How to Make 3 Recipes Ina Garten Mentions in Her New Memoir – Daily News

Ina Garten, the wildly popular cookbook author and television personality, took the stage in front of a sold-out crowd at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa over the weekend to talk about her recently released best-selling memoir, “Be Prepared When You Get Lucky.” Happens.

The conversation was led by actor and comedian Julia-Louis-Dreyfus, and the choice seemed impeccable. On a recent episode of Garten’s TV show Be My Guest (Food Network and streaming on Max), the two had fun at Ina’s house, frosting a decadent chocolate cake, and capped off the final scene with a big smile while snuggling the chocolate cake. on the front teeth to make both look happily toothless.

Why write a memoir after 13 best-selling cookbooks? Garten explained that she put off writing it for a long time, but her collaborator Deborah Davis talked her into it, saying that someone was going to write it, and it might as well be her.

The writing process brought back memories. She said the experience made her remember how miserable she was working in the White House making nuclear energy policy. She took a “crazy chance” and, responding to an ad in the New York Times, bought the Barefoot Contessa grocery store in the Hamptons for $20,000. She knew nothing about the business, but her husband Jeffrey supported her. Long hours of hard work, talent and creativity made him successful.

The dialogue on stage reflected decades of personal struggles and adventures, including childhood struggles and career turns, all portrayed with grace and purpose. The admiring audience burst in from time to time with cheers and applause. The reaction was especially strong when she talked about how she develops recipes for her cookbooks.

Starting with an idea, perhaps a memorable taste of something she wants to improve, she cooks the dish as many times as necessary to perfect it. The next step is critical. She gives the recipe to her road test assistant and watches the dish being prepared. This way, she can see where she needs to change or add words to make each step of the preparation flawless. Somehow she managed to make it sound easy and demanding at the same time.

Concluding the evening on a cheerful note, she said that working on her memoir had made it clear to her that what she did because she loved doing it was the meaning of her life. Her luck.

The crowd that filled Segerstrom Hall left satisfied with the event.

“Ina is amazing,” said Nadia Quiros, who traveled from her home in San Diego to attend the performance. “She’s real. She makes great cocktails. And I love that her cookbooks can be used to make food for my book club. Every dish is special.”

Here are three recipes that Inna mentioned in her memoirs:

Chicken Parmesan and Arugula Salad

Ina’s irresistible take on chicken parmesan is part of my frequently used repertoire. She serves the chicken with a delicious arugula salad dressed with a fresh lemon vinaigrette. She wrote that the greens are added “the way the Italians do with veal Milanese to give it more texture and flavor.”

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 very large eggs

1 1/4 cups seasoned dry breadcrumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Unsalted butter

Good olive oil

Salad greens for 6 people, washed and dried (arugula or a mixture of baby greens)

Lemon Vinaigrette: Combine 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons), 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Optional Garnish: Capers, see cook’s notes.

Cook’s Notes: The caper garnish is optional. I started adding them at the request of a caper-loving friend.

DIRECTIONS

1. Pound chicken breasts (between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper) until they are 1/4 inch thick. You can use a meat mallet or a rolling pin (the bottom of a pan will do in a pinch).

2. Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Dredge the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides in the egg mixture and coat both sides in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and fry 2 to 3 chicken breasts over medium-low heat (DO NOT use high heat—you’ll regret it) 2 to 3 minutes per side, cooked through. (meat should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees). Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breast. Toss salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a handful of lettuce on each hot chicken breast or serve the chicken on top of the lettuce (top the chicken with a few drained capers, if desired). Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Source: Adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa’s Family Style (Clarkson Potter, $35)

Ina’s Coconut Cupcakes

Garten wrote about these delicious cupcakes in her first book, explaining that no one could resist them. The description was correct. My recipe at home makes 22 large muffins and they disappear quickly.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

5 very large eggs, room temperature

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1-1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut, divided uses

Cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

2. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Add 7 ounces coconut.

3. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with dough. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Spread with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

Source: “The Barefoot Countess’s Cookbook” by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter)

Cream cheese frosting

Yield: Enough to freeze 18 to 22 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1-1/2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add powdered sugar and stir until smooth.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter).

Frittata with fresh basil

At some point during her ownership of Barefoot Contessa, Anna Pump and Ina almost became business partners. Pump eventually became the owner of Loaves and Fishes, a specialty food store in Bridge Hampton. They remained friends and worked together in the catering industry during the winter. This frittata recipe comes from one of Anna Pump’s cookbooks (The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook), and Ina included the treasured formula in her memoir.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS

Soft butter for greasing the pan

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

15 large eggs

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

3 cups whole milk ricotta cheese

1 1/2 pounds grated Gruyère cheese

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/4 cups chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with a 1-inch raised edge. (My baking sheets only have 1″ edges, so I took 1/2 cup of the batter and baked it in a separate custard cup – I was afraid it would overflow.)

2. Place the flour, baking powder, eggs and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture on medium speed until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add ricotta, Gruyère, salt, pepper and basil. Mix just enough to combine.

3. Pour the dough into a greased pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until the frittata is set and browned. Serve at room temperature.

Source: Adapted from Ina Garten (The Crown) Be Prepared When Your Fortune Strikes.