Customer Reviews

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients

5 star:		(166)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of the things that I enjoy most about Ina's books is the beginning of each section. She does not jump into the recipes; she prepares you likened to a good orchestra conductor preparing before a recital; making sure she has gotten everything in order before presenting her work. Once she gets the essence of what she wishes to tell you into words, then will she begin the recipe process.

That being said, this book continues the appreciation that so many people for Ina, along with the superb photography she wants to help bring the flavors, colors, and joy of her ideas and foods. And as Ina states in her dedication, "simple food has the most style". Indeed it does.

Her "Acknowledgement" page has all the secrets of why her books are so successful........great book and cooking industry people, great photography ("I want you to see the photograph and feel like licking the page") and her great husband, Jeffrey (can't ever imagine one without the other).

Her "Introduction" is its own chapter in that you are given her ideas and thoughts behind how she approaches the dining table and the dining experience. She will opt for the simplest, yet freshest foods, whether for a casual or formal dinner. And she helps us to thin out some of the detailed concerns with how we want the table to look and instead, think of how the food should be prepared. This will help us come away with an appreciation for a simpler meal with the atmosphere automatically settling in as you go along.

A real treat in this book is her great new "cooking barn" (don't think hay and horses with a stove nearby but instead a fabulous, sleek, warm, inviting, rustic, yet modern edifice, that is totally Ina).

As you read each chapter, she doesn't just give recipes; she gives side lessons with the hints and insights that she has honed over the years that have made her successful, not just in the sense of financial or in her celebrity, but as a cook/chef/hostess or whatever jumble of adjectives you want to use to describe her. Garnishes, menu ideas, floral arrangements, things to do and NOT to do for a party; thoughts as such that will up the ante on what will make your gathering successful in terms of satisfaction for yourself and your guests.

COCKTAIL HOUR
Parmesan and thyme crackers, Campari orange spritzer, gravlax with mustard sauce, juice of a few flowers, roasted shrimp cocktail, pomegranate cosmopolitans, savory palmiers, mango banana daiquiris, bruschetta with peppers and gorgonzola

SOUPS (one of her best sections)
Lobster corn chowder, cream of fresh tomato soup, homemade chicken stock, roasted potato leek soup, chilled cucumber soup, pappa al pomodoro (this sounds so much more romantic than saying tomato soup, doesn't it), roasted butternut squash soup, Italian wedding soup

LUNCH
Cape Cod chopped salad, old-fashioned carrot salad, white pizzas with arugula, creamy cucumber salad, warm goat cheese in phyllo, roasted butternut squash salad, roasted tomato caprese salad, tomato and goat cheese tarts, truffled filet of beef sandwiches, roasted pears with bue cheese, mache with warm brie (a salad)

DINNER
Tuscan lemon chicken, roasted turkey roulade, chicken bouillabaisse, coq au vin, company pot roast, Niman Ranch burgers, French bistro steaks, Parker's beef stew, herb-marinated loin of prok, baked shrimp scampi, easy sole meuniere, bay scallops gratins, Indonesian grilled swordfish, mustard-roasted fish, soft-shell crab sandwiches, proscuitto roasted bass, pasta with pecorino and peppers, wild mushroom risotto (dee-vine!), spring green risotto, dinner spanokopita, tagliarelle with truffle butter

VEGGIES
Maple-roasted buttercream squash, confetti corn, creamy cheddar grits, orange pecan wild rice, baked poatoes with yogurt, celery root and apple puree, oven-roasted vegetables, parmesan-roasted broccoli, chive risotto cakes, pan-roasted root vegetables, roasted parsnips and carrots, baked sweet potato fries, roasted tomatoes with basil, garlic ciabatta bread
(this will pretty much replace any bruschetta)

DESSERTS (yipee!)
French apple tart, fresh lemon moussse, apple dried cherry turnovers, chocolate-dipped strawberries, french chocolate bark, old-fashioned gingerbread, plum crunch, honey vanilla pound cake, fresh raspberry gratins, pumpkin roulade, raisin pecan oatmeal cookies, affogato sundaes (ice cream, liqueur and whip cream), brownie pudding

Had enough? Not just yet because you can't forget:
BREAKFAST
Sunrise smoothies, country French omelet, buttermilk cheddar biscuits, baked blintzes, homemade muesli, tri-berry oven pancakes, whitefish salad, easy sticky buns, homemade granola bars, blueberry streusel muffins, date nut spice bread, fruit salad with limoncello, easy strawberry jam

Flavor Boosters
FAQS
Credits
Sources
Barn Sources (to dream and possibly build your own "Cooking Barn" too)
Menu's
Index

This latest addition to your Ina library is wonderful and will add more to your simple and fresh repetoire of foodstuffs. Bon appetit!

Cookbooks are so much fun to read. Every author will have different approaches and even provide differing recipes for the same dish. The comparisons are fascinating. Today, I'm marinating chicken in the old "fireman's barbecue" sauce. Over times, I've collected a variety of recipes for this single sauce, and it's fun to experiment, compare, and finally select the one I like best. Same with cookbooks. . . .

In essence, the author, Ina Garten, lays out her approach in the following quotations (both from Page 11): ". . .I don't see any reason 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." And, "What truly fires my imagination is taking ordinary ingredients and cooking them--or pairing them--in a way that `unlocks' their true flavors." She also argues strongly in favor of cooking by the season, since different foods are at their most flavorful at different times. Earlier, I quoted her as saying that certain ingredients unlock flavor. Among the "unlockers," she says, are Reggiano Parmesan cheese, wine vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Pernod, coffee, cream, etc.

Throughout the book, Garten scatters "Top 10" lists, such as the "10 No-cook things to serve with drinks," "Top 10 Flavor Boosters," and "10 Things Not to Serve at a Dinner Party."

But let's take a look at some of the recipes. I enjoy Potato Leek Soup, and have tried out several different recipes (enjoying all). Garten adds a new one to my collection. One ingredient that distinguishes hers from others is the use of arugula. Delicious.

Her "Creamy Cucumber Salad" is another little treasure, featuring hothouse cucumbers, red onions, yogurt, sour cream, vinegar, dill, and black pepper. I have not yet made this, but find that it sounds delightful as a starter for a meal.

"Coq au Vin" is one of my favorite tried and true French recipes. Garten provides her recipe, basing it on a Beef Bourguignon. As her producer once said, triggering the experiment, "Well, [coq au vin] is just beef bourguignon with chicken." Boy, this sounds interesting, richer than the normal recipe that I use.

Finally, one more example, "Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli." I try out a lot of broccoli dishes, and varying how I prepare them, from steaming to grilling to stir frying. Her version features roasting broccoli with pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and basil leaves.

All in all, a fine cookbook. Garten lays out her views on cooking at the outset and then illustrates how to implement those views in her recipe collection. People who want to create tasty dishes without major hassles will find this a good cookbook to add to their collection.

I waited eagerly for this, the sixth of Ina Garten's books. I love it. It's beautiful and the recipes are both simple AND exciting. She always reminds me that I don't have to eat boring, redundant meals every day just because I work and have limited cooking time at night. Many of these recipes require only a handful of ingredients and no more than an hour of preparation from start to finish. And they're elegant meals that provide nourishment and beauty. The scallop dish is lovely. The mustard fish surprising with the touch of salty capers. The wedding soup I'm planning to make tomorrow, but already I see that her recipe respects the cook's time while not sacrificing creativity and flavor. I love The Barefoot.

I am a Barefoot Contessa devotee -- I make one of her recipes almost once a week, but I'm just not in love with this cookbook. Yes, the fish baked in mustard and cream is very nice and easy, but like almost everything else, it is loaded with fat and there's no way to make it healthier. I think her other books have a better balance of high fat and low fat dishes. There are too many belt-busters here. There's also not much new on the roast vegetable front. This is a good book and beautifully done, but I think Garten's Parties will stand up in your kitchen much longer.

I also have all her other cookbooks but agree this one is the best. The title made me hesitate, thinking it might be a cookbook for beginners or a "Joy Of Cooking" type but I was very wrong. That's not to say a beginner would be intimidated by it. All levels of cooks will enjoy this one. The layout/format is very well thought out. Don't skip reading the intro on this one, she has wonderful suggestions and ideas.

I am a great fan of Ina Garten, and I have her first 5 cookbooks; however, I must dissent from all of the other rave reviews. There is not much new here - many recipes are repeated from her earlier books. Nor is it particularly "basic" - just more Ina Garten. Some of her hints leave me mystified - e.g. "Never serve guests anything with nuts - most people hate them or are allergic to them." Not true of my friends! Besides, what am I supposed to make of all her nut-containing recipes? A further annoyance is that some of the recipes she makes on her Food Channel Show, supposedly based on "Back to Basics", do not appear in this book. I'd skip this one.

I got this book the day it came out. Today I made the sole meuniere and the wild rice dish with the pecans. The sole was very easy and very delish. The lemon juice added to the pan really made the dish very tasty. I usually eat wild rice in a cold salad, so when Ina said she wanted to make the wild rice hot for a change, I thought that sounded interesting. It was easy, but I made the mistake of adding a teaspoon of regular salt to the pan with the rice instead of Kosher salt. It tasted a little salty, but after I added the orange juice and the other ingredients, it tasted fine. I did not add the other teaspoon of salt at the end, though, because of my mistake. Otherwise, I probably would have, since a teaspoon of Kosher salt is not as salty as regular sea salt. She specifies Kosher salt, so make sure you pay attention to that and don't do what I did. I also added the nuts right at the end, so they stayed crunchy, and you must roast the nuts like Ina said. It makes a huge difference in how the nuts taste. They go from boring to outstanding.

The real judge of my cooking is my husband, because he is always brutally honest. If he doesn't like something, he tells me. He couldn't rave enough about these two things. He said it tasted like what you would get in an expensive restaurant. Ina's instructions are precise. I hate recipes that don't give you necessary specifics, but Ina doesn't leave anything out. The pictures are beautiful and helpful. I like the paper the book is published in, too, nice and heavy.

I can hardly wait to try the other recipes and there are many in there that are very appealing. I will also try to catch her show on the Food Network more often, since she is cooking from this book. That makes it even more fun. Thanks, Ina!

I've had this since it came out and have cooked the heck out of this book already. And while I usually use cookbooks as inspiration and then go off on my own to fiddle around, I've found myself reading and following every recipe verbatim, line by line. (Well, okay. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the french apple tart. So sue me for being an American.)

In an easy, conversational style and a direct, uncomplicated approach, I have to say Ina nailed it with this one. The wild mushroom risotto was the perfect foil for my head cold last night. The marinated pork tenderloin made my dinner guests ask when they could come back last weekend. The french chocolate bark was the most coveted thing at the office holiday party on Wednesday. And if I gain a couple of pounds thanks to the number of times I plan to make her baked sweet potato fries ... then so be it.

I've honestly never wanted to cook every recipe in a cookbook before. Based on my experiences so far, I find myself toying with the idea of turning to the first page and getting started. Only flaw in this logic is I'd have to wait waaaaaay to long to try her chocolate pudding cake. I just don't see that happening.

I have all of Ina Garten's books and I really love her simple style. I agree with her about food fads- foam is something that happens during an ocean red tide, or on a cappuccino, but not on my plate, please!
Last night I made Ina's mustard roasted fish for guests to rave reviews. Even my husband who is not a fan of mustard or capers, which are both in the sauce, loved it! For this recipe alone, the book was worth it and there are many others I plan to try- the Tuscan lemon chicken, the roasted pears with blue cheese, and the gravlox. There are also some great cocktail and appetizer recipes as well as valuable entertaining tips.
Anyone who is already a fan of Ina will love this cookbook. If you don't have any of Ina's books yet I recommend "Parties" first. It is an indispensable addition to any cook's library and there are recipes from it that I have been making for years.

I am a HUGE Ina fan... I have everything she's done - all the cookbooks, the food journal the note cards...you name it, hers are the recipes I cook the most often... but this book is not even close to what I hoped it would be. It seems like for this book and the corresponding Food Network season, Ina is just "phoning it in".... and not really putting in a lot of effort and pretty much recycling old recipes. "Turning up the volume" apparently just means changing a spice or minor ingredient. This book may be fine for beginners...but to experienced Ina devotees, this is NOT what we are craving. It will take more than changing the label for us! "C'mon Ina, we know you can do a better job! We LOVE you!"