Ep 10. Cooking for a Crowd

In Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics season 1 episode 10, titled "Cooking for a Crowd," Ina Garten helps viewers tackle the daunting task of cooking for large groups. With the holiday season fast approaching, Garten offers tips and tricks to make the task less overwhelming and more enjoyable.

Garten begins the episode by sharing her philosophy of cooking for a crowd, which is to keep it simple and stick to dishes that can be made ahead of time. She then proceeds to demonstrate how to prepare a delicious menu that can feed a group without breaking the bank or causing undue stress.

The first dish on the menu is a savory tomato and cheese bread pudding, which Garten likens to a savory version of a breakfast casserole. This dish can easily be assembled the night before and then popped in the oven the next day, making it an ideal choice for when you have a lot of guests to feed. Garten shows viewers how to make the dish from scratch, including how to make homemade croutons and a simple tomato sauce.

Next up on the menu is a creamy and comforting cauliflower gratin. Garten explains that this dish is a great alternative to mashed potatoes, especially when cooking for a crowd. The dish can also be made ahead of time and reheated before serving. Garten demonstrates how to make a creamy béchamel sauce, which is then used to bind together the cauliflower and cheese.

For a main dish, Garten prepares a hearty beef stew with an herbed dumpling topping. This is the perfect dish for a cold winter day and can easily feed a crowd. Garten offers tips on how to cook the beef to perfection and how to ensure that the dumplings are light and fluffy.

To finish off the meal, Garten creates a simple but elegant dessert: apple tarts with a caramel drizzle. Garten shows viewers how to make a flaky, buttery pastry from scratch, which is then filled with thinly sliced apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The tarts are then drizzled with a homemade caramel sauce and served warm.

Throughout the episode, Garten emphasizes the importance of staying organized and prepared when cooking for a crowd. She shows viewers how to make a detailed shopping list, how to prepare a mise en place (or prepping all the ingredients beforehand), and how to set up a cooking schedule to ensure that everything is ready on time.

Overall, "Cooking for a Crowd" is a helpful and informative episode of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics that is perfect for anyone who needs to feed a large group of people. Garten's recipes are delicious and easy to follow, and her tips and tricks are sure to make the task of hosting a party less daunting.