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Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
For America’s bestselling cookbook author Ina Garten there is no greater pleasure than cooking for the people she loves—and particularly for her husband, Jeffrey. She has been cooking for him ever since they were married forty-eight years ago, and the comforting, delicious meals they shared became the basis for her extraordinary career in food.
Ina’s most personal cookbook yet, Cooking for Jeffrey is filled with the recipes Jeffrey and their friends request most often as well as charming stories from Ina and Jeffrey’s many years together. There are traditional dishes that she’s updated, such as Brisket with Onions and Leeks, and Tsimmes, a vegetable stew with carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and prunes, and new favorites, like Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken and Roasted Salmon Tacos. You’ll also find wonderful new salads, including Maple-Roasted Carrot Salad and Kale Salad with Pancetta and Pecorino. Desserts range from simple Apple Pie Bars to showstoppers like Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel. For the first time, Ina has included a chapter devoted to bread and cheese, with recipes and tips for creating the perfect cheese course. With options like Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschettas and Challah with Saffron, there’s something everyone will enjoy.
From satisfying lunches to elegant dinners, here are the recipes Ina has tested over and over again, so you too can serve them with confidence to the people you love.
Ina’s most personal cookbook yet, Cooking for Jeffrey is filled with the recipes Jeffrey and their friends request most often as well as charming stories from Ina and Jeffrey’s many years together. There are traditional dishes that she’s updated, such as Brisket with Onions and Leeks, and Tsimmes, a vegetable stew with carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and prunes, and new favorites, like Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken and Roasted Salmon Tacos. You’ll also find wonderful new salads, including Maple-Roasted Carrot Salad and Kale Salad with Pancetta and Pecorino. Desserts range from simple Apple Pie Bars to showstoppers like Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel. For the first time, Ina has included a chapter devoted to bread and cheese, with recipes and tips for creating the perfect cheese course. With options like Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschettas and Challah with Saffron, there’s something everyone will enjoy.
From satisfying lunches to elegant dinners, here are the recipes Ina has tested over and over again, so you too can serve them with confidence to the people you love.
272 pages, ebook
First published October 25, 2016
721 people are currently reading
1961 people want to read
About the author
Ina Garten
31 books2,135 followersIna Garten is a New York Times bestselling author and the host of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, for which she has won four Emmy Awards and a James Beard Award. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Jeffrey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
February 9, 2017
Come for the recipes, stay for Ina and Jeffrey's immense love
The recipes themselves aren't terribly innovative, but honestly, what comfort food is? The Barefoot Contessa wrote to share the things that Jeffrey loves, not what is trendy. (Namely, chicken. A decent amount of chicken.) The photos and personal stories shared are adorable and touching.
"What Cooking for Jeffrey has taught me is the power of food. Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love. It says 'you're important enough for me to spend the time and effort to cook for you.' There is nothing more comforting than walking into a house that smells like there's a roast chicken and onions or a homemade apple pie in the oven. And when people show up around your table, you create a community of friends who take care of each other, which is, for me, the whole point of cooking." (16-17)
Recipes I bookmarked:
Butternut Squash Hummus (36) (Adapted from Ottolenghi)
At 400* for 25 minutes, roast 1.25-lb butternut squash (1" diced) with 3 TBSP olive oil, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Let cool 15 minutes; save 1/4 C. for garnish. Add roasted squash to food processor and add in 1 can chickpeas (drained--save liquid), 1/2 C. plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, 1/4 C. tahini, 1/3 C. lemon juice, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp. sriracha, 1 TBSP salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Pulse until processed but not pureed. Add in 1/4 C. chickpea liquid and pulse to combine. Add more liquid if needed. Garnish with reserved squash and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Skillet-roasted Lemon Chicken (90)
In mini-food processor, grind together 2 tsp. fresh thyme, 1 tsp. whole fennel seeds, 1 TBSP salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Mix with 1/3 C. olive oil and set aside. Slice 1 lemon into half-moons, then layer in the bottom of a 12" cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle over 1 sliced yellow onion and 2 sliced garlic cloves. Place 1 butterflied chicken on top, skin side down, then brush with ~1/2 the oil mixture. Flip chicken over, pat dry with paper towels, and brush the rest of the oil mixture on the chicken. Roast at 450* for 30 minutes, then pour in 1/2 C. dry white wine (ex: Pinot Grigio) around the edge. Roast another 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven, sprinkle over juice of 1 lemon, cover with foil, and rest ~15 minutes.
Creamy Parmesan Polenta (140)
In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 6 C. chicken broth and 3 cloves minced garlic to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, then very slowly stir in 1.5 C. stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal (Ina likes Bob's Red Mill), whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon, add 1.5 TBSP salt and 2 tsp. pepper, and simmer over very low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until thick. Scrap the bottom of the pan thoroughly as your stir. Off the heat, stir in 1.5 C. grated Parmesan, 6 TBSP creme fraiche, and 3 TBSP unsalted butter, diced.
English Oat Crackers (189)
I fell in love with oat cakes in the UK, especially with blue cheese/Stilton, and I bet Ina's are delicious.
Pulse 3 C. old-fashioned oats, 1 C. flour, 1/2 C. lightly packed brown sugar, and 1 tsp. kosher salt together in a food processor ~45-60 seconds, or until oats are coarsely ground. Add 2 sticks/1 C. cold unsalted butter, cubed, and pulse ~15 times, or until butter is the size of peas. Dissolve 3/4 tsp. baking soda in 1/4 C. lukewarm water; drizzle into food processor. Pulse until mixture is evenly moistened and can stick together. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a flour-dusted bottom of a drinking glass, press the balls down into crackers (3" diameter, 1/8" thick). Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
The recipes themselves aren't terribly innovative, but honestly, what comfort food is? The Barefoot Contessa wrote to share the things that Jeffrey loves, not what is trendy. (Namely, chicken. A decent amount of chicken.) The photos and personal stories shared are adorable and touching.
"What Cooking for Jeffrey has taught me is the power of food. Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love. It says 'you're important enough for me to spend the time and effort to cook for you.' There is nothing more comforting than walking into a house that smells like there's a roast chicken and onions or a homemade apple pie in the oven. And when people show up around your table, you create a community of friends who take care of each other, which is, for me, the whole point of cooking." (16-17)
Recipes I bookmarked:
Butternut Squash Hummus (36) (Adapted from Ottolenghi)
At 400* for 25 minutes, roast 1.25-lb butternut squash (1" diced) with 3 TBSP olive oil, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Let cool 15 minutes; save 1/4 C. for garnish. Add roasted squash to food processor and add in 1 can chickpeas (drained--save liquid), 1/2 C. plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, 1/4 C. tahini, 1/3 C. lemon juice, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp. sriracha, 1 TBSP salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Pulse until processed but not pureed. Add in 1/4 C. chickpea liquid and pulse to combine. Add more liquid if needed. Garnish with reserved squash and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Skillet-roasted Lemon Chicken (90)
In mini-food processor, grind together 2 tsp. fresh thyme, 1 tsp. whole fennel seeds, 1 TBSP salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Mix with 1/3 C. olive oil and set aside. Slice 1 lemon into half-moons, then layer in the bottom of a 12" cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle over 1 sliced yellow onion and 2 sliced garlic cloves. Place 1 butterflied chicken on top, skin side down, then brush with ~1/2 the oil mixture. Flip chicken over, pat dry with paper towels, and brush the rest of the oil mixture on the chicken. Roast at 450* for 30 minutes, then pour in 1/2 C. dry white wine (ex: Pinot Grigio) around the edge. Roast another 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven, sprinkle over juice of 1 lemon, cover with foil, and rest ~15 minutes.
Creamy Parmesan Polenta (140)
In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 6 C. chicken broth and 3 cloves minced garlic to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, then very slowly stir in 1.5 C. stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal (Ina likes Bob's Red Mill), whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon, add 1.5 TBSP salt and 2 tsp. pepper, and simmer over very low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until thick. Scrap the bottom of the pan thoroughly as your stir. Off the heat, stir in 1.5 C. grated Parmesan, 6 TBSP creme fraiche, and 3 TBSP unsalted butter, diced.
English Oat Crackers (189)
I fell in love with oat cakes in the UK, especially with blue cheese/Stilton, and I bet Ina's are delicious.
Pulse 3 C. old-fashioned oats, 1 C. flour, 1/2 C. lightly packed brown sugar, and 1 tsp. kosher salt together in a food processor ~45-60 seconds, or until oats are coarsely ground. Add 2 sticks/1 C. cold unsalted butter, cubed, and pulse ~15 times, or until butter is the size of peas. Dissolve 3/4 tsp. baking soda in 1/4 C. lukewarm water; drizzle into food processor. Pulse until mixture is evenly moistened and can stick together. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a flour-dusted bottom of a drinking glass, press the balls down into crackers (3" diameter, 1/8" thick). Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
March 23, 2017
Love this book. So much so, I've given as a gift several times. Plus, my girlfriend and I bought it at the same time so we could compare which recipes we've tried. Yummy recipes!
October 26, 2016
Does she ever shut up about Jeffery?
January 26, 2022
I’ve always liked Barefoot Contessa recipes and this cookbook was one that missed my radar. After looking through the recipes, reading some of the articles and recipes, I’m glad that I picked it up from the library. It was interesting to read how Ina got into cooking and to know that this is her 10th cookbook. I don’t think I have read all of them yet so I’ll need to check into that next. I liked her comment, “It doesn’t really matter what the occasion is – big or small – but it’s the connections that we have with people we love that nourish our souls. Entertaining isn’t just about making dinner parties. It’s about celebrating those connections and I think that’s what makes life worth living.”
In essence, I feel this cookbook is not for me. It recipes felt too fancy and/or the ingredients just didn’t hit my tastes. I found only a few recipes that I would actually make. The rest seemed to elaborate or had ingredients that I don’t care for. Dishes like Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta, Vanilla Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables, Perfect Poached Lobster & Corn or Kasha Varnishkes with Wild Mushrooms are just a few of the recipes that were included in this book, that I realize I would never make. I will say though, that the pictures in the book look very appetizing. If I didn’t see and read the recipes, that are located on the opposite page of these pictures, I might be tempted just to try a sample of that dish.
This cookbook consists of 6 different categories: cocktails, soups, salads & lunch, dinner, vegetables & sides, bread & cheese, and finally dessert. The book begins with a thank you and an intro and wraps up with two different indexes, a list of Jeffrey’s all time favorite dinners (which could come from outside sources) and a resource page. All of her recipes have a picture attached to them and how many the recipe will serve. There is a short paragraph about the recipe before the ingredient list and the instructions are listed out in paragraph form. Ida does include some little suggestions and ideas on the margins of the recipes. There is no nutritional information provided.
I liked the layout of this book and the text fonts that were used. The book image inside and out is crisp and sharp and it doesn’t look cluttered. I wished there would have been more recipes that I liked though. 4 stars
In essence, I feel this cookbook is not for me. It recipes felt too fancy and/or the ingredients just didn’t hit my tastes. I found only a few recipes that I would actually make. The rest seemed to elaborate or had ingredients that I don’t care for. Dishes like Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta, Vanilla Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables, Perfect Poached Lobster & Corn or Kasha Varnishkes with Wild Mushrooms are just a few of the recipes that were included in this book, that I realize I would never make. I will say though, that the pictures in the book look very appetizing. If I didn’t see and read the recipes, that are located on the opposite page of these pictures, I might be tempted just to try a sample of that dish.
This cookbook consists of 6 different categories: cocktails, soups, salads & lunch, dinner, vegetables & sides, bread & cheese, and finally dessert. The book begins with a thank you and an intro and wraps up with two different indexes, a list of Jeffrey’s all time favorite dinners (which could come from outside sources) and a resource page. All of her recipes have a picture attached to them and how many the recipe will serve. There is a short paragraph about the recipe before the ingredient list and the instructions are listed out in paragraph form. Ida does include some little suggestions and ideas on the margins of the recipes. There is no nutritional information provided.
I liked the layout of this book and the text fonts that were used. The book image inside and out is crisp and sharp and it doesn’t look cluttered. I wished there would have been more recipes that I liked though. 4 stars
January 12, 2017
Not every recipe in here appeals to me, but there are some really good main dishes and even a couple of desserts that are awesome. I liked the autobiographical vignettes every few pages, too. The woman knows how to put together a cookbook!
December 20, 2016
This month, the cookbook discussion and dinner party group that I lead met to enjoy and discuss selections we cooked from Ina Garten's 2016 cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Clarkson Potter publishers).
(Menu)
Butternut Squash Hummus
Herbed Fromage Blanc
Lentil and Kielbasa Salad
Asparagus and Fennel Soup
Brisket with Leeks and Onions
Roasted Italian Meatballs
Roasted Ratatouille
Creamy Parmesan Polenta
Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Bourbon Honey Cake
I've flipped through many a Barefoot Contessa cookbook in my bookstore adventuring, but I'd never found a volume to be so compelling as to demand a purchase. I decided to go out on a limb and picked up Ina's newest release to give it a fair review, thinking with this many successful cookbooks under her belt there must be something to her recipes right? No publisher is going to keep giving you book contract after contract if your recipes fall flat.
I'm very glad I took the gamble; Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook provides page after page of tasty things to make in the kitchen and lovely pictures to accompany. As one of the dinner party guests mentioned, her recipes are well structured and very detailed, making them easy to follow for inexperienced cooks. She relies on ingredients that are relatively easy to source in American markets. And she has drawn from a great mix of ethnic influences for her recipes.
With regard to the recipes our group cooked and sampled, my favorite was the Asparagus and Fennel Soup, as well as the Ratatouille served over the Polenta, and the Lentil and Kielbasa Salad (which I never thought I'd enjoy and which has this unique but surprisingly delicious pairing as it is served over herbed goat cheese spread on crackers). Perhaps the only criticism I can muster for Ina's latest cookbook is that most of the recipes were seemingly oversalted, especially the hummus and the meatballs. Luckily our member chefs spotted the excess of salt and scaled it back during dinner prep, but if they had followed Ina's recipes as written it would not have been a happy ending. So go forth and Garten it up, but pull back on the salt.
(Menu)
Butternut Squash Hummus
Herbed Fromage Blanc
Lentil and Kielbasa Salad
Asparagus and Fennel Soup
Brisket with Leeks and Onions
Roasted Italian Meatballs
Roasted Ratatouille
Creamy Parmesan Polenta
Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Bourbon Honey Cake
I've flipped through many a Barefoot Contessa cookbook in my bookstore adventuring, but I'd never found a volume to be so compelling as to demand a purchase. I decided to go out on a limb and picked up Ina's newest release to give it a fair review, thinking with this many successful cookbooks under her belt there must be something to her recipes right? No publisher is going to keep giving you book contract after contract if your recipes fall flat.
I'm very glad I took the gamble; Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook provides page after page of tasty things to make in the kitchen and lovely pictures to accompany. As one of the dinner party guests mentioned, her recipes are well structured and very detailed, making them easy to follow for inexperienced cooks. She relies on ingredients that are relatively easy to source in American markets. And she has drawn from a great mix of ethnic influences for her recipes.
With regard to the recipes our group cooked and sampled, my favorite was the Asparagus and Fennel Soup, as well as the Ratatouille served over the Polenta, and the Lentil and Kielbasa Salad (which I never thought I'd enjoy and which has this unique but surprisingly delicious pairing as it is served over herbed goat cheese spread on crackers). Perhaps the only criticism I can muster for Ina's latest cookbook is that most of the recipes were seemingly oversalted, especially the hummus and the meatballs. Luckily our member chefs spotted the excess of salt and scaled it back during dinner prep, but if they had followed Ina's recipes as written it would not have been a happy ending. So go forth and Garten it up, but pull back on the salt.
March 10, 2025
Making a bourbon honey cake for Dan asap
October 28, 2016
Leave it to Ina to give us another wonderful cookbook filled with delectable recipes and gorgeous photographs. She also gives us a snippet into her early life with Jeffrey (who we all love, too!) and the journey she took to get to this point in her life.
Pouring over each page, I realized I will be trying some of these recipes in the very-near future. This one won't just be sitting on the shelf...it will be on my kitchen counter.
Pouring over each page, I realized I will be trying some of these recipes in the very-near future. This one won't just be sitting on the shelf...it will be on my kitchen counter.
November 2, 2016
I love this woman and I love her cookbooks. Unlike the others of hers I've bought or read though, I didn't find I lot of recipes I want to try. Some, of course, but not a lot. The charm for me was in her story and Jeffrey's. I wonder if it's been optioned for a movie yet, because it would be a darn good one. What wonderful and useful lives they've lived so far. I recommend this cookbook for the great stories; the recipes are a bonus.
September 28, 2017
If you're looking for recipes that will please even the pickiest eater, get this cookbook. A lot of the recipes are from the show. The recipes are easy to follow and have a lot of photographs. Makes a great gift, too!
My Rating: 5 stars
My Rating: 5 stars
June 3, 2024
Ina’s cookbooks always inspire me….🥰
February 3, 2017
Cooking for Jeffrey... contains some charming photos, a little backstory (but I want to hear more about you, Ina, and how you happened to be a White House staffer in the 1970s writing policy papers on nuclear energy), and a load of marvelous-sounding recipes. I've tabbed oodles of pages, made my shopping list, and first stop will be butternut squash hummus. Congratulations on your 10th book, Ms. Garten. Keep 'em coming, please!
Update: To date we've made the butternut squash hummus, the lentil and kielbasa salad (also makes a nice entree), and the sweet potato empanadas (worth the purchase of the book alone--but you may need to tinker with the spices to give them a bit more kick, but so very worth it when you do!). Next stop: roasted vegetable paella.
Update: To date we've made the butternut squash hummus, the lentil and kielbasa salad (also makes a nice entree), and the sweet potato empanadas (worth the purchase of the book alone--but you may need to tinker with the spices to give them a bit more kick, but so very worth it when you do!). Next stop: roasted vegetable paella.
February 3, 2017
I enjoyed the personal stories and photos (I love Ina) and her recipes are always easy to follow and usually quite tasty, but overall this would not be a cookbook I feel I would need to purchase. Only a few scattered dishes I'd like to try - so I took a screenshot of them, and believe they're also online. I do think Ina and Jeffrey make an adorable couple and find their love for each other after 48 years together to be inspiring.
April 24, 2017
I really like the little snippets of her life she puts in but there are recipes where I just thought it didn't seem entirely thought out just because the way she presents them is as though she just took the recipe from other famous cooks.
I really enjoyed it and was definitely intrigued by some of the deceptively simple recipes.
I really enjoyed it and was definitely intrigued by some of the deceptively simple recipes.
January 2, 2017
Wonderful text and recipes! Couldn't love Ina and Jeffrey more. Just a bit too slim!
February 11, 2017
If I actually cooked, I would use this book!
January 1, 2021
I probably won't make these recipes, but this book was great because it was like a mini autobiography detailing how she came to cook, purchase the Barefoot Contessa shop which she ran for years, and later, happened to start writing cookbooks. Loved it for all that. Charmed life.
August 23, 2019
A love letter to Jeffrey ❤️
January 17, 2023
So so many classic, easy to execute recipes. Comfort food is rarely innovative, but these recipes bring a fun twist to comforting food.
March 29, 2019
So much love...and great recipes.
November 9, 2024
This is the most beautiful cookbook ever written!!! The love she has for this man is heartwarming 🥺
February 26, 2017
This is a lovely personal letter in recipes from the author to her husband, Jeffrey. Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten, a Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, is presented in a way that the reader feels she/he is having a conversation with the author. At least I felt this way. After reading this cookbook, I felt that I could try recipes that I have always felt were too difficult for me. Ms. Garten gave me that courage. That may sound a bit odd, but as this is a personal book, I felt, as I stated, as though I was talking to the author. There is a bread recipe in Cooking for Jeffrey that I have always wanted to make. I think that I shall 'give it a go' now. Some grand recipes in this book which I plan to make. I hope that they come out as easily as the author says they will. Ina Garten has always made me feel so comfortable, and her Cooking for Jeffrey makes me feel comfortable and encouraged to cook!
January 25, 2023
I am a BIG fan of Ina Garten and this book is a delight!
This cookbook is really a love story with beautiful and delicious recipes.
( I made the chocolate cake and will probably never use another recipe for chocolate cake.)
This cookbook is really a love story with beautiful and delicious recipes.
( I made the chocolate cake and will probably never use another recipe for chocolate cake.)
January 14, 2017
Alert! I have actually cooked from this book! Okay, so trust me, this is a good cookbook if you need go-to, weeknight recipes that will please everyone from your kids to guests. I have so far cooked four main dishes from this book. Rigatoni with sausage and fennel, pasta e fagioli soup, roast chicken with lemon and the lamb stew with spring vegetables. All were good and I'll make again. However, the chicken and the lamb stew are *all time best ever in their class, will work for any occasion keepers*! If I get one of these all-time type recipes from a cookbook I deem it a success, but two out of four tries? That's something special. There are additional recipes - apple cider pork tenderloin, lentil and kielbasa salad that I must try ASAP. I think Ina's recipes hit that sweet spot of ease, flavor and sophistication (meaning, you can invite a friend over and she'll be like "wow!") But i cook every night for my family and am always looking for dishes that actually appeal to me as well as my little kids without taking too long or too many ingredients and Ina's perfect for me. There's nothing crazy, ingredient or technique wise, just good food - that's the caterer in her. The roast chicken with lemon is done in an hour and it's simple as hell and the best version of roast chicken I've ever made. I do agree with the general consensus that she over-salts. I would divide the salt by half the first time round in most recipes and go from there.
I should add - this is not, to me, the kind of cookbook you buy just to read it cover to cover. It's just not that exciting unless you are a Ina Garten completist. To me, her cookbooks are for cooking out of - like less fussy versions of America's Test Kitchen.
This book was a Christmas gift and I wasn't expecting much - so thank you, mom!
I should add - this is not, to me, the kind of cookbook you buy just to read it cover to cover. It's just not that exciting unless you are a Ina Garten completist. To me, her cookbooks are for cooking out of - like less fussy versions of America's Test Kitchen.
This book was a Christmas gift and I wasn't expecting much - so thank you, mom!
February 7, 2017
Actually some recipes I would make
May 10, 2017
The introduction and interstitials, detailing the Gartens' relationship, might be a bit twee for many readers - but the recipes look as solid as you'd expect from a Barefoot Contessa book, representing dishes for all seasons. I appreciate the varied portion sizes, covering solo lunches to dinner parties, and her willingness to mix it up between from-scratch efforts and prepared ingredients. I wouldn't rate this a must-buy, but if you're a Barefoot Contessa fan and don't have one of her books yet, I think this would do nicely.
December 13, 2020
I’m a sucker for cookbooks with biographical essays spread throughout. The essays focused on hers and Jeffrey’s relationship, plus her development as a cook. Each recipe has a mini write-up describing why it’s good, plus helpful cook-tips in the margins. I like how most of the recipes have standard, not-too-many ingredients, and the steps are usually short. And the recipes that I’ve made so far are delicious! Some are more elaborate to make and some ingredients I’ll have to substitute (say no to capers!), but this is a great cookbook to own.
December 5, 2016
Ina Garten's 10th cookbook is her most personal one. She shares the recipes her husband loves the most and explains their origin or significance to Jeffrey. Stories of their lives together as well as some early photographs make this book a memoir as well as a cookbook. Resources include illustrations of Ina's pantry, Ina's starter kitchen, and Ina's professional kitchen. Gorgeous photographs of the finished dishes and the Hamptons round out this book.
December 27, 2016
Gorgeous photos as always! I loved the personal stories Ina shared along with images from the "good old days." Other than drooling over the glossies in this compilation, it is highly unlikely that I will actually attempt to prepare more than a handful of these recipes, but I did copy a few to try. Ina's pantry and starter kitchen definitely helped me grow my wish list. And why doesn't my garden look like hers?
June 2, 2017
To quote Ina - (and I completely agree with her) -
"Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love".
Love her cookbooks and her programmes (which I can get via Satellite). I'd actually love to be her best friend or have her live next door so she could cook for me!
Nothing startlingly new, and she can sometimes be a bit over lavish with the butter and cream, but these are recipes that really work. And they taste great too.
"Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love".
Love her cookbooks and her programmes (which I can get via Satellite). I'd actually love to be her best friend or have her live next door so she could cook for me!
Nothing startlingly new, and she can sometimes be a bit over lavish with the butter and cream, but these are recipes that really work. And they taste great too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews