Oct 15

Oct 15 Ina Garten’s COOK LIKE A PRO Book Tour

We attended Ina Garten’s book tour for her latest cookbook, Cook Like a Pro. Ina Garten was interviewed on stage by a local moderator, where she discussed tips on cooking, new recipes, and updated old ones. Fried chicken sandwich, red wine braised short ribs, and roasted eggplant parmesan were among the recipes. Some appetizers that were gushed over included warm dates with blue cheese & prosciutto, parmesan pesto zucchini sticks and roasted shrimp cocktail Louis. A notable updated recipe, Chicken Marbella, came from the popular Silver Palate Cookbook. Ina Garten’s version contains less brown sugar and more prunes, green olives and garlic. This is a must-try recipe if you love the original.

The book tour event was entertaining and lively as Ina Garten also shared her personal stories. She spoke about how she met her husband, Jeffrey; her previous life as a White House energy advisor; and her experience “Day Drinking with Seth Meyers” (Make sure to Google it. It’s hilarious!).

Ms. Garten answered several questions from the audience. What is her favorite salt to season? Crystal Kosher salt by Diamond. Her favorite chocolate to use in a recipe? Bittersweet chocolate by Lindt. Her favorite comfort food? Tuna sandwich. When is it okay to use store bought products? If the product is good, use it! For example, Rao’s marinara sauce.

Ms. Garten was charming and delightful, as we have known and loved from her television cooking show. Cook Like a Pro has not only appealing recipes but also useful tips on cooking and hosting. This book will sure be another favorite among Ina Garten fans!

These are some recipes from Cook Like A Pro that I’ve been fortunate to try so far. I cannot wait to try others in the book and those discussed during the interview.