The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
by Ina Garten, Martha Stewart
|
List Price: Our Price: $17.26 You Save: $17.74 (51%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.32 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Book Review: Absolutely wonderful, inspiring, and confidence-building!
Summary: 5 Stars
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! Mary Whipple
Book Review: A cookbook one can trust
Summary: 5 Stars
When I see more than 100 reviews of a book, I usually balk at adding my own two cents worth to the mix. However, I am a big fan of Ina Garten and own all of her books (3 so far) and wanted to throw my opinions into the ring anyway.Many reviewers commented on the beautiful photos, but complained about the number of recipes. I can understand that point of view, but I would rather have a really good, dependable cookbook with 25 great recipes (and there are more than that in this book) than a cookbook with 100 recipes that are just so-so. It's the ol' quality versus quantity argument, I suppose.
And about those photos -- I know that color photos add to the cost and bulk of a cookbook, but when they are beautifully done, as is the case with this book, it makes you WANT to try the recipes. On the other hand, I've got some gorgeous cookbooks with some stinker recipes in them. That's another reason why I love this book. You get beautiful photos AND really good recipes.
Do you want a cookbook you can trust? This book fits the bill for me. I have made her recipes for the first time FOR GUESTS -- something that would normally create heart palpitations and have me reaching for that unnecessary extra glass of wine. Yet my guests and I have yet to be disappointed. I'd say that was cause for celebration myself.
One other comment -- Garten emphasizes using fresh and good quality ingredients. If you do you will find her recipes work all of the time. I suspect that one or two of the less than satisfied reviewers here took some shortcuts or perhaps used a less than stellar ingredient.
There is no substitute for fresh thyme for example when it is a PRIMARY flavoring. You might get away with dried thyme in a stew or soup, but not when it is paired with only fresh lemon, garlic, and olive oil for chicken. Stick with fresh herbs and don't buy cheap olive oil or substitute margarine (yuk) for butter and you will get good results. I think this applies to cooking in general, not just to Ina's recipes.
Obviously I highly recommend this book and I think the majority will ultimately agree that it is a good choice. Looking forward to your next book, Ina!
Book Review: Simple and Delicious!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not your ordinary cookbook. It is a visual feast for all your senses. The photographs are stunning, the recipes are simple to understand, and the tips are actually very helpful. Ina Garten expertly walks you through preparation to presentation, and injects personal anecdotes throughout. I was left with the impression that she truly wants her readers to appreciate the simplicity and beauty of a great meal.The book begins with an introduction to fresh ingredients and again, the emphasis is on quality and simplicity. Ina guides us through a farmer's market of fresh fruits and vegetables, explaining what to look for and how to select the very best ingredients for our meals. In the midst of this primer, she delivers a simple recipe for fresh lemonade (a quick application of what we have just learned!), followed by a glossary of kitchen terms, and all accompanied by beautiful photographs. The first section is devoted to appetizers, and includes detailed instructions on what to serve at cocktail parties (and exactly how to serve it) and how to make and present an elegant, yet simple fruit and cheese platter. My favorite recipe from this section was the vegetable sushi. She then covers Soups (including home made croutons), Salads (the French Potato is tremendous!), Dinner Entrees (including a kitchen clambake and the famous Indonesian Ginger Chicken recipe), Vegetables (with instructions on creating a stunning vegetable platter), Desserts (the country dessert platter is perfect for small groups get-togethers!) and a section simply entitled "Breakfast" with a wonderful recipe for White Hot Chocolate and a short primer on how to make "the perfect cup of coffee". The book ends with details for assembling party food and has a complete resource section loaded with information on how to find specialty items.
I own many cookbooks, but I have found this to be the most inspiring and entertaining that I have read. The recipes are simple, and quite delicious, making this a terrific resource for both the experienced and novice cook.
5 Stars. Magnificent!
Book Review: AN INDISPENSABLE KITCHEN REFERENCE
Summary: 5 Stars
For those who haven't had the pleasure of shopping at Ina Garten's specialty food store in the Hamptons The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook delivers - literally. Some 160 gorgeous photos plus Ina's favorite recipes fill the 252 pages of this indispensable kitchen reference.
As Martha Stewart writes in her Foreword, Ina is unique. "There is a freshness in cooking, a total lack of finickiness, a reliance on the freshest and best, and a casualness that I know will be appealing to everyone who uses her book." How true!
Ina stresses freshness, noting that after several weeks in Provence where she found radishes and carrots with "soil still clinging to them," she determined to base her cooking on ingredients from local sources. A lesson for us all.
Hosting a cocktail party, she decided, was not much fun if she spent all of her time running back and forth to the kitchen to get hot hors d'oeuvres out of the oven. So, she does everything possible to be sure that she does not leave the room. For instance, she has a table with all the drink fixings on it, and appetizers that can be served at room temperature so everything is either out or ready to pass when the first guest arrives. Thus we find common sense and uncommonly good appetizers from Roasted Eggplant spread to Guacamole to Smoked Salmon Sandwiches.
Her soups are splendid, most of them starting with sauteed onions "to give a sweet, rich flavor to the stock." Parker's Split Pea Soup, which Steven Spielberg said tasted just like his mother's, is rich, hearty and beautifully presented topped either with toasted croutons or diced smoked ham.
The joy Ina finds in cooking is evident in all of her dishes. She's a cook who makes simple food very, very special.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
Book Review: Get ready to entertain!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Each time I try a new recipe, I subject my husband to the following three questions: Do you like it? Is it good enough to make again? Would you serve it to guests? (Bless my husband, he mostly manages to answer these questions without rolling his eyes in the process!!) So far EVERYTHING I've tried from Barefoot has gotten the "thumbs up" for serving to guests ... AND our guests have really enjoyed the food :-) Here are some of the things I appreciate about Barefoot: the photography is BEAUTIFUL and inspires me to present the prepared food in an eye-appealing manner; the recipes are relatively simple to prepare and stress using the best and freshest ingredients for the tastiest results; and best of all ... the author provides detailed instructions for preparing ahead of time so that if you're entertaining guests, you can turn your attentions towards your visitors instead of being mired down in the minutia of last minute cooking details.
Some notes re: specific recipes: We loved the corn chowder - we ate about a quart ourselves; gave another quart to friends who just had a baby; and still had a couple quarts to throw in the freezer for later. This is a recipe that needs to be halved, or even quartered! The grilled lemon chicken with satay dip is divinely yummy; but, once again, there's enough satay left over for 3-4 more batches of grilled chicken. I made the maple-oatmeal scones for a surprise birthday brunch for a friend. We all loved the scones (no - don't count the calories, it'll spoil the joy!!), even thinking them superior to the ones Starbucks offers ... AND I had enough leftovers to serve to my visiting in-laws the next day! Conclusion? Great food, but huge proportions. I will definitely be buying Barefoot as gifts for my cooking friends...