Chicken Pot Pie

Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and her cookbooks are already a source of guidance for basic recipes but her show serves as my inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts.  So now that I’ve got the essentials down it’s time to branch out. I’ll choose a recipe from an episode of the Barefoot Contessa to try in my tiny New York kitchen. We’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

Episode: “Back for the Weekend”

The Set-up: Ina and her friend, T.R. Pescod, have worked out a trade: he’ll bring some provisions from the city and she’ll cook for their respective weekend guests.

The Menu: Chicken Pot Pie, Wheatberry Salad, Split Pea Soup

0:05 – Wheatberry Salad, eh? I have never heard of a wheatberry in my life so this should be educational!

0:54 – A wheatberry is neither wheat nor a berry. Discuss. Can you tell that I grew up watching SNL in the 1990s? Thank you, Mike Myers.

3:01 – Ina is cooking lots of things in advance including this salad. Smart lady. When I’m hungry it seems like so much work to make something – better to have it ready to go, hence the beauty of leftovers.

4:39 – Time to check in with T.R. Have I mentioned how much I love T.R.? One of my proudest moments was recognizing him in rerun of Sex in the City. I need to get out more.

5:15 – T.R. is getting his shopping list instructions – and wearing the hell (pardon my French) out of a v-neck sweater, corduroy jacket, and Clooney-esque hair. Whew!

5:22 – T.R.’s quote of the episode: “You know me; I’m all for decadence.” This was in reference to chocolate cake, but I think we both know that statement has broader applications. Watch out grocery store clerks!

7:13 – Now for the Chicken Pot Pie! Ina is roasting the chicken in the oven and I can attest that the extra step is worth it – with this method the chicken really does turn out ‘succulent.’

11:16 – This roux isn’t for the butter or cream averse. Good thing we started with a healthy salad.

11:23 – Pro tip: chicken bullion cubes to add extra flavor. Not just for Mad Men-era cooking!

12:02 – Ina’s adding frozen pearl onions to the pot pie mix which she likes because they don’t need peeling. This begs the question: who at Bird’s Eye is peeling bags full of tiny onions? The world may never know.

12:30 – Back to T.R.’s adventures in grocery shopping. The butcher behind the deli counter seems only mildly charmed by T.R.’s salami-related questions. This man must be made of stone.

13:11 – Ina is the Boy Scout of pastry crust: always prepared. Thank goodness for the rest of us that frozen puff pastry exists.

15:22 – The pot pies are cooked in the most darling little tureens. I know I’ve mentioned my interest in seeing Ina’s linen closet, next I want a tour of the china cabinet. Still not a double entendre.

15:35 – I count three instances of Ina using the word ‘succulent’ so far in this episode. My theory: a virulent case of word of the day calendar.

20:14 – Ina’s making split pea soup now and offers a pro tip for mincing garlic. This seems pretty basic, but I like how she sprinkles some technique into the show periodically. Again, educational!

21:42 – T.R. again and he’s doing admirably well with his shopping. Salad greens, heirloom tomatoes, check!

23:34 – I have been anti-split pea soup from a young age, but this episode is challenging me to try them out again. Perhaps I’ve matured?

27:49 – T.R. has arrived at Ina’s and it’s time for the hand-off.  He can’t come in for a glass of wine – clearly he has more willpower than I would after battling weekend traffic – because his guests are arriving soon. Boo.

28:26 – Last recipe of the night: tomato sandwich with basil garlic mayonnaise. Ina has the right idea – even a quick bite eaten at the kitchen counter can be special.

Final Thoughts:

I love Ina, but T.R.‘s comedic timing is gold. We need to import him from NY more often.
Cooking ahead of time, especially if you have weekend guests, is a great idea. Now to be that organized…
I really want to try the Split Pea Soup recipe sometime soon. Look at me branching out!

Chicken Pot Pie, Image: Laura Messersmith

 Lessons Learned: I already had most of the ingredients on hand for Chicken Pot Pie and it’s one of my husband’s favorite meals, so this won out over Wheatberry Salad. What can I say, we’re not really health nuts. That’s the beauty of this recipe too – nothing overly special or fancy needed so it was easy to do this without a trip to the grocery store. It’s moderately small kitchen friendly – one sheet pan, one large pot, one medium pot, a cutting board, a few kitchen tools, and some ramekins. My one caveat is rolling out the puff pastry – that was tricky on 1 square foot of counter space. I do also recommend the smaller size baking dishes if you are cooking for a two or want a more elegant presentation for a dinner party.

The Verdict:

This is so, so good. Really chicken-y and the veggies take on that deep flavor without losing their freshness. Mike said: permanent green light to make this again anytime.

Savory Coeur a la Creme

Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and her cookbooks are already a source of guidance for basic recipes but her show serves as my inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts.  So now that I’ve got the essentials down it’s time to branch out. I’ll choose a recipe from an episode of the Barefoot Contessa to try in my tiny New York kitchen. We’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Say Cheese”

The Set-up: Ina is experimenting with her favorite cheeses and creating new cheese-related recipes.

The Menu: Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart, Savory Coeur a la Crème, Baked Pears with Stilton & Walnuts

0:20 – Ina is paying a visit to what appears to be the cutest cheese shop in all of the Hamptons. Cue Monty Python sketch humor in three, two, one…

0:27 – “Stinking Bishop from England.”  Hah. Classic.

1:12 – We’re back at Ina’s and its Goat Cheese Tart time. I think I may lack the patience required, but her caramelized onions for the tart look amazing.

2:45 – Just found out that puff pastry is involved in this recipe, no pastry making required. Hallelujah!

4:02 – Onions + thyme + white wine = “Very Provencal.”

4:44 – Tomato + goat cheese + basil = “Very Provencal.”

5:29 – I think we’re in need of a “Barefoot in Provence” travel episode. We could call it “How Provencal is That?” Are you listening Food Network? The people have spoken!

6:07 – I just realized that the tarts are dough + tomato + cheese = essentially fancy pizzas.

7:34 – Jeffrey has arrived on the scene just in time to fulfill his responsibilities as “Chief Taste Tester.” That’s the kind of C-level job I’d be well qualified for. I wonder if the position comes with profit sharing.

7:38 – Or really good chicken stock options? (I’m so sorry.)

10:11 – Back in the cheese shop – crossing my fingers for more inappropriate cheese names.

10:12 – Alas, no luck on the names, but now I’m noticing that this shop appears to be totally unattended. Did Ina break in or are they just a really trusting bunch?

11:20 – Coeur a la Crème time and Ina has the most adorable heart shaped mold. What a cute Valentines Day present this would make! I might have to break down and get one…

12:15 – Ina’s making a Savory Coeur a la Crème with lemon zest and pepper instead of mixing in sweeter flavors like vanilla and raspberry. I wonder if this would work with something like plain Greek yogurt? (see below for the answer)

15:00 – Jeffrey Garten, aka “The Dean” of taste testing, is up for the challenge of drinking a glass of rose and eating some cheese. Clearly a highly skilled profession.

15:15 – For those at home taking notes - step one to getting Jeffrey’s attention: rattle a box of crackers. Step two: serve cheese. Coincidentally, step one works well on Maddie-pup too. She and Jeffrey must be kindred spirits.

19:45 – Baked brie, always a good idea. Combined with green apples and honey – winner!

21:29 – New cooking equation: pears + Stilton + port wine = “Very English.” I’m fairly sure this is the only culinary circumstance where “very English” is considered high praise. Sorry Britain, but you still have a lot to overcome in the food-rep department.

22:47 – It’s taken me forever to develop a taste for bleu cheese but now a recipe involving Stilton or Gorgonzola is actually appealing. Bring on the baked pears and walnuts!

26:33 – So far we’ve done recipes with Parmesan, goat cheese, cream cheese, brie, and now Stilton. But the real question is: where’s the Gruyere? I can’t believe it didn’t clear the Top 5!

28:10 – Lunch is served – two baked pears halves stuffed with Stilton, walnuts, and cranberries on a bed of arugula with port vinaigrette dressing. My favorite kind of salad – gorgeous presentation, but easy to assemble.

29:00 – Jeffrey, C.T.T. of Barefoot Contessa Inc., is back in the office. Ina ribs him a little about this being a lifetime appointment. Tenure track perhaps?

29:42 – The Dean pronounces the Stilton recipe “delicious.” Excellent political maneuver Prof. Garten.

Final Thoughts:

I still want a Barefoot in Provence episode.
Kind of fascinated by the Coeur a la Crème recipe – that could be a dangerously tasty addition to our appetizer options.
Adding “investigate Chief Taste Tester and/or Dean of Tasting career opportunities” to my to-do list.

Coeur a la Creme, Image: Laura Messersmith

 Lessons Learned: Oh, dear. I attempted to make the Savory Coeur a la Crème recipe while home visiting my parents. Since we’re all trying to be healthier and because I had some notion that it might work I tried making it with plain greek yogurt only instead of cream cheese and heavy cream.  Suffice it to say: 24 hours later and my Coeur a la Crème hadn’t set very well and the lemon zest in combination with the tang of the greek yogurt was a little too acidic for any of my taste-testers. I think it might have gone better if I had used at least some cream cheese for balance and gone with herbs instead of lemon. In any case, the blame belongs directly at my feet – so sorry Ina! – and means that I will have to try this again actually following the instructions this time. What a novel idea!

Update: I tried again over the weekend and it's a night and day difference. The cream and cream cheese have a much mellower flavor and balance nicely with the acidity of the lemon. This is also very, very easy and definitely small kitchen friendly. One bowl, one sieve, cheese cloth, a microplane - that's it!

The Verdict:  We really liked this recipe and even preferred it without the chutney. I could see making a savory coeur a la creme as an appetizer for a cocktail party.

Caesar Roasted Striped Bass

Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and her cookbooks are already a source of guidance for basic recipes but her show serves as my inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts.  So now that I’ve got the essentials down it’s time to branch out. I’ll choose a recipe from an episode of the Barefoot Contessa to try in my tiny New York kitchen. We’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Going Local”

The Set-up: Ina is writing an article and has challenged herself to make a three course dinner using only locally produced ingredients.

The Menu: Roasted Eggplant Caponata, Caesar Roasted Striped Bass, Fresh Peach Cake

0:53 – Ina’s talking about making the shift from menu to seasonal ingredients vs. using what’s available to determine what you’ll serve.

1:20 – First up: the Eggplant Caponata. Apparently roasting eggplant is a dangerous undertaking – if it isn’t trying to explode in the oven it’s doing its best to slide off the baking sheet. Slippery little suckers. And now I’m having a Pretty Woman escargot in the fancy restaurant flashback.

2:18 – Ina got her eggplant from the Green Thumb Farm market and the owners made a video about their business. I think the farm stand manager, Jo, might have a second career as a demonstrator on QVC. She has the right sing-song voice for it.

3:32 – I’m not familiar with caponata but it seems to be the Sicilian version – olives, pine nuts, etc. – of baba ghanoush. I must have nothing but ridiculous movie quotes on the brain today – now it’s Wedding Crashers. “Baba ghanouush!!”

4:56 – Ina’s adding lemon juice and white wine vinegar to give the caponata some acid. The Barefoot Contessa doesn’t truck with bland.

6:08 – Mmmm, home made pita chips.

9:34 – Onward to the Peach Cake course!

9:44 – The eggs and the peaches for the cake come from Amber Waves Farm – two tiny acres which appear to be run by J. Crew models – and Amagansett Farmers Market, part of the Eli Zabar empire.

11:03 – Pro-tip: when eggs are really fresh the yolks stand up firmly.

14:26 – This peach cake looks so good. Ina doesn’t say that it’s coffee cake, but with the layers of peaches and cinnamon sugar it looks pretty darn close.

18:10 – Ina’s making Caesar Roasted Striped Bass and just to round out my un-official theme of pairing movie quotes I give you: a little Dumb and Dumber…”What’s the [fish] du jour?” “It’s the [fish] of the day.”

19:28 – More video – this one is from Stewart, the fisherman who caught the bass. I doubt that Ina’s seen Dumb and Dumber, but if Stewart’s dreadlocks are any indication I’m POSITIVE that he has it memorized.

21:35 – Time to make the Caesar dressing. Ina doesn’t say so, but this looks like a great option for a weeknight dinner or low impact dinner party. I think the total prep time was about 15 minutes.

23:14 – She just added ‘frizzled’ capers to the roasted fish. Maybe only serve this to people who won’t be offended if you offer a breath mint at the end of the meal….?

24:26 – Group photo! “Just like at camp!” I’m guessing that food at camp will be the plot of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3: Revenge of the Commissary.

27:00 – “Ask Ina” time and the theme is vegetables. Ripe avocados, cucumbers, mushrooms, and broccolini are the topics of viewer questions.

28:41 – Ina has such a talent for answering simple questions without making the ask-er seem silly for asking them. I think I learn something every time she does this feature.

29:01 – In a nutshell: when the skin of Haas avocados are brown then they’re ripe, scoop the seeds out from English cucumbers for better texture in recipes, wipe mushrooms clean, don’t soak or rinse them; broccolini can be cooked the same way as regular broccoli. And scene.

Final Thoughts:
Ina’s strategy of letting seasonal ingredients inspire her menus is smart – I should do that more often.
I wonder how many cooking tips I’ve picked up from watching this show? Has Ina taught me everything I know?
I bet J. Crew shoots its next style guide at Amber Waves. Rural chic.

Caesar Roasted Salmon; Image: Laura Messersmith

Lessons Learned:

The hardest part of making the Caesar Roasted Striped Bass was sourcing the ingredients. Striped bass was difficult to come by in my local grocery store (I used salmon instead since Ina recommended pairing the sauce with a full flavored fish) and it took a little hunting to find anchovy paste – but once I located everything the recipe came together quite quickly. The cooking mainly consists of mixing the Caesar sauce and is definitely small kitchen friendly: a food processor, one cutting board, one small sauté pan, a baking sheet, and a few simple kitchen tools. Really, really easy and the final product looks impressive – the frizzled capers perhaps? Extra bonus: I followed Ina’s recommendation to line the baking sheet with foil, which made clean up really easy.

The Verdict:

Both my husband and I both liked this dish, but thought the sauce was a little heavy. To be honest it's not a dish I would normally gravitate toward if it were on a restaurant menu in the first place, so I'm glad I decided to balance out the richer flavors of the Caesar sauce and salmon by serving roasted asparagus. I could see making this again with another type of fish; perhaps we would like it better.

Coq Au Vin

Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and her cookbooks are already a source of guidance for basic recipes but her show serves as my inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts.  So now that I’ve got the essentials down it’s time to branch out. I’ll choose a recipe from an episode of the Barefoot Contessa to try in my tiny New York kitchen. We’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Ina Garten in the Kitchen, Image via Philly.com

Episode: “Anniversary Dinner”

The Set-up: Ina and Jeffrey are celebrating their 39th anniversary with a special dinner on the porch outside the barn.

The Menu: Coq Au Vin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Chocolate Cake

0:21 – Ina says that she and Jeffrey had a white, multi-tiered fruitcake at their wedding. Umm, eww no thank you.

0:39 – Thank goodness she’s not going to recreate the fruitcake monstrosity. Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream frosting is a no brainer substitute.

1:24 – Cake batter is underway. The secret ingredients for making chocolate flavor really come through: coffee and vanilla.

2:02 – Cake pans in the oven! I really need to try making a layered cake sometime which if I'm honest will probably be never…

2:59 – Ina’s telling stories about their first anniversary. She went nuts looking for something within the $5 budget. He got her a cashmere scarf. I think Jeffrey and my husband have the same M.O. when it comes to gift giving rules: Ignore!

4:07 – Ahh, their wedding album is so sweet! I love black and white wedding photos and Ina’s hairstyle is straight out of the 1960s.

4:34 – That is a MASSIVE pile of chopped chocolate. How did she resist sneaking a small sample? That’s discipline.

5:50 – I had no idea that buttercream frosting had egg whites in it. I wonder what other hidden ingredients are in my desserts – please don’t tell me!

6:03 – Okay, unless it’s rum. Rum works.

11:06 – The chocolate frosting looks so, so good. Pro tip: A hot palette knife will make the frosting surface super smooth.

14:15 – Mischief is afoot! Instead of working Jeffrey has been secretly out shopping for Ina. That sly devil.

15:00 – Coq Au Vin time and it’s off to a great start: bacon!

16:20 – Chicken, carrots, onions and garlic have all been browned in the lime green Le Creuset. I think that's the kitchen item I use most and Ina is a devotee of cast iron french ovens.

16:30 - Next? Deglazing the pan with cognac. Ina doesn’t say what she uses, but I’m assuming she and Busta Rhymes agree: pass the Courvoisier. No? Just me? Okay, cool.

17:00 – Onward! The chicken goes back into the pot and into the oven.

20:22 – Decorating the porch with candles and lavender napkins. So simple and elegant. I’d love to get a look at her linen closet. No, that is not a euphemism.

21:08 – I think Ina just hated on button mushrooms.

22:30 – Ina is thickening the coq au vin sauce with flour mashed into softened butter. This is brilliant – no lumps!

27:00 – Jeffrey is super stealth. Ina’s presents have been hidden table-side for the big reveal. Mission accomplished.

27:10 – Garlic mashed potatoes with sautéed garlic and a splash of heavy cream. Aaand, now I’m hungry.

29:00 – Dinner and presents are served! Jeffrey is totally busted for giving Ina more than the allotted 1 present and invokes the ‘hubby’s prerogative’ clause of their marriage. I like his style.

29:38 – The moment I’ve been waiting for – cake!! Wedding cake cutting re-enactment complete, and it’s another successful anniversary celebration.

Coq Au Vin, Image: Laura Messersmith

Lessons Learned: I’ve made beef bourguignon in the past and the recipe for Coq Au Vin is very, very similar so I felt confident that I could handle this one and whip up some Garlic Mashed Potatoes too. Making the dish is pretty straightforward but there are a few different steps, so I had to pay close attention and make sure that I did them in the right order. The Coq Au Vin alone is pretty small kitchen friendly 1 large pot, 1 medium pan, a few basic kitchen implements, and a plate or two for reserving the chicken while the vegetables sauté. Adding the Garlic Mashed Potatoes to the mix made it more complicated and took some focused organization to coordinate with the final stages of the Coq Au Vin. At one point I had 4 pots and pans going on the stove. So, if your kitchen is really tiny or you don’t have that much cooking equipment another side dish might be better. Roasted potatoes or crusty bread perhaps?

The Verdict:

My husband loved this and commandeered the leftovers the next day, so that’s a definite vote in favor of making this again. This would be great for a dinner party too especially served with a fresh salad or greens.