Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

The recipes look lovely. However, basics to me do not include truffle butter, etc. I don’t consider this basics.

I've had this since it came out and have cooked the heck out of this book already. And while I usually use cookbooks as inspiration and then go off on my own to fiddle around, I've found myself reading and following every recipe verbatim, line by line. (Well, okay. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the french apple tart. So sue me for being an American.) In an easy, conversational style and a direct, uncomplicated approach,... Read Full Review

I purchased this book as a gift recently. Before I gave it, I paged through it to see if it was something I wanted. It didn't take me long to figure out that I needed to add it to my cookbook collection. The first recipe I made was the Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Apple Vinaigrette. My husband, who is not a salad (nor a vegetable) lover, cleaned his plate and asked for more. And Ina has greatly improved upon... Read Full Review

I got this book the day it came out. Today I made the sole meuniere and the wild rice dish with the pecans. The sole was very easy and very delish. The lemon juice added to the pan really made the dish very tasty. I usually eat wild rice in a cold salad, so when Ina said she wanted to make the wild rice hot for a change, I thought that sounded interesting. It was easy, but I made the mistake of adding a teaspoon of regular... Read Full Review

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... Read Full Review