and springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Set the cake aside.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE TOFFEE SAUCE: In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup (2 oz / 57g) water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mixture is reduced and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes, then remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly add the cream (take care, it will sputter), stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil again over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the toffee sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in the salt and set the saucepan aside.

SOAK THE CAKE: Use a toothpick to poke deep holes all over the hot cake, then slowly pour 1 cup (8.2 oz / 233g) of the warm toffee sauce over the entire surface. Let the cake sit until it has absorbed some of the toffee sauce and is slightly warm. Cover the saucepan to keep the remaining toffee sauce warm.

SERVE: Cut around the sides of the cake with a small offset spatula or paring knife, then use a serrated knife to slice the cake into a 3-by-4 grid to make 12 generous portions, or into a 3-by-5 grid to make 15 slightly smaller portions. Lift the slices out of the pan and transfer to serving plates. The toffee sauce will separate as it sits, so stir to bring it back together. If the butter in the sauce has started to solidify, rewarm it over medium-low heat. Pour the toffee sauce into a small pitcher or serving vessel and serve on the side.

Can I . . .

Make it ahead? Ideally, no. The cake is best eaten slightly warm while the toffee sauce is glossy (the butter in the sauce will solidify when cool). Any leftover cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Rewarm it in a 300°F oven until the surface is glossy again, 5 to 7 minutes. Any leftover toffee sauce, stored in a lidded container in the refrigerator, will keep for up to 2 weeks. Scrape it into a small saucepan and rewarm over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it’s glossy and fluid.

Use a stand mixer instead of a hand mixer? Yes. Combine the sugar and eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and proceed with the recipe as written. After adding the pumpkin mixture, switch to the paddle attachment, reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the dry ingredients to the bowl in two additions.