Every author would like to channel Ina Garten's success. On the strength of pre-sales alone, her latest cookbook, "Cooking for Jeffrey," was the No. 2 seller in Amazon's cookbook category for weeks.
Jeffrey is Garten's husband of 40 years, a frequent and always smiling character in her books, and a frequent guest on her television show, "The Barefoot Contessa," a title adopted from the name of the gourmet specialty food store she owned for almost 20 years.
"My sweet husband, Jeffrey, has been my most constant and appreciative audience," Garten says in the book. "My whole career has been about cooking for him." The book reads like a love letter, with headnotes often in context of an experience she shared with him. It's about time, then, that his favorites are spotlighted, right?
Garten has been the home cook's hero since the first Barefoot Contessa cookbook was published in 1999. She published another nine after that, and "Barefoot in Washington" is set to hit the shelves soon. What's the draw?
She's a normal cook, her readers know what to expect and her food is consistently delicious. She isn't obsessed with the latest food trend, fad or being a copycat. There is no sous vide, no paleo and no foam. "I never look at what other people are doing," Garten says. "The basis for my recipes is good home cooking, and that is very different from restaurant food. I make my recipes simple to prepare, using commonly used ingredients (although I might ask for truffle butter for something very special), and they don't take a sink-full of pots and all day to make. I make food that Jeffrey and I like to eat."
And that is what resonates loud and clear with her readers. An oft-paid compliment goes something like this: "I made your so-and-so and everybody loved it, everybody wanted to have the recipe."
Our tested recipes reflect the tenor of the book. Herbed goat cheese is so simple to make, yet so delicious to eat. There's no cooking involved and the dish can be assembled in advance. An Ina Garten trademark, it can be handsomely presented and served with pita chips, crackers or baguette rounds.
If you have a big, black cast iron skillet (and you should) and a kitchen timer, you can nail the skillet-roasted lemon chicken.
Maple-roasted carrot salad is a composed dish with creaminess from the cheese, crunch from the nuts, chewiness from the dried cranberries and beauty and nutrition from the roasted carrots, and all compatible with the refreshing salad greens. When I want extra protein, I tuck halves of hard-cooked egg to the side of each salad plate.
Every recipe in the cookbook is accompanied by a full color photograph and serving suggestions. There are hints, make ahead suggestions, and my favorite, an easy to see, easy to read typeface.
Jeffrey Garten is one lucky guy.
