A RECIPE FOR LOVE
Ina Garten’s latest cookbook is an ode to her husband,
On the surface, dedicating an entire cookbook to one’s spouse sounds cheesy and perhaps a bit reductive but for longtime followers of Food Network star Ina Garten, it’s surprising it wasn’t until her 10th cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey, that she devoted the entire tome to her husband of nearly 50 years.
For the uninitiated, Garten is the host of the Barefoot Contessa the Emmy-winning cooking show that has been on the air since 2002 and is approaching 300 episodes. The Barefoot part isn’t her nickname, but rather the name of the gourmet food store she ran for 20 years in New York City.
The show typically sees Garten cooking for friends and, of course, Jeffrey at the couple’s dreamy East Hampton home.
If Jeffrey wasn’t there eating, Garten would be casually mentioning that this chicken she’s roasting is his favourite or that this dessert is inspired by the cafe Jeffrey took her to on a date. Sappy? Sure, but it’s the kind of relationship goals one dreams of after five decades of marriage. The book: Cooking for Jeffrey ($45, Clarkson Potter) is a love letter from Garten to her husband, starting with the intro to the little blurbs introducing each of the 85 or so recipes from cocktails to starters, to mains and sides, to desserts. There’s even a list of Jeffrey’s favourite dishes at the back. It’s a nod to people familiar with the show — but for someone new to Garten it may seem a little weird. If that’s the case, opt for one of her earlier cookbooks (I recommend Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That). The quote: “What Cooking For Jeffrey has taught me is the power of food. Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love. It says ‘you’re important enough to me to spend the time and effort to cook for you.’ ” The tester: As a fellow home cook with no formal culinary training (Garten worked at the White House as a nuclear policy analyst from 1974 to ’78 before getting into food professionally), it gives me hope that someday I can have my own food media empire — especially considering Garten was 50 when she wrote her first cookbook. I can also vouch that Garten’s recipes are always bang-on and rarely need adjusting. Recipes I’m dying to make: Challah With Saffron, Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake, Butternut Squash Hummus, Herb and Apple Bread Pudding.
Bourbon Honey Cake
Star Tested “Jeffrey loves this cake,” writes Garten in the intro for this holiday dessert. While the honey cake is typically eaten during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year that typically falls between September and early October, the warm flavours of cinnamon, allspice, cloves and ginger mixed with the brightness of orange and the richness of coffee make it suitable for the winter months as well.
Garten uses an angel food cake pan with a non-removable bottom but I opted for a fluted tube pan because I think Jeffrey appreciates the snazzier look. Depending on the oven and material of the pan, baking times will vary (she says 40 to 45 minutes for a metal angel food cake pan, but I used an old, thick aluminum pan that took 70 minutes), so have a bunch of toothpicks ready to check when the cake is fully cooked. 1 cup (250 mL) vegetable oil, plus more for greasing pan 3-3/4 cups (935 mL) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan 1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda 4 tsp (20 mL) ground cinnamon 1 tsp (5 mL) salt 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground cloves, ground allspice, ground ginger 1 cup (250 mL) hot coffee 1/2 cup (125 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice 1/4 cup (60 mL) bourbon 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) granulated sugar 1/2 cup (125 mL) lightly packed brown sugar 1 cup (250 mL) honey 3 large eggs, room temperature 2 tsp (10 mL) grated orange zest 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract 1/2 cup (125 mL) blanched sliced Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
Brush a 9-inch fluted tube pan with oil. Dust with flour and dump out any excess. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, allspice and ginger. Gently mix until wellcombined. Set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together coffee, orange juice and bourbon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer set to medium speed to mix 1 cup (250 mL) oil, both sugars, honey, eggs, orange zest and vanilla until well-combined and there are no lumps.
Turn mixer to low speed. Alter- nate between adding flour and coffee mixtures in thirds, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula and continue to mix until just combined to a smooth consistency.
Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Tap pan a few times on table to get rid of air bubbles. Place pan in centre rack of oven and bake for 65 to 70 minutes (40 to 45 minutes if using a metal cake pan) or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Remove from heat and let cool completely before removing cake from pan, using a flat spatula to help separate cake from pan. Flip upside-down and level bottom with a serrated knife. Transfer to serving plate. Brush top with honey and a sprinkle of almonds.
Makes 12 to 16 servings. karonliu@thestar.ca