Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients By Ina Garten"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics is the essential Ina Garten cookbook, focusing on the techniques behind her elegant food and easy entertaining style, and offering nea

Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Cooking well by going back to basics November 1, 2008
55 out of 59 found this review helpful

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 produce 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.

4 out of 5 stars

Love the recipes, dislike (not hate) the attitude October 30, 2008
40 out of 72 found this review helpful

I just got this cookbook yesterday, after eagerly anticipating it for a few months. I have seen some of her "Back to Basics" episodes and the food sure looked good. I have all of her cookbooks, but this one, even though it has a lot of fantastic recipes, is - gasp - not my favorite! My favorite will always be Barefoot Contessa - Family style (especially the flag cake, always a hit at military promotion parties, 4th of July and other patriotic holidays).

That said, there are some really great recipes in this book. I have already made Parker's Beef Stew (on page 124, was on the FN months ago) and am making the chicken bouillabaisse tonight (pg. 111). Each and every one of the appetizers looks great, and I find it pretty funny that our list for 10 things to serve with drinks is fairly identical (except I make my own hummus in a food processor - much better and less salty than store bought). I did enjoy her chatty introduction, but a few things there and in chats later in the book bothered me a bit, and that is why I'm giving this 4 instead of 5 stars.

She says in the introduction that food trends don't interest her, but later on she really plugs eating local, seasonal food. I am all for eating local food (absolutely nothing like fresh, homegrown tomatoes and veggies in the summer, etc) but I'll be darned if someone tells me I can't satisfy my cravings for some good fruit in February, and I really don't care if it's not local and has to come from Chile or Australia or Israel. I think one can support both local and international farmers, especially those in 3rd world countries.

And, in a departure from her other books, Ina keeps using the word "hate." I just don't like that word and it makes her come off snotty and bossy (which she certainly doesn't seem like on her shows). "I hate muddled flavors" (pg. 19), "I hate cocktails that have to be made one at a time" (pg. 47), and a couple of other quotes throughout the book ("many people hate nuts" p. 106). I just feel it's too strong of a word and there are other words that she can use to express her feelings. It can make one feel like if they don't do as she says, she'll spank them.

Her 10 things not to serve at a dinner party (p. 106) - I'm sorry but some of those items are just ridiculous. I AM going to serve food with garlic at a dinner party. If everyone is eating the same thing, then they ALL have garlic breath, so what difference does it make? And I'm certainly not going to tell a dinner guest, that no, but she can't have red wine because I'm worried that she'll spill it on the carpet or the couch or whatever - to me, that's being a snotty host and I'd rather have a mess (which can always be cleaned up) than guests who feel like they have to walk on eggshells around my house.

So, 4 stars for the fantastic recipes and the layout for the book, minus one star for "attitude."

5 out of 5 stars

The Best Yet October 30, 2008
34 out of 40 found this review helpful

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.

3 out of 5 stars

Not as good as her first cookbooks November 3, 2008
27 out of 33 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

The Barefoot Wins Again November 1, 2008
25 out of 27 found this review helpful

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.

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