Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

by Ina Garten

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The essential Ina Garten cookbook, focusing on the techniques behind her elegant food and easy entertaining style, and offering nearly a hundred brand-new recipes that will become trusted favorites

Ina Garten’s bestselling cookbooks have consistently provided accessible, subtly sophisticated recipes ranging from French classics made easy to delicious, simple home cooking. In Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics , Ina truly breaks down her ideas on flavor, examining the ingredients and techniques that are the foundation of her easy, refined style.

Here Ina covers the essentials, from ten ways to boost the flavors of your ingredients to ten things not to serve at a party, as well as professional tips that make successful baking, cooking, and entertaining a breeze. The recipes—crowd-pleasers like Lobster Corn Chowder, Tuscan Lemon Chicken, and Easy Sticky Buns—demonstrate Ina’s talent for transforming fresh, easy-to-find ingredients into elegant meals you can make without stress.

For longtime fans, Ina delivers new insights into her simple techniques; for newcomers she provides a thorough master class on the basics of Barefoot Contessa cooking plus a Q&A section with answers to the questions people ask her all the time. With full-color photographs and invaluable cooking tips, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics is an essential addition to the cherished library of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Foodie, Food and Drink

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2008

About the author

Ina 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.

Reviews

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike many of the Martha Stewart Living recipes I've tried, you don't get halfway through a Barefoot Contessa recipe only to find that you were supposed to soak the pears for your cake or whatever in some liquor for three months last fall (true story) or something equally as ridiculous. Who starts planning a recipe three months in advance???? (excluding famous chefs and Stepford wives, that is)
I love the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks because Ina Garten's recipes are fairly easy while still maintaining the kind of elegance that makes you want to light candles and have friends over.
Every time I make something from one of her cookbooks people ask me where I got the recipe. I have worked my way through at least half of her recipes (in all of her books) and they always turn out wonderful the first time!
Also, Ina's introductions are warm, well-written and full of good advice on cooking and life in general. Definitely recommend reading over coffee on a lazy Saturday morning. You will be inspired.

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A staple for any kitchen, this cookbook is so fun and easy to use.

Prepared foods are well-documented with gorgeous photography, and recipes are laid out in a manner that is extremely simple to follow. Many of the dishes included are classics, updated with a twist, as is Ms. Garten's trademark style of cooking.

This cookbook really is a must-read for chefs of all levels of skill. - Meagan G.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I will say I love cookbooks! Secondly, Ina Garten has been a favorite of mine for so long now I can't even remember when I first saw her. I watch her religiously on the Food Network channel whenever she's on. This may sound odd, but for me she has a comforting nature. When I watch her show I'm just relaxed and really enjoying watching her putting together her recipes in that easy way that she has.


This latest cookbook of hers is fabulous. First of all it's a beautiful book from the front cover to the wonderful pictures of the recipes themselves inside the book. The photos are bright, vivid and inviting and definitely have your mouth watering! The book is separated into sections like breakfast, lunch, dinner and my most favorite-desserts.


Ina's introduction to this edition is great and not to be bypassed on your way to the recipes. Here's a quote from Ina that I really think sums up her cooking style, "I don't see why we can't buy perfectly good ingredients in a grocery store, cook them simply, and serve an absolutely delicious meal that will delight everyone at the table". This is one thing I really enjoy about using Ina's recipes-she takes ordinary ingredients that I can get at my local store and she doesn't make it a complicated process for someone to put them together into a tasty and wonderful meal. The recipes in this book are very easy to follow and most don't include a list of ingredients that is so long that you're scared to even contemplate trying it out.


A few recipes that I've tried from this book and that I've seen her cook on her show are the Parmesan & Thyme Crackers. These are so yummy and perfect for a party or get together with a few friends. For me, parmesan is a staple in my kitchen and these simple crackers have a not so simple flavour-they are easy enough to make but at the same time, delectable. Her Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup I've made with fresh tomatoes from my back yard. The onion and garlic flavors along with the heavy cream mixed in make this a heavenly soup. As for a dessert which is my favorite meal, I vote for the Brownie Pudding-butter and cocoa-need I say more. Yummo!


A few recipes I really want to try but haven't yet are the Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad that's made with rasins, sour cream, mayo among other things and it sounds divine if you're a lover of these kinds of ingredients as I am. Another is the Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli-doesn't the title of the recipe itself make your mouth water-it does mine. It's got more of my favorite ingredients like garlic and parmesan; the only thing I would leave out is pine nuts as I'm allergic but this is definitely another recipe I plan on trying soon.


There are just so many amazing recipes to try in this book and it will take me a while to make it through ones I've marked as my favorites. For those who really like Ina Garten and her cooking style as I do, this newest book of hers is a must. For those who love to cook, it's a must and for those who maybe aren't so talented in the kitchen, this is really an easy book to follow and you may just surprise yourself with some of the delights you can make in your very own kitchen.


Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten was released by Random House on October 28.

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[A.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not much of a cookbook person.
But when I use a cookbook, I want it to be just that: a collection of recipes. I am not interested in the page-long descriptions of why cooking is so great, and how to buy ingredients, and anything else that the author feels like sharing. So the 9 introductory pages could have been summarized a lot more concisely.
On the plus side, the photographs are beautiful, although it makes me feel this book is more a coffee-table book than a cookbook.
The recipes all seem quite tasty and simple to make, but being a student, they are not what I would call 'back to basics'. Half of the ingredients (lobster, scallops, etc) are not things I would have around the house!
I liked the 'tips' pages, although much of the advice seemed like common sense than anything.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked out a bunch of her cookbooks - and out of four of them I found maybe three recipes I would make. They all looked delicious, but just for various reasons I probably won't be making most of them. I sure enjoyed looking at all the pictures, though, and dreaming of eating her food. I also read most of the text in each book. One book (maybe this one?) had an essay about how she only has the essential pans - and not so many that she can't store them with their lids on. The photo showed some Le Crueset (sp?) pans. She has four of them in varying sizes. She then said she doesn't have a very big kitchen. She also said it is cheaper to have two dishwashers than more cupboards. Oh, she also believes you should have more than one mixing bowl so you can swap one out after it's dirty and not have to wash it right away - she means for the Kitchen Aid. Needless to say this essay made me laugh. Really? Small kitchen? Apparently she hasn't been to my kitchen that is too small for a dishwasher. Anyway, I guess I just came away realizing I am not her target audience. I did get inspired to make my homemade granola and granola bars in a new and delicious way. She knows her stuff!

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm late to the Ina Garten party, yet this is my 3rd Ina cookbook review in the last year. I'm not a big fan of the show, and thus, hadn't experimented with any of her recipes prior to scoring 3 for a $1 each at a library book sale. Besides Emeril Lagasse's recipes, my celebrity chef recipe reviews have been mixed at best. I can now honestly say that through these initial 3 cookbooks, Ina has won my admiration and respect. This is the best of the 3 (other 2 were Easy as That and Parties) of the ones I've reviewed. Everything I made was delicious, and I found the recipes easy to follow. The photography is lovely. I mostly ignore the long write-ups and descriptions, but I did find a few attached to a specific recipe helpful with sub suggestions.

I could go on and on about specific recipes, but I'm going to sum it up by discussing 1. After several successes, I decided to test whether I could truly trust Ina. I picked the recipe I was least likely to like - something I would never typically make - the French Chocolate Bark. Chocolate bark is pretty basic (something I rarely make), and I'm on the fence about lots of dried fruits. This recipe is essentially a combo of various chocolates with multiple fried fruits and cashews lightly pressed into the top. I did make 1 suggested (in the write-up) sub since we aren't fans of raisins and subbed sweetened dried cranberries. Otherwise, I made as written. It was crazy good. I can't believe how good it was. Something about the specific combo was so, so good. I gave some to my dad and he couldn't stop eating it - and he's picky. If Ina can make me like dried fruit chocolate bark, then I'll trust all her future recipes.

[Tina Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of these recipes are now staples in my menu-planning. They are all delicious, albeit too fattening to eat every day!

[e_anne_b · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feel like some recipes are definite repeats/copies of other versions of her fabulous recipes! Can’t NOT give Ina 5⭐️ though lol

[Kathryn Bashaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard this was a really good cookbook, but it is expensive so I thought I would borrow it from the library first. Oh my! On almost every page Al and I were saying, "Oh, we have to try that," and "Oh, we have to try that, too," so I just ordered it. She offers nice tips, too, on planning menus, setting a nice table, arranging flowers, etc. And I like her philosophy of cooking with a few good ingredients, preferably seasonal (although not every recipe is simple and a few call for ingredients I've never heard of. What is a cornichon?!)

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a delicious potato salad recipe in this book - so yummy, in fact, that I have to find it again! I really like the style and the photos are gorgeous. The layout is very clean and enticing, and Ina Garten's writing voice is warm and friendly. I definitely want to add this to my permanent cookbook collection one day.

[Karen Pawlick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ina - what a remarkable woman. Lots of great information on cooking and presentation and life in general.

[Barbara Woodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally got this book from the library. I found so many terrific recipes in it, I have now purchased my own copy. Ina always has something I want to cook!

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good recipes.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I'm a huge Ina Garten fan and was excited to try out some of these recipes. A new Barefoot Contessa book always means taking out the battery of the smoke alarm near the kitchen because of all the smoke caused by roasting. I'm going to think of this one as the fennel and dill book because seriously, has she always used so much fresh fennel and dill? (I did not make any of the fennel or dill recipes but I am planting fennel this spring, so I'll have to revisit.)
We made (and my thoughts):
baked blintzes with fresh blueberry sauce: definitely an easier method but still not equal to the blintzes I had at a brunch in L.A. while on vacation (HEAVEN!).
pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream: we're going to dumb it down from mascarpone cheese to cream cheese frosting and omit the ginger chunks to be more kid friendly. My favorite.
garlic ciabatta: great technique resulted in good flavor, we substituted fresh basil for the oregano, but it was way too salty -- is it just me or is an entire teaspoon of salt for one loaf of bread way too much?!
roasted tomato caprese salad: yay! delicious caprese in the winter!
parmesan-roasted broccoli: tasted like pesto with lemon. A great change from the cheese sauce we usually serve with it.
baked shrimp scampi: we made it without the wine, my hubby loved it, and we will be making again.
french apple tart: best dessert for a dinner party ever.
I'll have to check it out again for sure, but it still does not top Barefoot Contessa: Family Style.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated how Ina explained cooking techniques and encouraged fresh ingredients. Some ingredients were hard to find in my area, such as Italian plums for the Plum Crunch, but substitutes didn't take away from the dish. Example, I used black plums instead of Italian plums. Each recipe's instructions are clear and laid out step by step, she gives a note on how to elevate each dish.

I think this is a good cookbook for those who are wanting to learn different techniques and flavors. She does use seafood a lot and dill makes an appearance a bit. She also mentions in numerous recipes that there is a french cuisine influence.

I made all of the recipes, some turned out better than others but that could be more of my technique and equipment. The thyme crackers were crumbly but I didn't have a mixer at the time and maybe the weather affected it, I live in warmer weather so maybe I should have added more water.

My top recipes from each section were:

Cocktail Hour: Gravlax with mustard sauce
Soup: Italian Wedding Soup
Lunch: Truffled filet of beef sandwiches
Dinner: Wild mushroom risotto
Vegetables: Chive risotto cakes
Dessert - Baked chocolate pudding
Breakfast: Baked blintzes

[Caitlyn Strubinger-Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the rare cookbooks I have found where I feel confident enough to make nearly every recipe. I feel like Ina got a bad rap for being perceived as aloof and this book gives some insight into her background as an owner of a specialty food store. She also focuses when she cooks on high quality ingredients and minimal fuss which I think is something we are all looking for. She doesn’t like a lot of appliances and gadgets and doesn’t care about the new trends. These recipes are wholesome and delicious but elegant enough that you can use them for a dinner party. I am so excited to get into the kitchen and get started cooking!!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

the subtitle for this book mentions simple ingredients. in this book simple does not equal budget-friendly. the techniques she uses are indeed simple, the pictures are beautiful, and i want to try many of these recipes. maybe if i start saving money now, i will request in my will that pasta with truffle butter be served at my funeral.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thus far I've made the sweet potato fries (wedges baked on a cookie sheet with a light toss in olive oil with a bit of brown sugar, pepper and salt) and the tomato, basil and goat cheese tarts--simply delicious. I'm seriously considering the turkey roulade for Thanksgiving, as it looks super yummy and pretty darn straightforward. I'm so glad I picked this up.

[Christina Boye · Rating 5 out of 5]

ina garten is truly a national treasure. this book shaped my childhood in the most magical way. there’s no greater feeling than smelling the scent of ina’s french apple tarts wafting through the halls of my home and running down the stairs as fast as i can to beat my sister to get the first bite. this book is filled with delicious classics and will make you a pro in the kitchen!! always love ina!

[DeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed looking through this older cookbook from Ina Garten. There are several recipes that I am excited to try. Her cooking instructions seem simple enough and she does a good job explaining techniques and ingredients that are less mainstream. Go Ina!

[tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've already tried a number of recipes in this book, but I'm starting from scratch (so to speak) so I can fully enjoy all of the wonderful tips, anecdotes and lovely photographs from cover to cover.

[Meredith Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many good recipes in this one!

[Brenda Christman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes with ingredients I have in my home .

[Lena Phealan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even my husband loves looking at this book and wanting to try the recipes

[Chanel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of classic recipes.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is amazing!

[EPic Bookclub]

A cook book for book club...everyone chose a recipe and fun and eating ensued!

[Correen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her books are beautiful and filled with information beyond her recipes.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty sure this is the Ina cookbook with the Pecan oatmeal cookies recipe? That alone makes the book worthwhile—best cookies I’ve ever made.

[Carey Tew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another favorite that I CANNOT live without!!