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The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
by Authors:
Ina Garten, Martha Stewart
Hardcover
Lauren Bacall gets cranky when Barefoot Contessa, an East Hampton specialty food store/institution for more than 20 years, is sold out of Indonesian Ginger Chicken. She can now thank her lucky stars that exuberant owner Ina Garten has written The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and included this recipe. Ms. Bacall is sure to be pleased to discover how easy it is to achieve such fantastic flavor. Simplicity is something of a bottom line at Barefoot Contessa. "Food is not about impressing people," Ina Garten says. "It's about making them feel comfortable."
Aimed at the cook who intends to entertain, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook draws on Garten's experience as a caterer, as well as her knowledge of what customers really want to eat when they arrive at her shop. She has culled her favorite recipes and has included timesaving tips, always striving for ease and simplicity. Neither cooking nor entertaining should be a chore, according to Ina Garten, and her lovely cookbook is a case in point.
This is an intensely illustrated cookbook that shows the foods to best advantage (and makes it a lovely gift book). Presentation counts for a great deal, and Garten's food styling adds to any food platter. But just as relevant are photos that bring in the spirit of fresh, locally grown produce. There's the local poultry producer proudly holding a laying hen in case anyone should wonder where the eggs come from.
Starting with appetizers, Ina Garten isn't afraid to include such basics as hummus and guacamole: she knows from experience that her versions make a profound impact. There are French Onion Soup and Corn Cheddar Chowder, Baked Virginia Ham and Salmon with Fennel, Roasted Carrots and Caramelized Butternut Squash--and then one killer dessert after another. Included, too, are some breakfast specialties. Any upscale bed and breakfast could have this book in the kitchen and get rid of all others.
This isn't a cookbook about getting outrageous with food. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is about warming the hearts and souls of your guests with familiar food raised to a gourmet level.
Average Customer Rating:
Absolutely wonderful, inspiring, and confidence-building!
I didn't think I really "needed" another cookbook, with my own experience of more than forty years of cooking, and a grandmother who was a professional chef, but all it took was one look at this book and I was hooked! It's the best, most interesting, and inspiring cookbook I've seen in years! (I just wish I'd discovered it sooner!)
Ina Garten's approach is so fresh and relaxed, and she makes cooking for guests sound so easy and like so much fun, that the reader cannot help but become caught up in her enthusiasm. Although she emphasizes that advance preparation takes the stress out of entertaining, her idea of preparation is far more casual than the start-the-meal-five-days-in-advance program many of us adopted twenty years ago when we first "discovered" Julia Child and became dedicated "French chefs." She is not afraid to suggest that you put together a beautiful and creative assortment of dessert pastries purchased from a local vendor, instead of trying to make something spectacular with homemade puff pastry dough; she provides loads of helpful hints to head off potential disasters (put the red cabbage you shred in advance for the Vegetable Cole Slaw into a separate plastic bag so that it doesn't turn the other vegetables pink); she indicates when you can save time by using commercial frozen products; and she gives wonderful tips about how to arrange the guests around the dining table so that you don't end up with separate groups at each end having separate conversations.
Garten uses the freshest ingredients, and she is often inspired by what's available in her local market. She shows how to adapt some old favorites, such as Eggplant Caviar, to more health-conscious diets by roasting, rather than frying the ingredients. And the results are delectable. Her updated version of Beef Bourguignon, Indonesian Chicken, Kitchen Clambake, and Tuna Nicoise Platter are fabulous. The Roasted Carrots and Potato Fennel Gratin are delicious, and she even has inspired me to try Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts, which I once swore I'd never eat again, once I became a grown-up. This is a terrific book, sure to inspire even the most jaded or experienced cook. I just wish I had found it about twenty years ago!
great
This is a beautiful book, with large color photos of almost every dish. It has a great many basics, which I have never learned how to cook. I see it as a good general cookbook. The spinach pie, soups, scones, and granola all look fabulous. The fruit tart I baked was terrific! Unfortunately, my coconut cupcakes did NOT turn out so well. Since so many have raved about them, this must be my fault, I guess. They tasted like heavy muffins, rather than light cupcakes, probably because I tried reducing the 3 sticks of butter to 2 and 1/2 (I'll have to try again without tinkering). I imagine this would be a great book to entertain from; the recipes aren't complicated at all.
Nice recipes, but impractically rich
There's no doubt that Ina Garten's recipes are almost universally delicious. Every single item I've tried from this book has been a hit.
A big but, however: These things taste so great because they contain WAY more fat and sugar than the everyday versions of the dishes. This is standard practice in the restaurant/catering industry, but there is a reason that gravy at your favorite restaurant tastes so much different from your grandma's. Granny didn't load hers up with a cup of whipping cream on top of a heavy butter/flour roux.
Where the standard "Joy of Cooking" recipe for an item might call for whole milk, Ina uses heavy cream. Where Fannie Farmer wants 2 tablespoons of butter, Ina uses half a cup. Please explain to me why mashed potatoes need heavy cream, butter and sour cream.
I'm far from a dietary scold, but this book has to be used as for special occasions only. Live on a day-to-day diet of these recipes, and you're going to end up looking like their author.
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Absolutely wonderful, inspiring, and confidence-building! 
Nice recipes, but impractically rich 
