Giada at Home (2008–…): Season 1, Episode 28 - Food and Fun - full transcript

Todd, are you
gonna start the game?

Sure, shall we eat and play?
Yeah, eat and play.

I'm having some friends
over tonight for some
fun and games.

Poker for the grownups,

twister for the kids,

and a menu for everyone.

Zucchini and olive flatbread --

caramelized zucchini
and salty olives

smothered in
a two-cheese topping.

Cauliflower and bacon gratin --

a veggie dish that kids love
thanks to crispy breadcrumbs,



crumbled bacon,
and even more cheese.

And chocolate toffee
mascarpone bars --

cookie dough,
chopped candy bars,
and chocolate.

Need I say more?

It's food and fun for everyone.

Left foot green.

There's no room,
i can't move.

I'm starting with dessert first

and not just because
i love dessert,

but because these chocolate
toffee mascarpone bars

need some time
to set up in the fridge.

What I love about these

is that they are elegant
and perfect for adults

and the perfect little treat
for the kids as well.



I have one pound of
sugar cookie dough

and it's just
store-bought sugar cookie dough

and I think it works
really well in here.

I'm gonna show you how
I'm gonna doctor this up
and make it all my own.

Two of these chocolate toffee
candy bars,

and what I like to do
is chop them up nice and fine.

And what we'll do
is add half of it
inside the cookie dough

and the other half,
we'll reserve it
and add it on top

so we get the crunch
on the inside

and the crunch
on the outside too.

You need a nice sharp knife.

There we go.

And you want to cut it up
in small pieces

so it can kind of melt
in the cookie dough

and that you don't have
huge chunks on top either.

So now that we've got that,

grab the bowl,
half of it goes inside

and the other half
we are going to reserve.

There we go.

So we'll leave that
for a little bit later.

Then I also want to add
some vanilla extract,

so let's grab that.

And that's what I said,

I'm gonna doctor this up
and make it all my own

and no one's ever gonna know
that it is prepared
cookie dough.

There's so many great things
on the market these days

that really makes baking
a lot easier.

So 1/2 teaspoon of
pure vanilla extract

and I'll take a spoon

and I mix this all together.

You kind of break it up

and make sure that it all
gets incorporated really well.

It even smells really good.

Perfect, so now
i grab my baking sheet

and I just sprayed
cooking spray all over it

and then I put a piece of
parchment paper over it

and I sprayed
the parchment paper

just to make sure
that I can just lift
it all up like this

and cut it into bars
and nothing will stick.

Then just put the dough
right in the center there...

And I kind of just press it.

If the cookie dough gets sticky

just wet your hands
a little bit with water.

And you want a nice, even layer.

And it bakes up so sugary
and so buttery, it's so good.

Now I prick it with a fork

just so it doesn't grow
too much in the oven

and it stays nice and flat.

And we're gonna bake it
at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes

until it's light and golden
all around the sides.

So while that bakes
let's get started
on the topping.

We've got chocolate chips,

so we're gonna do one cup of
semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I love this,
we're gonna melt the chocolate

and then we're gonna add
mascarpone to it

and make it nice,
thick, and rich

as a topping on top of
the cooked sugar cookie dough.

There we go.

And I've already heated up
a little bit of water

so we're doing like,
a little water bath

and patiently we're gonna wait
for the chocolate chips to melt.

The chocolate's melted,
look how beautiful this is.

It's just silky and rich
and it shines and I love it.

So now I want to take it
off the heat.

I want it to cool
and I'm gonna grab
my sugar cookie dough.

Nice.

This is exactly what you want.

You want it to be nice
and golden

just like a tan on top.

So I'm gonna let that cool
and the chocolate cool.

In the meantime I'm gonna go
set up my living room.

I've got a fun, little,
grown-up table set up,
so let's go.

A piece of green felt
cut to size

turns any surface
into a very cool poker table.

And everyone gets their own
little side table for food
and drinks.

Okay, looks like
we're ready to shuffle.

It looks so good in there.

This is gonna be really fun.

All right,
my chocolate is cooled,

so now it's time to add
one cup of mascarpone cheese
into the melted chocolate,

basically almost
this whole thing.

The mascarpone is so nice.

It's nice and mellow
and creamy, it's perfect.

And you see how
you just mix it together

and it creates a nice,
thick, creamy topping.

And that's why
it's really important

you cool the chocolate
a little bit after you melt it

so that it combines
very nicely --

it's nice and smooth.

Perfect.

All right, so we'll grab
the cooled cookie dough

and all I do

is basically add
all of the chocolate

and mascarpone mixture
to the center

and then I spread it all out,

so you get a nice,
thick layer.

I just kind of spread it out

and make sure it coats
all of the cookie dough.

And we're just about to add
the crunch --

some toasted sliced almonds.

And I just put 'em
right over the top.

It just makes it look
really pretty and gourmet

and it adds
a little bit of crunch too.

And remember the leftover
chocolate toffee candy bar
that we cut up earlier?

Here we go
right on top.

So now we're gonna
put it in the refrigerator
and let it set for two hours.

Then we'll lift it out
and cut it into little bars.

And up next,
I'm gonna make
one of my favorites,

my cauliflower and bacon gratin.

A rich and creamy dish
that's loaded with bacon

and layers of cheese.

I'm starting
with the breadcrumbs,

which is the topping to
my cauliflower and bacon gratin.

And I have some sliced
sourdough bread, three slices,

and you want it to be day-old

because we're gonna toast it
with a little bit of butter

and you don't want it
to fall apart.

So what I do is,
i put it in the food processor

and then we just...

So now a little bit of butter
in our pan.

I'm gonna toast the breadcrumbs

in a half a stick
of unsalted butter.

We'll put the stove
about medium-high

and just start
melting the butter

'cause we're gonna
add the breadcrumbs

and get 'em
nice and toasty.

So we just toss the bread
right in there.

Let it all out,
there we go.

So while these toast up,
let's start on my cauliflower.

I'm gonna grab the cauliflower

and just cut the bottom off.

And I really,
really like cauliflower

and I think that
it's a great way

to get the kids
to eat their vegetables

is by just adding
some bacon to it
and some melted cheese

and put it in the oven

and what kid
doesn't like that?

It's almost like
you're hiding the vegetables
in the casserole itself.

So I just cut it
in little florets,

it just breaks up on its own.

And you could do this
with broccoli if you wanted,

just about anything,
and we're gonna blanch it.

Then it will finish cooking
in the oven.

And the water
for the cauliflower is boiling

so I'm gonna add some salt
just to flavor it.

Let's just add
all of the cauliflower

right in the boiling water.

So while the cauliflower cooks

let's get the cream
and the cheese.

The gruyere cheese
we'll use in a little bit.

First we're gonna start off
with the cream.

And we're gonna measure
3/4 cup of heavy cream.

Now the cream
adds that sauce that we need

for the cauliflower
to continue cooking in the oven.

So 3/4 cup, there we go,
of heavy cream.

Then to that,
we add some flour.

We had one teaspoon of flour.

Now the flour will thicken
the sauce too.

So just one teaspoon of flour

and that's all you need
to get it nice and thick.

Just give it
a quick, little whisk

to kind of just dissolve
the flour in the cream.

Perfect.

So now we're gonna swap bowls.

We are gonna take the florets
out of the boiling water

because again,
you only want to cook 'em
for like a minute or two.

Not too long
'cause you don't
want 'em to get mushy

once you bake 'em in the oven.

So we'll turn the water off.

There we go,
and this is known as blanching.

And the reason we are putting it
in ice water

is to bring the temperature down
of the cauliflower

so they stop cooking
immediately.

Otherwise,
if you just let them sit

they'll cool off, yes,
but they'll continue to cook

and I don't want them
to fall apart in the gratin,

I still want them
to hold their shape.

We'll let those cool completely
and let's take a look at these.

Oh, they're starting
to toast up,

and boy oh boy,
they smell so good,
the butter with the bread.

They need another minute or so.

In the meantime
let's grate the cheese.

So I've got some gruyere cheese

and the gruyere has
a nice, sharp flavor

so it works really well
with the cauliflower --

cauliflower is more of
a mellow flavor,

and it melts beautifully.

It has a little bit of
a sharp flavor to it,

but it's really creamy
and it bakes really well.

We need one cup of
grated gruyere.

Half of it's gonna go
in the cauliflower mixture

and the other half is gonna go
on top of the breadcrumbs

so we get this nice,
crunchy, cheesy crust
on top of the cauliflower.

Perfect.

We've got the cheese.

So now we start
building the gratin.

So half of the gruyere cheese
goes inside

and the other half
we're gonna save
and put it on top.

Then I add capers.

They add a nice,
tangy bite to it.

And then the bacon.

You can just chop it up
or you can rip it up
with your fingers.

Some salt,
gotta season it,
and some pepper.

And just give it
a quick mix here,

toss everything together.

Let's grab the cauliflower.

And the cauliflower
should be cooled.

And again, you want to put it
in cold water, the cauliflower,

to bring down the temperature
so it doesn't continue to cook.

There we go.

Back over here,
toss it all together.

Make sure that
all the cauliflower is coated

with some of the cream
and the bacon, caper,
and cheese mixture.

Breadcrumbs are done.

I'll turn off that.

And now grab the baking sheet.

And I have a buttered
8-by-8 baking sheet.

I just toss everything
in there.

Get all the bacon,
all the cheese,
everything.

Take the breadcrumbs
that are now toasted

and just put them
right over the top.

Some of 'em want to get away.

Just put them back in there.

And you finish it off
with some more cheese
right on top.

We'll get a nice cheesy crust.

Then to get
that nice golden color

I want to add a little bit of
olive oil right over the top

so there's a little bit of
moisture for the cheese
and the bread.

Now we bake it at 350 degrees
for about 35 to 40 minutes

until it's bubbly, crisp,
and the cheese is all melted
on top.

This is gonna be good.

Next I'll roll out the dough
and start on my crispy flatbread

with zucchini, olives,
and even more cheese.

I'm rolling out
some pizza dough,
a pound of it.

And you can buy it
at your grocery store

or sometimes you can go
to your local pizzeria

and just order the pizza dough
from them

and I'm making my zucchini
and olive flatbread.

Just roll out the dough,

I like to roll it out
to about a 12-inch circle.

I want it nice and thin

and that's why I'm calling it
a flatbread and not a pizza

because it's gonna be nice
and thin and crispy.

Okay, so now that
we've rolled it out

we'll just roll it
on the rolling pin

and place it right on
the baking sheet just like that.

I'm putting it on a baking sheet
lined with parchment paper.

That way it doesn't stick.

I drizzle a little bit of
olive oil on top,

just to create
a nice, golden crust.

Then we prick it
with a fork.

All right,
let's grab the zucchini.

Grab my board.

I've already washed
the zucchini.

And I love this
because it looks really pretty

and you can slice a zucchini
super thin

and then just put it
on the flatbread

just like you would
pepperoni on a pizza.

Same type of idea.

And it bakes off
and it caramelizes in the oven.

Whoops, come on back.

So now I just kind of
layer it all on just like that

and it's really pretty.

And because we're gonna cook it
at a really high heat at 450

it does really caramelize.

Then the flatbread gets
nice and crunchy,
super good.

And I drizzle a little more
olive oil on top

just to help caramelize
the zucchini.

We're gonna bake it at
450 degrees for about
18 to 20 minutes

until the zucchini
are nice and golden

and the crust starts to get
nice and golden brown.

Then we're gonna put on cheese
and put it back in the oven.

Now it's time
to get the gratin out.

I can smell the gruyere cheese
from here.

It should be ready.

Oh, that looks so good.

You just want to pick the crust
right off the top it looks
so good.

Now it's time to dress up
the flatbread with olives
and some fresh herbs.

So what I want to start doing

is start chopping
some fresh oregano.

It's nice and earthy
and it really can stand up
to being baked in the oven.

And see, the zucchini
have already started
to brown on top

and see the edges
are nice and golden brown.

So now a few more toppings
and we are done.

So let's start
with the oregano.

I just kind of sprinkle it
right on top.

It makes it really smell good,

it really perfumes
the entire flatbread.

Then I take the olives
and I kind of just
spread 'em all over the top.

And because the olives
are kind of salty

I don't add any salt
to the flatbread.

Top it with 1 1/2 cups of
shredded mozzarella.

Mozzarella melts so well
over this

and I think the kids will
really like the flavor of it.

Then some pecorino Romano.

It's got a nice sharp flavor
and it's really, really good
with the mozzarella

since the mozzarella's
so mild.

Let's just grate.

And I like to grate it
right on top fresh.

So it creates this like,
cheesy, salty crust on top.

Perfect.

So now we're gonna put this
back into the oven at 450
for another five minutes

until the cheese just oozes
and melts all over the top.

And then,
let the games begin.

So you guys,

Daisy and Charlie
are already out here playing.

While we're inside
playing some poker,

you guys can be out here.

Chelsea is the babysitter
of the night.

So Chelsea,
you've got two more kids.

Okay, it's Charlie and Lucy.

Don't get confused
with the two Charlies.

We're gonna go inside
with the guys and have
some dinner.

Bye guys, have fun.

I like these plates.

Oh, see, they're already
started digging in, perfect.

Hi you guys,
you just playing twister?

No, we were setting
the kids up.

You're gonna sit
right here next to me.

Maybe we want to get
some food first.

The little table over there,

that's where you put
your food and stuff

so that you can play poker
on the table.

You think of it all, don't you,
this looks so good.

Todd, are you gonna
start the game?

Sure, should we eat and play?
Yeah, eat and play.

These are really good,
what is it?

I call it a zucchini
and olive flatbread.

Mmm, it's good,
it's really good.

I want to taste the cauliflower.

Oh the cauliflower's
really good, Todd's favorite.

It's delicious.

How you doing there, Rick?

I'm gonna take your money
and have another piece
of flatbread,

that's what I'm gonna do.

So did you try these?

Oh my god,
giada, this is unbelievable.

You just inhaled it.

I did.

There's a whole platter
of them, honey.

Oh my god,
this is so good.

All right,
I'm gonna fold.

'Cause you know what,

it looks like
so much fun out there.

I'm gonna go upstairs and change
'cause I can't play twister
out there,

but I want to go play
with the kids.

So ladies,
would you like to come with me?

Give me a second,
I'm gonna go change.

I'll be right back.

Can I take your money
in the meantime?
Yeah, you can take my money.

Right hand on red.

All right you guys,
we came to play with you.

It's not as much fun inside.

Grown-ups.

Ready, set, go,
left foot blue.

All right,
right foot yellow.

Right hand yellow.

We're out of yellow.

Left foot green,
left foot green.

Left foot green.

There's no room,
i can't move.

Oh, giada's out,
Charlie wins!

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