Barefoot Contessa (2002–…): Season 21, Episode 4 - Barbecues and Bouquets - full transcript

I'm Ina Garten,
the "Barefoot Contessa."

I'm having a party,
and you're invited.

Surprise!

Happy birthday!

Cheers!

Let the celebrations begin.

It's our sapphire anniversary,

and I'm thinking a romantic
candlelit dinner in the garden

would be just perfect.

Jeffrey's favorite chicken
is getting a makeover.

This time,
it's crispy mustard chicken.



And keeping with the crisp,

there's fabulous roasted kale
on the side,

along with creamy cheddar grits.

When we were first married,
we lived in the south,

so it's a real nostalgic
comfort food.

Dessert's inspired by
a restaurant we used to go to

for our anniversary --

chocolate peanut butter globs.

How does that sound?

There's
a gorgeous table setting,

and Jeffrey's
picking out the wine.

I like all three of these.

So, it's just the two of us

eating dinner alfresco
under the stars.



How romantic is that
after 45 years?

45 years -- Can you believe it?

Sounds like something
my parents would say.

So, I was trying
to find some inspiration

from things that Jeffrey and I
have done together

for this meal,

and one of them is
we used to go to...all the time,

and it was just
an incredible restaurant.

They made these chocolate globs
that were so delicious,

and I thought, "I'm gonna make
a variation on them."

I'm making
chocolate peanut butter globs.

So, I'm starting with
two extra-large eggs.

The original ones actually

didn't have peanut butter chips
in them,

but I thought,

"Nothing's ever made worse
with peanut butter, right?"

So, I've got
two extra-large eggs

and 1 tablespoon
of instant espresso powder.

And that really
brings out the chocolate.

Plus 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

That also brings out
the chocolate flavor.

These cookies
are actually amazing.

They're like these big mounds,
and they're stuffed

with chocolate chips
and peanut butter chips

and pecans and walnuts.

They're so good.

So, I'm just gonna
mix this all up.

Then I need 3/4 cup of sugar.

So, Jeffrey and I have
divided up the tasks for dinner.

He's at the vineyard.
He's choosing wines.

And I'm in charge
of baking and cooking.

Wait a minute. That doesn't
sound fair, does it?

So, this is gonna mix on high
speed for about two minutes.

Then we're gonna add
lots of really good stuff.

Well, I'm off to get some wine
for the anniversary dinner.

Ina said
she'd take care of the food,

and I'm gonna
take care of the wine.

Okay,
the mixture is perfect now.

I'll show you what happens.

This is why it's important

for the eggs
to be at room temperature,

because you want it to sort of
fall back on itself on a ribbon.

That's exactly where it is.

So, now it's time
to add the chocolate,

and what I've done is,
I've melted the chocolate ahead.

It's really easy to do.

All I did was put 6 tablespoons
of unsalted butter into a bowl

set over a pan
of simmering water,

with 6 ounces
of semisweet chocolate chips,

2 ounces
of unsweetened chocolate,

and just melted
everything together

until it was just melted.

Then, I just took the mixture
off to cool.

Okay, so with the mixer on low,

I'm just gonna add
the chocolate.

This is very chocolaty.

You want to be sure
this is really cool,

because the last thing you want
is to add hot chocolate to eggs.

You'll have
chocolate scrambled eggs...

nobody's idea of a good dessert.

Okay, that's in.

Okay.
So, now, the dry mixture.

The first thing
is 1/3 cup of flour.

One reason why these are
so intensely chocolaty and fudgy

is it's got very little flour
in it.

1 teaspoon of baking powder.

And 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

And just mix that together.

And then, with the mixer on low,

just put it in really slowly
so it gets mixed in.

And then, I'm gonna add
all kinds of nuts and chips.

Great.

So, I need 1 cup
of whole pecan halves.

It's really important
that they be whole pecan halves,

as opposed to chopped pecans.

I need 1 cup
of whole walnut halves,

and, again, it's really
important for these to be whole,

because then it's gonna be
really chunky in the cookie.

2/3 cup of peanut butter chips.

Yum.

Have to stop myself from
eating them while I'm making it.

And 6 ounces of chocolate chips,
semisweet chocolate chips.

Put them right in.

And then, the key to this
is 1 tablespoon of flour.

And what that does is

keep them from sinking
to the bottom of the mixture.

So, I'm just gonna mix them up
like this.

I mean, it looks like trail mix
to start with.

Okay, now, I'm gonna add
the chocolate mixture.

Jeffrey loves these,
so I thought, "Why not?"

It just smells
incredibly chocolaty.

Fabulous.

I'm just gonna
fold these together,

and then I'm gonna make
these globs, chocolate globs.

I think Jeffrey's
gonna like this.

I know I say that all the time,

but I think, particularly,
Jeffrey's gonna like this.

I wonder what he's up to
at the vineyard.

Hi.
Hello.

Welcome to Wolffer Estate,
Jeffrey.

I'm Roman.
Nice to meet you.

And I'm really
looking forward

to show you the estate,
the vineyards.

Okay, great!

That's where it all starts,
out here.

So, I'm looking for
a great white wine.

Well, you came to
the right place.

This is our chardonnay.

Hmm, delicious!

Wonderfully sweet.

And you make the wine
out of that, right?

That's it.
So, come and taste some.

Love to.
All right.

Okay, time to make some globs.

I love what they're called.

So, got a sheet pan
lined with parchment paper,

two spoons -- real easy.

And I'm just gonna make
a round ball with this.

Just scoop it out
right onto the sheet pan.

How bad does that look?

Jeffrey and I came across
our wedding album recently.

Oh, my goodness,
we were so young!

I was actually wearing
a brocade dress with mink trim.

If Jeffrey had known my taste
for luxury, he should have run.

And Jeffrey came
in his beautiful uniform.

He looked amazing.

We got married at my house.

Everyone
was in their best clothes.

I remember dancing
with my father,

and we had this incredible
tiered wedding cake.

We were so young.
We looked so happy.

And the good news is,
we still are!

I'm so glad
we found those photos!

Okay, into the oven --
325 for 15 minutes,

and we're gonna have
chocolate peanut butter globs.

Next, crispy mustard chicken
and creamy cheddar grits

for a real walk down memory lane
to when we were first married.

Then,
I'm making crispy roasted kale

while Jeffrey gets the wine

for our romantic dinner
under the stars.

It's Jeffrey and my
45th wedding anniversary.

Can you believe it?

So, I'm making
panko-crusted mustard chicken,

which is so delicious.

I'm not saying anything
about Jeffrey and chicken.

And I'm gonna start
with the crust.

So, that's 1 tablespoon
of fresh thyme.

I've got four cloves of garlic.
Right into the food processor.

2 teaspoons of salt.

1 teaspoon of pepper.

I'm just gonna chop that up
really finely.

How easy is this?

I want it finely minced.

Love food processors.

Okay, next is 2 cups of panko.

This is the crispy part.

Panko's actually
Japanese bread flakes.

You can find them anywhere now.

I find they're a little crisper
than bread crumbs.

1 tablespoon of lemon zest.

I love lemon and chicken
together.

Right in.

And then,
just to moisten the crumbs,

2 tablespoons of olive oil.

And 2 tablespoons
of melted butter.

That's gonna make the crumbs
really nice and brown on the top

when it bakes.

Just give it a mix
just to moisten the crumbs.

Okay, that's the topping.
Next is the mustard dip.

So,
the topping goes into one bowl.

It smells wonderful.

I love the lemon and thyme
together.

It's just great.

So, next is the mustard glaze.

And what this is,
is instead of dipping it in egg,

which you usually do
before the crumbs,

I'm dipping it in white wine
and mustard,

and it gives it so much flavor.

So, 1/2 cup of white wine.

Just use a regular,
dry white wine.

Pour it in the bowl.

And 1/2 cup of mustard.
I just use good Dijon mustard.

Whatever you like.

Such a great combination,
mustard and white wine.

So, what I did was,
I asked the butcher

to cut up one chicken
into eight pieces

and then to cut the breasts
in half.

It's on the bone.
I'll show you how it works.

So, the first thing I do,
I always pat it dry,

because the coating's
gonna work better if I do that.

So, I'll just take
these eight pieces

and just put it
on a paper towel

and then pat it dry
with another paper towel.

And that way, the coating
really sticks much better.

Okay, so, make sure
it's perfectly seasoned.

One side.

And pepper.

And just turn it over
and do the same thing again.

Sometimes, when you eat chicken,

there's a lot of flavor
on the outside

but there's nothing inside.

It's kind of a little dead
on the inside.

And with salt and pepper,

it really wakes up the flavor
of the chicken.

Okay, so now I'm gonna take
each piece of chicken,

gonna dip it
in the mustard and wine.

Dip it both sides so it gets
nicely coated. Lots of flavor.

And then, just dip the top,
the skin side, in the crumbs --

panko, lemon, thyme.

And then
right onto a sheet pan.

I hope Jeffrey's having a
wonderful time at the vineyard.

I know he is.

So, I understand Ina is looking
for a white wine for the dinner.

We have three different
white wines that I recommend.

This is
the Wolffer Classic White.

It's a blend of gewurztraminer,
Riesling, and chardonnay.

And a beautiful
balanced wine.

Oh, I love that!

The next wine,
it gets more intensive.

This is our White Mischief.

It's a White Horse,
our reserve wines.

This is wild yeast
fermented.

This is extremely smooth.

Yeah,
it's a beautiful chardonnay.

It's kind of like velvet.

Much creamier, and this would go
with a richer dish.

And then, last, not least,
this is our Pearl.

This is
our most classic wine.

This was 100%
barrel-fermented.

Very traditional way
of making a wine.

Oh, this is stronger.

Actually, I like this.

I love all three of them.

Thank you.

I'm gonna pick this one

because I love the elegance
of it,

and I love the smoothness,

and I think it will be perfect
with a very special dinner.

Thank you. The White Mischief,
it's one of our flagship wines.

I think you made a good choice.
Did I make a good choice?

Yeah.
Okay.

I'm not gonna let it
go to waste, here.

Cheers!
Cheers!

Okay, last two pieces.

Now, the reason why
I do this on the bone

is I actually think,
when it bakes,

it stays much moister that way.

So, it's gonna be
delicious chicken.

For the leg and the wings,
I coat the whole thing

because there's skin
all the way around.

Okay, last piece.

This just smells so good,

the mustard and thyme
and the lemon and the panko.

Perfect.

And if there's some crumbs
leftover,

I just sort of kind of pat them
on the top.

More crumbs never hurt anything.

Just makes it crispier.

Okay, these are all ready
to bake later.

I wonder what Jeffrey's up to
in that vineyard.

I haven't heard from him
in a while.

I'm starting to worry.

So,
this is the White Mischief.

And through the grapevine,

I heard
that it's your anniversary.

And, for you and Ina,
we gave you the Noblesse Oblige,

our very special
sparkling wine.

Isn't that wonderful?

Enjoy it,
and please give my best to Ina.

It's been a very special day.
Thank you very much.

Thank you.

I think the chocolate
peanut butter globs are done.

Oh, do these look fantastic.

Wow!

This is gonna be perfect
for dessert.

Next, it's creamy cheddar grits
on the menu.

They're so good.

Then, I'm setting
the anniversary table

for our dinner under the stars.

It's Jeffrey and my
45th wedding anniversary.

I can't believe it!

And I decided for a celebration
we'd do dinner together.

So, he's doing the wine,
and I'm making the dinner.

A lot of people don't know this.
I was 20 when we got married.

He was 21.

And we actually lived in
North Carolina in the beginning.

He was in the military.

So, I decided I'm gonna make
a side dish from the south.

I'm making grits with cheddar.
It's so good.

So, I've got 4 cups
of boiling water.

Gonna add 2 teaspoons of salt.

This is surprisingly
so delicious.

So, it's 1 cup of grits.

It's really like making polenta.
You just put it in slowly.

You don't want it
to get all clumped together.

So, I'm just gonna bring this
to a boil

and then lower the heat

and simmer it
for five to seven minutes.

Jeffrey's never gonna believe

he's having this
for a side dish.

Ina and I were looking at our
wedding album the other day,

and she joked and said,

"We didn't have
a framed picture."

I'm gonna fix that now.

Hi, Vivienne.
Hi, Jeffrey.

You got it?
I've got it!

Oh, look at that!

I looked a lot younger,
huh?

Just a little bit.

It's a wonderful photo.

You know, sometimes I don't know
whether Ina likes a surprise,

but I think, in this case,

I think
she'll really love it.

Thank you very much.

Thanks.
Good to see you.

You too.

I'm just gonna add half-and-half
and butter to it now.

It's gonna taste really creamy.

So, I need 1 1/4 cups
of half-and-half.

Okay, right in.

Just whisk it in.

It looks a little thin now,

but it's gonna get thicker
as it cooks.

Pour that in.

And 2 tablespoons of butter.

And just bring that to a boil,
and then I'm gonna cover it

and let it simmer
for about 45 minutes.

I'll just stir it occasionally.

Now, I always think
about celebrations

as being these huge things, like
weddings, traditional things,

sort of the usual markers
in life,

but I think it's really nice for
celebrations to be small, also,

to really just celebrate
the things in your life

that are really important.

So, we always make a big deal
out of anniversaries.

And the ones I like best
are just the two of us.

Let it simmer away
for 45 minutes.

It's gonna get thick and rich
and just delicious.

Okay, it's right there.
Lower the heat.

Great.

Time to bake the chicken.

So, 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

It's gonna be really crisp
on top

and so succulent and delicious
inside...

...which is just the right
amount of time to set the table.

It's an amazingly warm evening.

I thought,

"Wouldn't it be romantic to
just eat out under the stars?"

So, I think I'm gonna set the
stone table for Jeffrey and me.

Let's see.

Instead of at the ends,
I think right in the middle.

I'm gonna get the table all set.

Here it goes.

45th anniversary is sapphire,
so blue cloth.

I want to create an
intimate setting at a big table,

so I'm gonna bookend
the place settings

with hurricane lamps filled
with white unscented candles

and then
some small votive candles,

white plates, the good silver --
knives and forks --

and two glasses -- one for water

and one for the wine
that Jeffrey's getting --

white linen napkins,
blue hydrangeas,

and, finally,
two chairs facing each other.

Okay. Last few things.

I've got ice bucket
for the wine, table is done.

I've got matches
for the fire pit,

and the scene is set.

Next, crispy roasted kale
puts the finishing touch

to my celebration menu.

And all is revealed
in what Jeffrey's been up to.

And it's our moonlight dinner.

I can't believe
we've been married for 45 years.

It's Jeffrey and my
45th wedding anniversary.

I can't believe it.

And I thought
a little private celebration

would just be perfect.

And the vegetable is, like,

the easiest vegetable
I've ever made in my life.

It's crispy roasted kale.

And you want to take
this big stalk off

'cause it's kind of too chewy.

So you can either take a knife
and cut it off,

or, what I do is,

I just hold it upside down
and just tear it off.

And the hard stalk
comes right out.

Next thing I want to do is just
wash it really, really well

'cause kale sometimes gets
a little dirt in the leaves.

So,
this 1 1/4 pounds of kale.

I'm just gonna drain it.

In order for it
to get really crispy,

I want it to be very dry.

Love my salad spinner.

Kale's also good
for, like, a slaw.

It's really wonderful just raw.

Olive oil.

Lots of salt.

Pepper.

Okay. Into the oven.

350 degrees for 15 minutes,
and it'll be really crispy.

So, the grits have been cooking
for 45 minutes,

and they look
absolutely perfect.

So, off the heat,

I'm gonna add two things
that have great flavor --

1 1/2 cups
of really good cheddar, grated,

and 1/2 cup of scallions
right in.

Give it a big stir.

Okay, into the bowl.

Okay, and a little bit
of cheddar and scallions

so Jeffrey knows what it is.

Next, the chicken.

Perfect.

I'm just gonna put them
in a big bowl.

Nice and hot and crisp.

This is a lot of chicken
for two,

but the good news is,
it's great for leftovers.

And next, crispy roasted kale.

It's so crispy.
Isn't this incredible?

Just pile it high in the bowl.

And I would say
anniversary dinner is ready.

Hi, sweetie.
Hi. Look what I got!

What do you have?
I got two wonderful bottles.

Oh, you did?

Oh, look at that! Wow!

I say
this goes right in here.

And look what they gave us.

Oh, my goodness!
You think
we can have this tonight?

I don't know!

That would be the end of dinner,
I think.

That's really nice.

So, you ready for dinner?
Boy, I sure am!

I hope you like it.

Here's to putting up with me
for 45 years.

Oh, god!

I need a really big glass
of wine. I need a scotch!

How about some chicken?

Oh, yeah, that looks good!

It's crispy
mustard-roasted chicken.

And since you and I started out
in North Carolina,

I made cheddar grits.

Oh, well, how appropriate,
how appropriate!

Boy, that looks good!

Was there a moment
in North Carolina you thought,

"Oh, my God. I've made
the worst mistake of my life"?

Uh...

Okay,
you don't get any kale!

Oh, yeah,
give me some of that kale.

That kale looks fantastic!
Crispy kale.

Is the grits good?

Oh, that's fantastic!

It's the first time
I've ever made grits.

Yeah,
this chicken is amazing!

We're gonna have this
for every anniversary.

That was fantastic!
Thank you.

That was
really, really good.

I'm so glad.
You ready for dessert?

How about if you meet me
at the fire pit?

Okay, sounds great.
Okay? Okay.

So, remember we used to go
to...

and you used to have
chocolate globs for dessert?

Yeah.
That's what I made.

How's that?
Hey, guess what.

What?
I got something for you.

You weren't supposed to
get me a present!

No, it's a little thing.
What is it?

Look at this.

Look at that.

Aww!

That's really sweet.

You look exactly the same.

I don't look
at all the same!

You look just like that,
yeah.

That was a great day.
Let me try one of these globs.

Have a glob.

Unbelievable!

Are they good?

That has everything!

Here's to 45 more years.

-- Captions by VITAC --

Closed Captions provided by
Scripps Networks, LLC.