Everyone has public figures or celebrities they respect and admire, and Ina Garten is one of mine. I love her lifestyle, recipes, and her enthusiasm for the finer things in life (i.e. “good” vanilla and olive oil).
In honor of the release of Ina Garten’s new book Cook Like a Pro, I planned a special day I dubbed “Homage to Ina.” Throughout the day I channeled my inner Ina and celebrated the ways she adds a little something more to life.
When I was first introduced to Ina Garten, however, I was a bit intimidated. Her home, recipes, and lifestyle seemed unattainable. When I started reading her books, I realized that her principles are actually quite simple.
Ina Garten stands for:
- Using high-quality, fresh, and local ingredients whenever possible
- Entertaining often, but planning ahead so you do not spend your entire evening in the kitchen
- Cooking for the ones you love
Although I will probably never have a pied-à-terre in Paris, it is quite easy to live an Ina-inspired life.
Paris is Always a Good Idea
Ina loves Paris and even maintains a residence there. As a result, the Parisian lifestyle and elegant and delicious French recipes are staples in her books. Because a trip to Paris was not possible, I decided to do some French-inspired things in the United States.
Sal and I started our morning with breakfast at Café M, a French café downtown Savannah. We discovered this spot a few years ago, and love the food and atmosphere. We indulged in chocolate croissants and baguette sandwiches. I always get the ham and Swiss croissant melt. Sal enjoys the Atlantic, a baguette sandwich with smoked salmon.
After breakfast, we strolled over to The Paris Market, one of my favorite shops in Savannah. Sal and I love wandering around this store and finding unique items to put in our home. During this trip, we picked up a funky ceramic bowl for our kitchen.
There is no shortage of French culture in the United States. Therefore, When planning your own Homage to Ina day, choose your favorite local French pastry shop or café to enjoy a little bit of Paris without traveling out of the country. Of course, if you want to head straight to the City of Lights and enjoy some of Ina’s favorite haunts, certainly feel free!
Fresh and Local
After indulging in a little Parisian excursion, Sal and I headed to the farmers market to pick up ingredients for our dinner. Ina promotes cooking using fresh seasonal ingredients. Therefore, I planned my menu around the fall season.
Although I had an outline of a menu in my mind, I could not round it out until visiting the market.
This type of menu planning can be a bit stressful because the market may not have everything you envisioned before leaving the house. In her book Back to Basics, Ina acknowledges that shopping and cooking this way is a bit “scary,” but taught her “to buy what’s plentiful, which turns out to be exactly what tastes best.”
While at the market I found beautiful produce to use in my dinner. When taking on your own Homage to Ina day, visit your local farmers market for fresh local ingredients to create the perfect meal.
A Few Specialty Items
Ina rose to fame as the owner of Barefoot Contessa, a specialty food store in East Hampton, New York. Barefoot Contessa served foods adhering to Ina’s principles: simple, seasonal, and fresh.
While it can be fun to prepare all the components of your meal yourself, combining homemade and prepared items makes entertaining simpler.
To round out my evening’s menu, I gathered a few items from my specialty food store of choice: Smith Brothers Butcher Shop. One of life’s greatest pleasures is perusing specialty grocery stores. Shopping in a small specialty store is much more enjoyable than navigating the expansive fluorescent-lit aisles of a large supermarket. I buy my cheese, charcuterie, wine, bread, and special cuts of meat at my preferred specialty shop.
Explore your city to find a specialty store or two to gather unique prepared items for your guests to enjoy.
All the “Good” Things
One of Ina’s most famous expressions is “good.” She uses this to describe olive oil, vanilla, and other items she uses while cooking. It is also one of the most satirized elements of Ina’s cooking philosophy. (Just google Ina Garten Memes and you will see what I mean.) Ina’s commitment to high-quality ingredients, however, is one of the things I admire most about her.
To continue paying homage to Ina, Sal and I set out to find “good” olive oil. We visited La Terra Natural Oils, a shop dedicated to oils and vinegar, and tasted a variety of olive oils and a number of varieties of balsamic vinegar. It was interesting how different olives and growing conditions produced different flavors in the oils.
If you do not have an oil and vinegar shop nearby, you could plan any type of food excursion. I would recommend: wine tasting, a trip to a cheese shop, or even a visit with a local chef to see how he or she creates a signature dish.
Hosting Family and Friends
Ina began cooking to share meals with her husband Jeffrey and their friends. To honor Ina’s commitment to entertaining, I ended the Homage to Ina day with a small dinner party.
I used a number of her books for inspiration, and my menu included:
- Butternut Squash Hummus (Cooking for Jeffrey)
- Roast Chicken with Radishes (Cooking for Jeffrey)
- Roasted Baby Pumpkins (The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
- French String Beans (Barefoot in Paris)
- Salted Caramel Brownies (Foolproof)
I really had a difficult time deciding what to make because Ina has so many books with so many amazing recipes. Ultimately, I adhered to her principles when planning my party menu. Ina always advises doing as much of the cooking beforehand, so you can actually enjoy time with your guests. In fact, her book Make it Ahead is filled with recipes specifically for nights when you want to mingle with your guests, but still produce an amazing meal.
With Ina’s advice in mind, a few hours before my guests were set to arrive, I started roasting the butternut squash for the hummus and the peppers to accompany the green beans. While the vegetables were roasting, I prepared the chicken and pumpkins.
Next, I made the hummus and blanched the green beans. Finally, I made the salted caramel brownies.
Once the food was prepared and dishes were done, I set the table and put out my appetizer tray. I used the round table in my kitchen because, as Ina recommends in Barefoot in Paris, “A round table that’s a little too small- everyone’s seated elbow to elbow- creates just the right mood.”
When my guests arrived, all I had to do was pop the chicken and pumpkins in the oven. I was then able to spend quality time with our friends Emily and Doug without having to constantly run off and check something.
Although every course was delicious, to me, the roasted baby pumpkins (filled with applesauce) were a showstopper. I am already thinking of ways to incorporate them into more fall meals.
Ina’s food philosophy involves serving simple meals with familiar flavors. I think she very eloquently summarizes this in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook: “Food is not about impressing people. In fact, it’s just the opposite: it’s about making them feel comfortable.” This is important to remember when planning a dinner party. Simple delicious food is comforting, and sharing these comforting recipes with friends only makes them more so.
Planning Your Own Homage to Ina
Homage to Ina was a fun way for me to honor one of my idols and to prepare for the release of her new book: Cook Like a Pro. I encourage you to plan your own Homage to Ina. To plan your day, take inspiration from Ina and find a way to fit her ideas into your life. With a little creativity, planning, and good olive oil how easy is that?
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience, but I have not been paid to endorse particular products. I am passionate about the things that I love and want to share them with the world.
Maggie Lattke says
Great post Mrs. Nolasco! I recently took a trip to Paris and the food was one of my favorite parts of the trip! Miss you!
Nickie says
Thanks, Maggie! I, too, found the food in Paris AMAZING. I hope you’re well in SF, and thanks for following the blog!
Angela Grosse says
Thanks for sharing your Savannah “Paris” experience!
Nickie says
Thank you, Angela! There are many more French things to do in Savannah, so I might have to make that an entire post in the future.
Hilary Ho says
This post is amazing! I love the idea of paying homage to your favorite cook
Will you do another post like this where you pay homage to another favorite?
Nickie says
Hilary,
I have been thinking about other people I would like to honor, and one of my favorite characters, Leslie Knope, came to mind, so I might have a Parks and Rec. party in the future.
Alex Marx says
Great addition to the blog Nikki! I am so hungry right now. I love to cook, and I am going to try some of her recipes. My favorite chef is Jacques Pepin, so I will model your day but use Jacques instead of Ina! Cant wait to tell you all about it.
Nickie says
Alex,
I think that’s a great riff on the “homage” idea.