Celebrity chef Ina Garten prepares scores of sumptuous feasts on her Food Network program, The Barefoot Contessa. Her show is a feast in itself for one’s senses. From her sunny kitchen in the Hamptons, to her soothing voice as she instructs viewers in preparing recipes, Garten has “it.” She’s a hit on the network and for very good reason.
The 71-year-old opened up about which of her recipes is her very favorite. Here’s what we know about the beloved chef’s favorites: dinner, dessert, and her ultimate favorite recipe of all.
Garten’s favorite dinner
The chef’s most beloved choice for dinner isn’t Filet Mignon or Crown Roast of Pork. Self-trained in the kitchen, Garten confesses that her preferred dinner is less elegance and more comfort.
“If I had to choose my all-time go-to dinner (besides roast chicken!!) it would definitely be my Parmesan Chicken!,” she posted on Instagram. “It’s a whole dinner on one plate – juicy, herb-breaded chicken with a cold lemony salad and shaved Parmesan on top. And the whole thing takes 30 minutes to prepare! How great is that?!”
Garten’s go-to dessert
When asked what her ultimate favorite dessert is, Garten picked a doozy.
According to her website, Garten’s top dessert is Beatty’s Chocolate Cake, which TheKitchn says is the best chocolate cake they have ever tasted. The cake contains coffee, which deepens its taste.
“The cake is deeply rich and moist with an intensified chocolate flavor, thanks to the coffee. It also calls for buttermilk, which contributes to its lightness and tenderness. It bakes up into two thick and fluffy layers, so when spread with swirls of frosting and finished with as many rainbow sprinkles as will stick, it makes it the ultimate special-occasion dessert. It tastes good days after you bake it — which is crucial, because we all know leftover birthday cake is the best part of the whole thing.”
Her absolute favorite recipe
Garten last year revealed to her pal, Katie Couric, her own favorite recipe that she makes time and time again. It’s another dessert! The lady loves her sweets.
It’s Garten’s fig ricotta cake, which both Couric and Garten made on camera while Couric asked her more about the recipe.
When asked why this specific recipe is her favorite, Garten’s reasons were pretty simple: the cake is easy to throw together and the flavors are a winning combination.
“Something about ricotta, lemon, and vanilla,” Garten says. “They’re all great flavors together.”
The cake can be made with any fruit, really. Whether you try peaches or plums or apples, this treat is even better with Garten’s original choice, fresh figs.
As the Contessa says on her website, “This is literally the easiest cake I’ve ever made. It’s a lemony ricotta cake, with fresh figs on top that caramelize as the cake bakes. A dollop of crème fraîche or scoop of vanilla ice cream doesn’t hurt either!!”
Read more: Ina Garten Reveals Who She Would Invite to the Ultimate Barefoot Contessa Dinner Party
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLTEmqusoJWawW%2BvzqZmnqakmr%2B1rcinpJ6mpGTBqbXSZqCsZZKWv6ayzqirZpufo8Gmv9KaZKKmkWK0or7TnqWsZZaWw7C%2ByK2cZqqVmLaxsY2hq6akXw%3D%3D