Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook - Hardcover

Garten, Ina

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0804187045 ISBN 13: 9780804187046

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2018

Synopsis

In her new cookbook, Cook Like a Pro, Ina Garten shares a brand-new collection of recipes, tips, and techniques, so readers can cook with confidence no matter how much experience they have in the kitchen.

As America's most trusted and beloved cookbook author, Ina Garten--the Barefoot Contessa--has taught millions of people how to cook. A home cook at heart, Ina knows that cooking and entertaining can be difficult, so to make her recipes simple and streamlined, she tests and retests each recipe until it's as straightforward and delicious as possible. Although Ina is completely self-taught and doesn't consider herself to be a "professional" cook, she has spent decades working with chefs and learning the techniques that take their cooking to the next level. In Cook Like a Pro, Ina shares some of her most irresistible recipes and very best "pro tips," from the secret to making her custardy, slow-cooked Truffled Scrambled Eggs to the key to the crispiest and juiciest Fried Chicken Sandwiches. Ina will even show you how to make an easy yet showstopping pattern for her Chocolate Chevron Cake--your friends won't believe you decorated it yourself!

For Ina, cooking like a pro also means hosting like a pro, and along with know-how like how to tell when a filet of beef is perfectly cooked, you'll find dozens of other great ideas to boost your cooking and entertaining skills such as how to set up an elegant home bar and how to make an impressive Raspberry Baked Alaska that can be completely prepared ahead of time so all you need to do is finish it for your guests before serving. Beginner and advanced cooks alike will love Ina's delectable recipes, and if you have questions along the way, don't worry--Ina's practical cooking advice talks you through every detail, as though she were right there by your side.

With beautiful photos and a treasury of pro tips that span prepping, making, and serving, as Ina says, "You don't have to be a pro to cook like one!"

About this title

About the Author

INA GARTEN is a New York Times bestselling author and the James Beard Award-winning host of Barefoot Contessa, which has won an Emmy Award and airs on Food Network. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Jeffrey. This is her eleventh book.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Crispy Mustard Chicken & Frisee

Serves 4

This is a great summer dinner! I love the interplay of hot and cold—the crispy chicken and roasted fingerling potatoes with the slightly bitter greens and mustard vinaigrette. This hits all the right notes for me.

2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko (Japanese bread flakes)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup good Dijon mustard
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 large)
1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
12 ounces baby frisée or chicory salad greens (see tip)
Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Pro tip: Vinaigrette won't cling to wet lettuce. Wash and thoroughly spin-dry greens before dressing them.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the panko, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the butter and pulse a few times to moisten the panko. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and wine.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Dip each piece first in the mustard mixture to coat the top and bottom and then coat the skin side only in the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken on one side of a sheet pan, crumb side up, and press any remaining crumbs onto the chicken.

Place the potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and toss. Spread the potatoes on the other side of the sheet pan in one layer and roast both together for 40 to 50 minutes, turning the potatoes once during roasting, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. The chicken and potatoes should be done at the same time.

Meanwhile, place the greens on a serving platter. When the chicken and potatoes are done, toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to moisten and place the chicken and potatoes on top, adding any crumbs from the sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and serve while the chicken and potatoes are still warm.

Mustard Vinaigrette
Makes 3/4 cup
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon good Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the shallots, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and whisk until emulsified.

Pro tip: To cut onions or shallots neatly, cut them in half and peel them, leaving the root end intact before slicing, chopping, or mincing. Otherwise, you’ll have onions all over your cutting board!

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0804187045
• ISBN 13: 9780804187046
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272