The Best Ina Garten Recipes For Fall
Perfect for a dinner party in your imaginary Hamptons barn
When Ina Garten invites you over to her barn for dinner, you've climbed the social ladder to the point where you can show up in a black Mercedes and throw around a casual jab about people who buy subpar vanilla (all while jamming out to Taylor Swift and celebrating your mutual hate for cilantro).
OK, maybe that fantasy might be something more out of 30 Rock than an actual Barefoot Contessa episode, but that won't stop us from daydreaming like Liz Lemon. Luckily, with a little imagination and some of Garten's best fall recipes, you won't be far off from a dinner party worthy of the Hamptons queen herself.
① Maple-Roasted Carrot Salad
Can a salad actually be better than the main course? Once it's dressed to the nines with Marcona almonds, roast taproots and marinated cranberries, then absolutely.
② Pumpkin Flan with Maple Caramel Sauce
In a world of overpowering autumnal sweets, Garten's bourbon-spiked custard is the only dessert that can make us remember not all pumpkin spice things have to taste like a scented candle.
③ Parker's Beef Stew
Forget your usual chicken, brown rice and broccoli. This is the Sunday meal whose leftovers will actually make you look forward to lunch all week long.
④ Roasted Brussels Sprouts
A Barefoot Contessa classic, these crispy, nutty sprouts have converted the vegetable-hating child in all of us.
⑤ Apple Pie Bars
For those days when you need a slab of apple pie (without all the effort), these buttery, spiced shortbread bars provide max payoff for a minimal amount of effort.
⑥ Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Will your breath be a little pungent after this meal? Perhaps, but at least it will smell of sweetly caramelized garlic and cognac-laced gravy.
⑦ French Apple Tart
Deceptively easy to make, this elegant tart is a showstopper worthy of any patisserie. Swap out the homemade pastry dough for store-bought puff pastry if you're in a pinch.
⑧ Prosciutto Roasted Sea Bass with Autumn Vegetables
Hearty roast root vegetables serve as a bed for chunks of fish wrapped in salty ham—perfect for weeknight entertaining.
⑨ Chicken Pot Pie
When it comes to the ultimate flannel-worthy comfort food, it's hard to beat the bubbling mix of chicken and vegetables hiding underneath this pastry crust.
⑩ Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash
If you can't travel to the Mediterranean and handpick your own crocus stamens, store-bought saffron will do just fine for this hearty risotto.
⑪ Easy Sticky Buns
Just ignore the total grams of fat per serving in these caramelized, buttery sweets that somehow qualify as breakfast. (After all, fall is bulking season, right?)