Notes about Recipes in this book

• Bourbon Arnold Palmers

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Nice flavor, not too sweet or strong (and I'm not a bourbon drinker). In case you just want to make one drink: 1/3 c brewed tea (brew 1 cup using 1 teabag and just use 1/3 c), 1/3 c water, 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp boubon, 4 tsp lemon juice, 4 tsp simple syrup.

• Watermelon cosmpolitans

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Refreshing and delicious! I pureed the watermelon in a food processor and strained it through a sieve.

• Pink grapefruit palomas

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2023

    The drinks weren't huge but were quite strong since there's no club or other soda. Very tasty! I used grapefruit simple syrup left over from making candied peel, which I'm sure boosted the flavor. The rim was more salty than sweet; equal parts salt and sugar might be better.

• Simple syrup

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Standard simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water

• Pomegranate spritzers

  • anya_sf on December 19, 2022

    Very elegant-looking mocktail. On the tart side, and extremely light - almost too much so, depending on what you're looking for. I tried another batch with double the pomegranate, which helped some, but actually some simple syrup would probably be the best addition.

  • averythingcooks on January 03, 2023

    The addition of the lime juice takes a favourite drink (with either soft or hard bubbles) to a new level but I agree with anya_sf...there's not enough pomegranate in the mix. The simple syrup idea is a good one but for now I just adjust the amts to taste. Every Christmas (the only time I can get fresh pomegranates) I fill a big freezer bag with pomegranate seed+ juice ice cubes which also make a simple mocktail seem a little more special.

• Hot spiced mulled wine

  • anya_sf on January 05, 2023

    Delicious, comforting, and not too strong (unlike some mulled wine recipes).

  • ksg518 on December 29, 2022

    Very nice treat on a cold afternoon. We doubled the recipe except for the cinnamon sticks (we didn’t have any more) but it was still good.

  • ginger2212 on December 03, 2022

    This was delicious on a cold winter-y evening! We loved spiced wine but it can be prohibitively sweet. Love the inclusion of apple cider. I used TJ's spiced cider. Our family loves to top spiced wine with amaretto so we still included that. Highly recommend!

• Smoked salmon quesadillas

  • EmilyR on October 26, 2022

    True Ina style... deceptively simple and easy to prepare ahead, but very flavorful.

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    I made 2 quesadillas to serve 2 for dinner. Only needed 2 Tbsp melted butter for brushing. Very tasty! I'd consider adding some lime zest to the filling as well. Next time hopefully I'll find salmon roe.

• Goat cheese toasts

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2023

    Easy to make and very good. Went well with the potato fennel soup.

  • Lepa on October 26, 2022

    Like many of Ina's recipes, this sounds too simple to be a recipe but it's fantastic. We ate the toasts with lentil stew and they really made the meal special.

• Chipotle cheddar crackers

  • EmilyR on October 26, 2022

    These remind me of Tartine's crackers, but very easy as they are slice and bake. Sort of an upscale cheez-it. Next time I will slice them even thinner.

• Antipasto board

  • anya_sf on November 18, 2022

    This is hardly a new idea, but it's a good one for entertaining. I used coppa, sopressata, capocolla, truffle salami, goat cheese, Basque cheese, toscana, and gorgonzola. Added a small pot of mustard (which hardly got used) and cerignola olives. Garnished with a few cherry tomatoes on the vine. Nothing else fit on the board, so I put balsamic-roasted baby peppers in a bowl on the side, along with a basket of bread and crackers.

• Scrambled eggs cacio e pepe

  • anya_sf on January 21, 2023

    I made 1/4 recipe for myself, cooking the eggs in a 7" skillet. The smaller volume cooked faster and I had to reduce the heat to avoid overcooking. The eggs turned out soft, creamy, and delicious.

  • mrsmadam on February 08, 2023

    These eggs are amazing. I made a half recipe for my husband and myself. I had some leftover too. Normally I wouldn’t try to save eggs but decided to chance it. Two days later, after a few seconds in the microwave they were perfect on top of a piece of toasted seeded bread. Most certainly a “Go To” breakfast, lunch or dinner.

  • EmilyR on October 26, 2022

    These eggs are glorious. So simple and flavorful. I have another book that refers to this style as Spanish scrambles, but these have a clear Italian twist. Regardless of where they come from they are excellent.

• Roasted vegetables with jammy eggs

  • bwhip on February 14, 2023

    So simple, so good! I could eat this anytime. Great flavors, and the jammy egg and some crusty bread took it over the top. Delightful. I made a simplified version of the garlic butter, since it didn’t need a very big quantity.

• Avocado & fried egg tartines

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Same recipe as the Costco reissue of TBCC.

• Overnight Irish oatmeal

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Convenient method which worked well. Oatmeal was surprisingly thin the next day - not too much so, but definitely didn't need extra liquid.

  • EmilyR on October 26, 2022

    Easy to make and eat through the week. Great to modify according to preferences.

  • averythingcooks on March 16, 2023

    For me, this did not work as written. I think the ratio of water to oats is far too high and I actually discarded my first batch as they were very...soupy/slimy, even though she warns that they might be too thick!?! After some reading, I came back to this method using far less water (2 parts water : 1 part oats) and this morning I have oats that are not slimy, are cooked but still with some bite (that I like) and don't really need extra liquid other than maybe a little milk stirred in before reheating. I still think that Melissa Clark's instant pot method is the gold standard but these are certainly super easy to prep & clean up.

• English cream scones

  • Kristjudy on November 01, 2022

    A lovely scone. Perfect with Devon cream and jam.

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    I made 1/2 recipe (7 scones + bonus baby one). Assembled the day before and refrigerated overnight. The scones were rich yet light, delicious with jam.

• Fresh strawberry rhubarb preserves

  • anya_sf on May 31, 2023

    The ingredients nearly filled my 11" wide Le Creuset (which I'd describe as large, not medium). Perhaps the jam simmered too slowly, but it took 45 min to reach 220 F. Yield was somewhat more than 6 cups. The flavor was delicious, but the color was a little dull/dark.

• Croissants with smoked salmon

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2023

    My salmon was fairly salty, so I only put half the salt in the mascarpone mixture and it was just right. There was extra mascarpone mixture. I soaked the red onion in ice water to make it milder. Simple to make and very delicious. The arugula would stay in the sandwich better if placed on top of the mascarpone, under the salmon.

• Easy eggs in purgatory

  • anya_sf on January 12, 2023

    Quick and easy, but kind of one-note. Rao's Arrabbiata sauce is pretty spicy, so the extra red pepper flakes really weren't needed, and the sauce overpowered the flavor of the eggs. We ate this with lots of bread and did not finish all the sauce.

• Blueberry ricotta breakfast cake

  • anya_sf on November 02, 2022

    A variation on Ina's fig ricotta cake, this cake was moist and delicious, even with less than stellar berries.

  • Cookie24 on November 03, 2022

    This cake is moist and not overly sweet. Couldn't find my springform pan, so baked in a square 9x9 pan, bake temperature and time stayed the same. Loved how many blueberries it uses; followed instructions and used some of the berries on top of the cake instead of mixed into the batter. I added a bit of almond extract and used 4 large eggs, because who has extra large eggs on hand! That's the only thing I dislike about Ina's baking recipes, the extra large eggs. Very good moist flavorful cake.

  • Lepa on October 26, 2022

    This cake is unbelievably delicious. It's moist and full of flavor and makes all the other blueberry pound cakes I have baked seem dry and flavorless in comparison. Highly recommend this one!

• Ravioli en brodo

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Delicious and comforting. Homemade chicken broth makes a big difference here; I used Giada's rather than Ina's (only requires 1 chicken). I added a diced zucchini which needed using, and it was a good addition. Baby spinach or peas would also be nice. Tortellini might be easier to eat on soup spoons than ravioli.

• Homemade chicken stock

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Same recipe as Ina's other books

• Creamy potato fennel soup

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2023

    An immersion blender worked well to puree the soup. The soup was quite good, but with the smooth texture is best as a starter or for lunch (we had it for dinner). We topped it with cooked bacon and fennel fronds, with goat cheese toasts on the side, but it would benefit from a contrasting texture, such as crisp croutons.

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2023

    Note: the bacon, croutons, and goat cheese listed as ingredients are just suggested garnishes.

• Chicken ramen-noodle soup

  • anya_sf on January 06, 2023

    I made about 1/2-2/3 recipe to serve 2 for a more filling dinner, using 8 oz cooked chicken, 6 cups broth, 6 oz bok choy, 1 package ramen. Didn't have green onions, but added some peas and diced avocado at the end. Easy and good, gingery (maybe didn't chop finely enough). We really enjoyed this, but my son wanted more noodles. If making the full recipe to serve 6, I'd double the noodles unless you want very light servings.

  • aceedubs on May 07, 2023

    Can microwave boneless/skinless chicken thighs using David Chang's recipe and use that instead of roasting the chicken if you are short on time.

• Gruyère omelet

  • anya_sf on November 02, 2022

    I'm not sure I understood the technique - would like a video. When I jerked the pan, the whole omelet slid en masse rather than folding, and some of the cheese slid off the uncooked part of the omelet, so I ended up using a spatula. Also, the bottom of the omelet browned after the initial 30 sec, which doesn't appear to be desired, based on the photo. Still, the resulting omelet was moist and very tasty.

• Tuscan white bean soup

  • averythingcooks on January 04, 2023

    I know Ina gives the rationale for starting with dried beans but when I scaled this back to 1/3, I used 2 cups of beans (a mix of great northern & navy) from my freezer. To give the broth a little more body I added some tomato paste and I also added some diced leftover Oktoberfest sausage. I finished the soup with spinach & parsley and we enjoyed it for dinner with some cornmeal biscuits. I will make this again (and yes, with dried beans :) as this is a lovely winter soup.

  • Lepa on March 14, 2023

    This was good and my son really loved it but it wasn't my favorite bean soup. It took a long time to cut all the veggies and the beans also took a long time to cook and in the end I didn't think it was better than many soups that I make that take much less time and effort.

  • Elaine115 on March 04, 2023

    I used Kirkland’s Chicken Bone Broth which I am trying to eat on a regular basis for health reasons for my osteopenia. I also used canned beans and substituted turkey Kilbasa in place of the pancetta because it was what I had on hand. It was delicious. Freezes well.

  • anya_sf on March 13, 2023

    I adapted this to what I had: Great Northern beans, less celery, more carrot, 1 tsp fresh rosemary + 1/2 tsp dried herbes de Provence, canned low-sodium broth (2 cups beef, the rest chicken). I added a parmesan rind and only 1/2 Tbsp salt to start with, but did end up adding more salt as I had to thin the soup with water. Near the end of cooking, I stirred in chopped lacinato kale for some greenery. Delicious and flavorful!

• Lobster & avocado sandwiches

  • anya_sf on April 20, 2023

    I made the full amount of filling for 4 larger dinner sandwiches (quite hearty). My previously-frozen lobster was rather watery, making the mayonnaise runny so the filling didn't hold together well, and the large amount of celery didn't help (would use a bit less). My avocados were small so I used just 2/3 seasoning. We had to eat these with forks and knives since they were messy, but they certainly were delicious.

• Hot dogs in puff pastry.

  • anya_sf on March 13, 2023

    The pastry measurements were perfect for Hebrew National hot dogs. Using Trader Joe's puff pastry, the leftover scraps could probably be put together for 2 more hot dogs, if needed. This was an easy, fun dinner.

• Winter greens with Stilton & hazelnuts

  • anya_sf on November 02, 2022

    I just had 3 oz arugula and 3 small endives. 1/4 of the vinaigrette was enough. I used Roquefort cheese since I had it on hand. Really delicious combination of flavors.

• Warm vegetable & grain bowl

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2023

    I used 12 oz squash, 1 lb baby carrots, 1/4 c each cranberries and walnuts. The recipe is flexible in that you could adjust ingredients and/or proportions to your taste/what you have on hand. I only put 1 tsp salt on the vegetables, but added 1/4 tsp salt to the dressing (just made 1/2 recipe and did not need it all). Topped with cooked chicken, this served 3 for dinner (heartier servings). The bowl would still taste great without goat cheese or anything besides the grain and vegetables.

  • bwhip on March 05, 2023

    We enjoyed this very much. Very flavorful, and the mix of fresh greens, grain, and roasted vegetables was very appealing. I thought about adding some jammy eggs, but decided that with the grain and goat cheese, it was plenty filling as is. Leftovers were great as a cold salad the next day as well. We’ll make this one again.

• Heirloom tomato & blue cheese salad

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Really a method rather than a recipe, but an excellent one. I made this in August (online recipe: https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/heirloom-tomato-and-blue-cheese-salad) as written, but using Point Reyes blue cheese. Really delicious using peak season tomatoes, but thought there was more cheese than needed. Made again in October (scaled down a lot) using just heirloom cherry tomatoes - also really good.

• Caramelized butternut squash with burrata

  • anya_sf on December 03, 2022

    I only had 1/4 c Marsala, so I supplemented with 1/4 c sherry (all I had), which seemed like enough as it covered the cranberries, which I assumed should be drained before mixing with the squash. 16 oz burrata was plenty, served with additional salad greens (tossed with balsamic vinaigrette) and country bread. Really delicious light dinner, although my son and I didn't love the red pepper flakes in this.

  • ksg518 on December 29, 2022

    Very nice. My squash didn’t caramelize but I may have crowded the pan with more than the recipe called for. If I had one quibble, it would be that the cranberries tend to overwhelm the squash, although they are delicious.

  • bwhip on April 04, 2023

    Delightful, and super easy. As Ina says, great for dinner with some crusty bread. We’ll have this again.

• Roasted shrimp panzanella

  • cadfael on January 26, 2023

    I loved the flavours but next time I will experiment with a little less oil

  • cadfael on January 27, 2023

    The flavours are really good and I will repeat. I will use a little less oil next time.

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Similar to the recipe in the Costco reissue of TBCC, but with an extra bell pepper and 2 tsp less salt, so this version promises to be better (that one was way too salty).

• Provençal orange salad

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2023

    Nice, refreshing salad. I used double the mint (no basil) and found 3/4 tsp salt to be enough. Next time I will use less onion. Also, I preferred the bites without olives, which I found a bit rich - I used Castelvetrano, but maybe Picholine would be better.

  • ksg518 on December 29, 2022

    A wonderful addition to a holiday dinner. Just perfect for balancing out the richness of the rest of the meal. The recipe calls for peeling the citrus and then slicing it into rounds. We found it easier to slice the citrus whole on a mandolin and then trim off the peel from each round.

• Potato salad à la Julia Child

  • anya_sf on May 19, 2023

    Really tasty! For me, there was slightly more dressing than needed - could reduce to 1/2 c mayo + 1/4 c sour cream.

  • averythingcooks on May 30, 2023

    This is a great version of a classic potato salad. I used the Champagne vinegar, a spoonful (to taste) of my homemade cucumber relish in place of the cornichons and a slightly lighter hand with the dill than she typically uses. I cooked my potatoes a little longer than she suggests (ie past the "just barely fork tender" test). We loved the textures & flavours from all the add-ins and this is a definite repeat.

  • megrmajer on June 03, 2023

    Great potato salad. Agree it made too much dressing and even better on day 2.

• Melon & prosciutto

  • EmilyR on October 26, 2022

    Took me back to a trip to Port de Sóller, Mallorca where I had this exact thing. Another simple and sophisticated dish.

• Roast chicken with spring vegetables

  • anya_sf on March 17, 2023

    This was good, but the method did not work for me. Based on experience with a high-sided roasting pan, I elevated the chicken on a rack to help the underside cook faster, flipping the chicken for part of the time. Still, it wasn't nearly done after 60 min at 350. At that point, I moved the chicken to a sheet pan (left the vegetables in the roasting pan) and turned the temperature back to 425 to finish roasting for another 20 min or so. For the vegetables, I used 1.5 lbs potatoes, some thick bagged baby carrots (market was out of carrots with tops), and doubled the asparagus (we like more veg). The vegetables were delicious, but note that the oven was at 425 when the asparagus roasted and we thought it was perfect - not sure how it would be at 350.

• Chicken in a pot with orzo

  • anya_sf on February 25, 2023

    Very good chicken flavor even using canned broth. I stirred in baby spinach and frozen peas at the end for more veg. We really enjoyed this. My only complaint is that it's somewhat difficult to eat with the skin and bones still on the chicken, since it's fairly soupy.

• Creamy chicken thighs with lemon & thyme

  • shannon.z on November 02, 2022

    This wasn't too lemon-y. Easy to make and tasty, but nothing too exciting or original.

  • Kag2020 on January 31, 2023

    I can see why this would be a go to. Great everyday dish, easy prep, and my favorite part was the technique of roasting the chicken first and then incorporating into a sauce made on the stovetop. Endless possibilities with that concept. I halved the recipe, went a bit light on the lemon and used 2 tablespoons of sour cream in lieu of the crème fraîche.

  • anya_sf on March 03, 2023

    Really good, delicious sauce. The thyme on top just dried out and didn't really contribute flavor; next time I'd let it simmer in the sauce. Not sure about the lemon slices in the sauce - mostly we picked them out - maybe could use zest and extra juice instead.

• Rosemary roasted pork tenderloins

  • anya_sf on November 18, 2022

    I followed the instructions precisely (for 1 tenderloin) and it turned out perfectly. The meat was cooked through (wouldn't have minded it slightly rosy) but still moist. The topping was very flavorful. However, the surface did not brown, so the pork lacked that flavor, plus I couldn't cook anything else in the oven, a definite downside.

  • Jennifer410 on November 07, 2022

    This was pretty tastless and not pleasing to the eye. The pork retained a pale fleshy look and I will not be making this again. I usually swear by Ina but not this time.

• Veal meatballs

  • anya_sf on November 05, 2022

    Using my regular (~2") ice cream scoop, I got 37 meatballs; they seemed a good size. Roasted about 20-22 min. Delicious and tender, but perhaps not quite as flavorful as Ina's Roasted Italian Meatballs, which are still our favorites.

  • tmitra on January 10, 2023

    I made a version of this for my kids using what I had (store-bought "meatloaf mix" of pork, veal, and beef, so no sausage; extra Parmesan in lieu of Pecorino; cream in lieu of whole milk), and even that was delicious. They fell apart when I was transferring them from the baking sheet to the pot, but that may have been due to my modifications. Update: yup, they held together well when I followed the recipe as written!

  • Kristjudy on October 31, 2022

    This is a very delicious recipe. The 3 meats and ricotta make for a lovely tender meatball. Makes 22 large meatballs..exactly as stated in the recipe.

• Hasselback kielbasa

  • Rinshin on December 08, 2022

    Reading earlier note and Sam Sifton’s original recipe, I knew I had to adjust the timing and it came out perfectly following Ina’s quantity and size of vegetables. I used all the vegetables in the recipe and somewhat less honey/mustard sauce. Baked vegetables for 12 min at 425F initially and turned them over and continued 10 min more at 425F. Placed hasselback kielbasa, brushed on sauce and baked 15 min and brushed on more sauce to bake another 10 min for total of 25 min and it was perfect. I think the timing of 25 min and 40 min is too long and would cause both vegetable pieces and kielbasa to brown too much. I plan to add more vegetable pieces next time but this was definitely the best tasting kielbasa I ever had and selected vegetables go so well together. Served with Japanese style potato salad. If made best to keep a close eye on browning to adjust timing.

  • averythingcooks on March 04, 2023

    I did not have fresh fennel on hand but made a pan of Ina's hash browns to serve with this. I also cut my peppers & red onion into fairly large pieces, left the garlic cloves whole and added grape tomatoes with the Kielbasa. We loved the flavour + sticky, jammy effect of the honey mustard. Roasted peppers & onions are a favourite of mine and although I knew T would love it, I was surprised how much I liked the Kielbasa. I will make this again for sure.

  • anya_sf on December 10, 2022

    This roasting method is similar to Ina's sausage & peppers recipe, but that one specifies transferring the vegetables to a roasting pan, plus adds wine to the pan when the sausage is added, which helps prevent burning. After the vegetables were initially roasted here, I combined them on one sheet pan, but realized they were going to burn if I wasn't careful, so I piled them in the center with the kielbasa covering them as much as possible, and stirred them every time I basted the kielbasa, so they did turn out okay. The kielbasa was very good prepared this way.

  • jay.moe on October 31, 2022

    Normally I'm not a big fan of kielbasa, but this recipe is delicious! I was a little concerned about roasting minced garlic at 425° and after 10 minutes scraped it off of the baking sheet as it was already starting to brown and still had 40 minutes left in the oven. Next time I will leave the garlic cloves in their paper and slightly crush them with a knife. I didn't add a fennel bulb since most of the family doesn't care for it. I also halved the amount of onions and only used one pepper as it would have been more than we would eat. I think the leftover kielbasa and roasted vegetables would be great served on a hoagie.

  • breakthroughc on February 14, 2023

    The timing worked for me, but I cut my vegetables in large pieces. I had two small fennel bulbs, one large onion, 2 large bell peppers and 6 small Yukon gold potatoes. I used garlic powder instead of trying to roast chopped garlic that small. Delicious way to cook Kielbasa.

• Summer skillet with clams, sausage & corn

  • anya_sf on May 31, 2023

    I could only find manila clams, which were much smaller, so I didn't count them, just used 2 lbs - a generous amount - and didn't bother carefully arranging them. Cooked in my extra wide le Creuset since it has a lid. Super delicious!

• Salmon teriyaki & broccolini

  • Ezair92 on December 15, 2022

    I have made this twice now during the week. It is fast, easy and delicious. I also made enough teriyaki sauce to use another night on fish

  • Rinshin on December 05, 2022

    Used this recipe as an idea menu for simple and quick weeknight dinner baking salmon and broccolini together at same temperature and time and this worked out really well. Used my own teriyaki sauce to marinate salmon 3-4 hours, turning occasionally and brushing sauce and small amount of grainy mustard on top before and after roasting. The rice was my own mushroom rice I had frozen previously and simply microwaved. Served with Caesar salad. Will use this idea again for easy meal. Photo added.

• Overnight mac & cheese

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Same recipe as the Costco reissue of TBCC, but scaled up 50%.

• One-pot oven risotto

  • anya_sf on November 02, 2022

    I made 3/4 recipe, yielding 2 dinner servings + 1 lunch. In addition to the asparagus, I stirred in some peas and cooked shrimp at the end. Very good flavor. The texture wasn't quite as good as traditional risotto, but sometimes the convenience is worth the trade-off.

  • julesamomof2 on March 20, 2023

    Made exactly as per instructions and my risotto turned out mushy. Not a little mushy, a lot mushy. Sometimes it's better to just stick to a method that works.

• Mushroom Bolognese

  • Kinhawaii on November 03, 2022

    This was good & also quick. I added some butter because I didn’t have any dairy/ mascarpone around. I would make this again.

  • anya_sf on January 17, 2023

    I made the sauce ahead (without the mascarpone, etc.), simmering closer to 15-20 min, then reheated it later, and think the flavor improved, although the color got rather dark. The mushrooms were quartered for convenience, so the texture wasn't quite like ground meat, but that was fine with us. Very enjoyable and fairly quick and easy.

• Weeknight spaghettoni with tomatoes & pancetta

  • anya_sf on January 05, 2023

    Quick, easy, and more flavorful than expected given the simple ingredients. Some extra pasta cooking water helped bind the sauce.

• Lemon linguine with zucchini & basil

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    I needed to increase the heat at the end for the sauce to come together. Super lemony, I might decrease the lemon juice to 1/4 c next time. I didn't expect to need all the salt, but ended up adding it (partly to balance the lemon) - suggest tasting before adding it all. This served 2 for dinner + 1 lunch; servings would be quite light for 4 people.

  • julesamomof2 on April 10, 2023

    I've been making a version of zucchini pasta for years (Heidi Swanson's summer linguine) but Ina has managed to make a favorite even more delicious. I like that she doesn't bother draining the zucchini as that step was a pain so I'm happy see that it's really unnecessary. I kept the cheese on the side for sprinkling so it can be kept vegan if needed.

• Asparagus cacio e pepe

  • anya_sf on December 03, 2022

    Really delicious! I started with 2 lbs imported, out-of-season asparagus, so the woody ends were pretty long, and didn't adjust the seasonings. I worried the asparagus might be too salty, but it tasted just right - no need to sprinkle with fleur de sel. With fresh, local asparagus, the blanching time could probably be reduced.

• Balsamic roasted baby peppers

  • anya_sf on November 15, 2022

    I made 1/2 recipe to accompany the antipasto board. The peppers were on the larger side and took 30 min to roast. My balsamic vinegar is super syrupy, so I just used 1 Tbsp (for 1/2 recipe). Really tasty! People enjoyed them a lot.

• Roasted fingerling potatoes & almost any green vegetable

  • anya_sf on May 12, 2023

    I roasted 1 lb fingerlings but probably over 1 lb (regular) broccoli, cut into thin spears. The potatoes were definitely done in 25 min; the broccoli took 18 min, so next time I'd add the broccoli after the potatoes had roasted 20 min (if using small, thin fingerlings). Very tasty!

• Glazed sweet potatoes

  • dianev on November 20, 2022

    Sauteed sweet potatoes with a bit of tartness from the balsamic vinegar. Excellent.

  • Kinhawaii on November 25, 2022

    Delicious, will definitely make again!

• Easy sesame noodles

  • anya_sf on November 10, 2022

    I made 1/2 recipe and there was still sufficient sauce volume to use my blender, but I think you could just chop the ginger and garlic finely and stir by hand. Added cooked chicken and broccoli for a one-pot meal. Delicious!

• Brown butter skillet cornbread

  • anya_sf on November 02, 2022

    Almost the same as the recipe in the Costco reissue of TBCC, but with 1/4 c more milk and no specific measurement for flaky salt.

• Parmesan polenta

  • anya_sf on November 05, 2022

    Maybe due to the cornmeal I used, the initial stirring took several minutes and still didn't get totally smooth. In the end, my family didn't notice the small lumps, as we had this underneath meatballs and marinara sauce. 3 of us nearly finished it.

  • EmilyR on October 26, 2022

    A filling and savory side that is great for those who are gluten free.

• Marble potatoes with garlic & herbs

  • anya_sf on April 14, 2023

    I used 1.5 lbs little yellow potatoes, which were mostly in one layer in the pan. Despite being quite small, the potatoes took 25 min to cook, and unfortunately we discovered some potatoes were still a bit hard at that point. Parsley is the only herb called for, but since the title says "herbs", I took the liberty of adding dill as well - lots of different herbs would be great here. I held back on some of the salt and didn't need it. Otherwise the potatoes were really delicious and I'll blame my potatoes rather than the recipe for my cooking issues.

• Maple-roasted honeynut squash

  • EmilyR on October 26, 2022

    My friend makes her own maple syrup, so I used that and it was a wonderful Autumn dish.

• Garlic-roasted haricots verts

  • anya_sf on November 26, 2022

    Really delicious, quick and easy. My beans were on the thick side and roasted 11-12 min. No extra salt was needed at the end (and slightly less could be used).

• Parsnip purée

  • anya_sf on November 22, 2022

    Parsnips aren't always well-received, but the flavor here was very good. My parsnips took longer to cook and there wasn't enough liquid left. I did not add more, thinking the consistency was okay. However, I probably should have added more water, and maybe I also overprocessed the parsnips, as the texture was slightly gluey.

  • julesamomof2 on April 03, 2023

    Nice light side dish for roasted meat (served with a turkey roulade), if a bit sweet. Couldn't be simpler, although next time I might try something to tame the sweetness, maybe add a little cauliflower to the mix.

• Panettone bread pudding

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2023

    I made 1/2 recipe, using 1/2 half-and-half, 1/2 whole milk; all whole milk would probably work as well. After baking uncovered 40 min, the pudding didn't seem quite done, but I had to run an errand, so I left it in the turned-off oven, which worked. Delicious with just the right sweetness (powdered sugar not necessary), 1/2 recipe could serve 5-6 people, especially with a sauce.

• Dark chocolate tart

  • Kinhawaii on March 30, 2023

    Very rich & very delicious! Easy to make but crust can be crumbly until set.

• Vanilla pound cake

  • anya_sf on April 14, 2023

    Moist, soft, dense (in a good way) cake with a fine crumb. Great flavor. My loaf took 65 min to bake; after 50 min I reduced the oven temperature to 325 F to avoid overbrowning.

• Lemon meringue squares

  • anya_sf on November 17, 2022

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan, lined with parchment for easier removal, although that may be why the meringue shrank upon cooling. I used the whisk attachment for the meringue - not sure why she specifies the paddle. Not a big fan of meringue, I really enjoyed these bars, as the tart filling balanced the sweet topping, and the cookie crust was easier to cut and tastier than pie crust.

• Bailey's & cream

  • anya_sf on November 09, 2022

    Obviously this is for those who love Bailey's Irish Cream. I used the recommended ice creams (Haagen-Dazs vanilla and Talenti cold brew coffee sorbetto) and thought it was super yummy.

  • Lottabooks on May 19, 2023

    Quick dessert for Mother's Day. This was very good. I couldn't find coffee sorbet, so I used a small scoop espresso ice cream, and a larger scoop of good vanilla ice cream. Great easy dish and enjoyed by all.

• Rum raisin ricotta ice cream

  • anya_sf on November 09, 2022

    Easy to make. Delicious flavor, but quite rich. The texture was slightly grainy from the ricotta (I used TJ's store-bought).

• Bourbon chocolate pecan pie

  • anya_sf on November 26, 2022

    The pie baked 42 min to get more color on the crust and to be sure the filling was fully set. This was more like a super rich, loaded skillet cookie than pecan pie (i.e., no "goo"). My husband absolutely loved it. Our son thought the bourbon was too strong; I couldn't even taste it, but think it could be omitted, if desired. [Update: 2 days later, our son thought it was fine, so the bourbon flavor mellows over time.] Topped with vanilla ice cream, this pie could easily serve 10-12.

• Beatty's chocolate cupcakes

  • anya_sf on November 20, 2022

    Like the original Beatty's chocolate cake recipe, these cupcakes are fantastic. I frosted them with cream cheese-peanut butter frosting instead of chocolate buttercream, so stored them in the fridge (which was just fine for the cupcakes).

• Roasted pineapple with coconut gelato

  • anya_sf on November 24, 2022

    Blue agave syrup worked instead of light. The pineapple was roasted a few hours ahead, then mixed with the syrup and lime before dinner; a fair amount of liquid was exuded, but it was fine. This was a delicious, easy, not too heavy dessert. With a large pineapple and enough gelato, it could serve 6.

• Easy chocolate mousse

  • anya_sf on December 03, 2022

    I used Ghirardelli bittersweet and Lindt milk chocolate. My kitchen was quite cold so I only needed to wait a few minutes for the chocolate to cool. The mousse did not all fit in my 6"x3" souffle dish. It was super chocolatey (unsurprising with 12 oz) and easily served 6, although we needed slightly more whipped cream for 6. This is easily my favorite of Ina's chocolate mousse recipes.

• Sweetened whipped cream

  • anya_sf on December 03, 2022

    Good, basic whipped cream recipe with noticeable vanilla flavor. Great with the chocolate mousse, although you may want to use 1 cup cream if serving 6.

• Cinnamon-spiced shortbread

  • averythingcooks on January 07, 2023

    I have made different shortbreads from Barefoot Contessa and this is by far the best one. The cookies are tender with that crumbly, melt in the mouth texture I love in shortbread and the spiced sugar topping is wonderful. I had more topping than I needed but I just keep it in a little jar for lots of uses (ie the next time for these guys). These will now be a "must make" Christmas cookie in this house.