Okay, this is a ridiculous title. First of all, on a desert island, you would not have a range. And you certainly wouldn’t have grocery stores where you can shop for gourmet ingredients. But the exercise of what I would select if I had to pare down my enormous cookbook collection to a handful is an interesting question.
I have to say, I LOVE Ina Garten. I actually stood in the POURING rain for two hours at Sur La Table to get her signature on her latest cookbook…. I wouldn’t have done it alone, but my good friend and neighbor is a huge fan, and he wanted to meet her, too, so we did. She was really nice, BTW.
I love every single one of Ina’s cookbooks. The ingredients are fairly readily available and they are pretty easy to make. There are photos of every single one. And the recipes are GREAT! Truly, I could get along without any other cookbooks, if I had to. But I do have some other favorites that I will post at a later time.
I rate all of my recipes on a one-to-four-star basis…and when I try a recipe, I write the rating in my cookbook along with the date I made it, and any alterations I would make in the future. My cookbooks are not art books. They are working notebooks. They are filled with splatters and notes. For a recipe to get 4 stars, it can’t use every pan in the kitchen, even if it’s the best thing I have eaten in months. I wouldn’t go through the bother again.
But Ina rarely disappoints. There are MANY recipes that have made it to my favorites list. I have just scratched the surface, but I plan on making most of them.
You should consider buying every single book. TIP: buy them used on Amazon. The books don’t have to be perfect…they are going to get messed up in no time. And you can buy them at a fraction of what they would cost retail.
One more tip. Ina has an index on her website. I have it printed out and stored in a three-prong folder. I use a highlighter to mark the recipes I have made. I use it all the time so I can easily find recipes I am looking for. If I had more time, I would make a new recipe every day...maybe more than one. (I can send you a pdf of the index if you contact me: koncept@comcast.net)
Here is a book-by-book list of some of my favorite cookbooks with a few of the 4-star recipes. Be forewarned, though, that she is a bit of a salt fiend. I always cut her salt in half. Sometimes more.
I don’t make dessert often, but there are dozens here that look really, REALLY tempting that I have not listed.
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Sun-dried Tomato Dip. A great party dip.
Filet of Beef Bourguignon. Made this for a dinner party. One of my guests practically moaned all through dinner with every bite. Expensive but worth it for a special occasion.
Indonesian Ginger Chicken
Parmesan Smashed Potatoes. Parmesan cheese. Potatoes. Need I say more?
Spinach Pie. A lower fat, healthier version of Spanokopita. Wonderful!!!
Outrageous Brownies. This recipe will make you throw away your other brownie recipes. Now!
Ina Garten Family Style
Arugula with Parmesan
Parmesan Roasted Asparagus. The only way I make asparagus now.
Lobster Cobb Salad. My FAVORITE salad of all time.
Curried Chicken Salad. Great!
Parmesan Chicken. A go-to recipe when I want an amazing, easy chicken dish!!! Must serve with the salad with Lemon Vinaigrette dressing on page 40.
Tequila Chicken
Mashed Butternut Squash. Yummm.
Fresh Fruit with Honey Vanilla Yogurt.
Barefoot in Paris
Rosemary Cashews. Spicy and delicious. She says serve warm, but they are also great at room temp.
Mussels in White Wine. To die for. Serve with good bread to sop up the sauce.
Cauliflower Gratin. Technically, I gave this 3-1/2 stars because of some extra pots, but this was REALLY GOOD!
Sautéed Wild Mushrooms. Made this using wild mushrooms from the Baltimore Farmer’s Market, mixed in with some white mushrooms. Everyone was asking for more servings!
Barefoot Contessa Parties
Panzanella
Sautéed Fresh Corn
Strawberry Country Cake. I have made this MANY times. EASY and always a hit!
Spaghetti Al Pesto (used less garlic)
Lobster Rolls (you must use the fresh dill in the recipe)
Salad with Warm Goat Cheese
Barefoot Contessa At Home
California BLT’s
Tomato, Mozzarella & Pesto Panini
Chicken Salad Veronique
Pesto Pea Salad
Old-Fashioned Potato Salad. So good!
Chicken Picatta. Another chicken dish I can’t get tired of. Love it!
Mustard-roasted Potatoes
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Shallots (I used substitutes for the heavy cream and crème fraiche. Still great.
White Pizzas with Arugula — AMAZING!!!
Coq au Vin
Baked Shrimp Scampi
Easy Sole Meunière
Confetti Corn
Orange Pecan Wild Rice. Great with lamb.
Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?
Ultimate Grilled Cheese
Mustard Chicken Salad
Lemon Chicken Breads
Couscous with Toasted Pine Nuts
Bangers & Mustard Mash
Steakhouse Steaks with Roquefort Chive Sauce. OMG. Made this for my husband and son. OMG. Did I say that? I don’t even like beef that much, but this was the best beef I ever tasted. It didn’t taste like meat…it was a whole new food form.
Roasted Shrimp with Feta
Caesar Roasted Swordfish. The crispy capers were a fabulous touch.
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