MODERN COMFORT FOOD

A new cookbook from Ina Garten is always a reason to celebrate, but for her to take on comfort food at a time like this is simple perfection. Garten is the Barefoot Contessa, a part of Taylor Swift’s posse, and the woman who welcomed this year’s pandemic by making a cocktail big enough for a bachelorette party. And now she has a gift for all of us, recipes of comfort food, updated with new flavors and twists but still with her carefree elegance.How could she know how badly we would need this cookbook in 2020?She starts us off with cocktails, because of course she does. There is a Hot Spiced Apple Cider, Ultimate Bloody Marys, and Pomegranate Gimlets along with some nibbles to get the party started. You can try the Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Fresh Crab Nachos, Cacio e Pepe Cheese Puffs, or Grilled Oysters with Lemon Dill Butter. And with all these great party recipes comes more of the ingredients you can use for a great party—tips for serving and decorating that will help put guests at ease and encourage conversation.Then it’s on to lunch. Whether it’s a soup like the Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Baked Fish Chowder, or Maine Lobster Stew or a sandwich like her Ultimate Tuna Melts, Lobster BLTs, or Cheddar and Chutney Grilled Cheese, these recipes will comfort you and give you what you need to get through the rest of your day. With dinner, the Contessa offers up hearty meals of updated classics, like the Tuscan Turkey Roulade, Skillet-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes, Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas , Baked Cod with Garlic and Herb Ritz Crumbs, Fresh Crab and Pea Risotto, or Truffled Mac and Cheese.Offering up modern takes on some of her favorite sides and vegetables, there are Roasted Broccolini and Cheddar, Charred Carrots, Cheddar and Scallion Creamed Corn, Celery Root and Cauliflower Puree, Provencal Zucchini Gratin, Emily’s English Roasted Potatoes (recipe courtesy of actress Emily Blunt), and Outrageous Garlic Bread. Because you always need Outrageous Garlic Bread.And then there are the desserts! Peach Almond Torte, Milk Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream, Black and White Cookies, Bittersweet Chocolate Cake, Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Tuscan Baked Apples, just to name a few. And to get an idea of how Garten comes up with her recipes, she tells the story of her Boston Cream Pie recipe. She tried for years to get it right, but it just wouldn’t come together. She could get all the individual components to taste the way she wanted them, but when she put the cake together, it just wasn’t right somehow. It wasn’t until she was asked if any recipe had eluded her and she admitted to her problems with her Boston Cream Pie that pastry chef Christina Tosi piped up with what turned out to be the answer. And that recipe is included here too (along with Tosi’s advice that worked).And how better to end this than how you start the day—with breakfast. Garten herself talks about how rarely she raises her breakfast game, but lately she has, and she includes her new favorites like Smashed Eggs on Toast, Whole-Grain Breakfast Bowl, Breakfast Tacos, Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby, Waffle Iron Hash Browns, Vanilla Cold-Brewed Ice Coffee, and the Bacon, Egg and Cheddar Sandwich that she is loving right now.Throughout Modern Comfort Food, Garten talks about her favorite ingredients, and she names names. She shares her favorite brand names from the grocery store as well as some of her favorite high-end ingredients and where she finds them. Because she is a chef who understands the importance of a good grocery store shortcut, and there is no shame in that.The reason we love Ina Garten is that she is a master of elegant entertaining with grace and great taste, and she lets us in on her secrets. And after spending decades entertaining and helping others do the same means that she knows all the tricks to adding great taste to the food and to the party with the least amount of effort, and she spills the tea for us.How easy is that?

I own all of the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks, and there is something positive to said for them all. Each one delivers a unique perspective of the author on a particular culinary theme. The title of this book is Modern Comfort Food; therefore I am puzzled by a number of reviews which see fit to complain about the recipes being about *checks notes* comfort food. If you are not a fan of comfort food or don't need recipes for comfort food, then you don't have to purchase this book.Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines comfort food as being prepared in a traditional style with nostalgic or sentimental appeal. Think burgers, pasta, soups and stews, breakfast food, and dessert. There will be bacon and cheese. Again, it's comfort food, people, and in today's world, we need it.The recipes are divided into the following chapters: cocktails, lunch, dinner, vegetables and sides; dessert; and breakfast. Despite the emphasis on traditional comfort food, Ina Garten is still here to elevate cooking and inspire home chefs everywhere. There are delights sprinkled throughout these chapters. Think fresh crab nachos, English lemon posset, truffled mac and cheese, and roasted shishito peppers with easy hollandaise sauce. Sure, it may be comfort food, but Ina gives us better recipes than those we grew up on.Some of the highlights of the recipes so far have included the Seared Salmon with Spicy Red Pepper Aioli. The aioli was a revelation on my salmon, the perfect blend of garlic and heat, and my husband wrapped up the leftover sauce to used on sandwiches and omelets throughout the workweek. The Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas were on the table in less than an hour, and frankly, I liked them much better than many enchiladas I've eaten. The goat cheese and the enchilada sauce balanced quite well. with a nice balance of smoky heat and creamy cheese. While simple, the Smashed Eggs on Toast have become my son's new fave breakfast, and the Chunky Apple Butter was a hit favored by all both at breakfast and for impromptu snacks on toast. Also, I've been waiting years for Ina to perfect her Boston Cream Pie recipe. This one did not disappoint!In the introduction, Ina begins with the recollection of many fans contacting her after 9/11 to say they'd went out immediately to buy the ingredients for her brownies. In a year that has been hard for many, she was thoughtful to deliver a book crammed with comforting foods to bring smiles to our faces in a time of uncertainty. If you don't want to update your own recipes, this isn't the book for you. If you're like me and want to see what Ina considers comfort food and how she puts her own spin on it, then check this book out. Highly Recommended.

Got this on sale and it’s a super value even at full price. I’m a longtime fan of Ina, her cooking shows, her recipes and her cookbooks. All her cookbooks are full of excellent recipes and great pictures and easy to follow instructions.This is a cookbook of comfort foods….And as a hardcover, it’s such high quality for the price. Completely recommend. Full of recipes that are easy to make and can’t wait to keep working my way through it throughout the year.

M daughter has really enjoyed reading Ina Garten’s most recent book. So this was a gift I sent to her. She loved it. She has made many of the recipes and has even made several for me.

Warning: these recipes often owe their comfort factor to shocking quantities of butter, cream, and cheese. Not the most health but undeniably tasty. No wonder everyone loves this book. I do too.

Love all of her cookbooks recipes are easy to use and delicious

Great gift item for someone looking for recipes that please everyone in the family. Easy to read and understand. Well rounded options are offered. Would buy this book again for a gift!

Nice, easy to follow recipes. I am a big fan!