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Barefoot Contessa sticks to simple and delicious

By Kim Davaz

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, has to be one of the happiest cooks on the Food Network. She’s never without a smile or a laugh. What’s not to be happy about? She lives in a gorgeous house - which always appears to be surrounded by blooming hydrangeas - she has a never-ending supply of elegantly understated, pressed outfits, her handsome and talented friends drop by with flowers and carry home food, and her husband is as delighted with her as she is with him. Life is good.

Garten has been writing cookbooks for years, and her latest is “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.” In the introduction, she explains her philosophy that recipes should be fairly simple, often able to be made ahead of time, and make the house smell good. Excellent flavor is essential. She looked at old favorites and tweaked them to meet her standards.

Her caveats for cooking are to cook seasonally and cook for flavor. Taste as you cook to make sure you’ve got it right.

Most important is to start with the highest quality ingredients and remember when planning a menu that the elements of the meal should complement but not overwhelm each other. When you combine a delicious meal with a lovely table and the best of guests, to quote Garten, “How bad could that be?”

Garten’s recipes begin with cocktail hour, then on to soup, lunch, dinner, vegetables, dessert and finally breakfast.

At the beginning of each chapter, Garten gives tips on how to entertain. She explains how to arrange flowers, gives a list of what not to serve at a dinner party, instructs on proper table-setting, suggests 10 desserts that require no cooking at all and gives baking tips.

Garten ends the book with a few pages of questions and answers, a list of resources and some menu suggestions.

This cookbook has the same look as her others: gorgeous color photos of food, her home and guests; the recipe type is on the larger side; and there’s plenty of white space around the recipes for adding notes.

“Back to Basics” would be a good wedding gift or a present for someone who anticipates entertaining on a grown-up level. The recipes are a bit dressy but not crazily so. It’s food that requires some level of ease in a fairly well-equipped kitchen.

Parmesan & Thyme Crackers from “Cocktail Hour” are savory shortbreads. She says to serve them with white wine or Champagne, though the photo shows them with red wine. I can’t imagine what they wouldn’t go with, from a mixed drink to a big glass of iced tea.

The dough may be frozen for up to 6 months then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before baking. She says to rotate the pan once during baking. That’s important if your oven has hot spots. If you notice the crackers browning more on one side of the pan than on another, then rotate away. If your oven cooks evenly, don’t bother to move the pan.

Parmesan & Thyme Crackers

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 ounces, freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, add the Parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper and combine. With the mixer still on low. add the flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about 1 minute. If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon water.

Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball, and roll into a 9-inch log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for alt least 30 minutes or up to 4 days.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the log into 1/8-inch-thick rounds with a small, sharp knife and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 22 minutes, until very lightly browned. Rotate the pan once during baking. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Kim Davaz writes a biweekly cookbook review column for The Register-Guard.