I have a slight obsession with Ina Garten. This woman has impeccable taste. She is the hostess with the mostest. She manages to be both elegant but understated at the same time. Her kitchen has everything a cook could ask for but is not pretentious. Her entertaining style is flawless but not showy. Her food is always classic comfort food that is elevated to the next level. As a cook, and a woman, it’s hard to watch her show without envying her. After following her show for years, I think I have her day down to a tee now (at least the day I picture her having).
Here's how I imagine it: she wakes up, freshly squeezes some oranges, to go with granola she made the night before. After breakfast, she stops by at the farmers market and the fish market to do her shopping for the day. Afterwards, she stops by at her good friend the florist to pick up some fresh flowers. She heads back home, makes lobster rolls with the fresh lobster she got from the fish market, and the next thing you know her awesome neighbors are at the door. They set up an amazing table, and have a great lunch with some laughs. And then she decides to whip up an amazing afternoon dessert, and her girlfriends show up and they hang out on the porch. Then it’s time to start preparing dinner for Jeffrey. Oh how cute are her and Jeffrey! First they have an amazing cocktail outside, followed by Jeffrey’s favorite – Ina’s roast chicken, or they grill some steaks on the BBQ. They end the night with having dessert and wine by the fireplace. Occasionally, she will have friends come over for dinner too, and she’ll put together a great party without breaking a sweat. Something really simple but fun and everyone has a great time.
Growing up, my mother was one of those people that always had something homemade in the house for guests, even if people were just dropping by to say hello. I would get really excited when my parents had a dinner party, and would always ask my mom if I could be in charge of one appetizer. When I got my own place during college, I would always invite my friends over for meals. I’ve always hoped that whenever people stopped by my apartment, they would be greeted with something homemade. Living in New York, it is very hard to have that concept of people stopping by at your place to hang out. Apartments are small, all my friends are scattered around different neighborhoods, and we always make specific plans in advance to meet at a restaurant.
This all changed late October, when something devastating happened to New Yorkers. Hurricane Sandy caused havoc on lower Manhattan, and a lot of my friends were left without electricity and hot water. I had the pleasure of hosting a few of them at my apartment, and without any restaurants open to order or dine in, we were pretty much stuck at home. Of course to try to turn the disaster into gold and to cheer my friends up a bit; I decided to use the food at my overly stocked fridge to make great dinners for us. There were short ribs one night, chicken Milanese with pesto pasta on another, and lasagna for the last. Learning from Ina, I also wanted to have something for people to munch on during the day between meals. I thought what could be easy to make, and will also stay fresh for a few days…and then I turned to Ina and found my answer…Bars! You can leave some out on the table and put the rest in the fridge for the next day, and they will keep fresh for a while. You can precut them into individual servings so no one has to deal with the mess. They are just the perfect convenient snack to have lying around.
When I was looking for something to make when I go home for the holidays, I immediately thought of bars again. I thought pecans are relevant for the season, and peanut butter and jelly bars replace the PB&J sandwiches that I usually make. Make these this weekend, and just leave them around the house, and watch them disappear.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars (Adapted from Ina Garten)
I used a combination of chunky and smooth peanut butter instead of just smooth like Ina suggests to give it more texture. I increased the amount of the jelly; and used a combination of red raspberry and black raspberry. I also omitted the chopped peanuts as I wanted these to melt in your mouth. Finally, I baked these in a square pan, rather than the suggested rectangular as I wanted them to be taller.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter, 1 cup chunky peanut butter (both Smucker’s)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups raspberry jam (I used 1 cup red raspberry, 1 cup black raspberry, St. Dalfour brand)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9 inch square baking pan. Butter the pan, line it with parchment paper so that it only comes up to the sides of the pan. You should use one to line it horizontally, and another one to line it vertically. Then butter and flour the parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom and press into the pan with your fingers. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown and a tester inserted comes out clean of the dough (it should only be covered with the jam). Cool and cut into squares.
Pecan Squares (Adapted from Ina Garten)
I didn’t dip them into the chocolate as suggested. Even though I’m a fan of chocolate, I think it would be too much combined with the sugary bars, as I was only looking for a snack. I omitted the orange and lemon zest to keep the flavors simpler. I also again baked them in a square pan instead of the baking sheet as Ina suggested. She uses an ungreased pan, but I foiled the whole thing since I wanted them to be removed off the pan easily. I more than halved the recipe as I didn’t need a whole tray of them. I also read some comments that the shortbread crust was a little bland, so I changed the sugar to brown sugar and increased the amount.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup good honey
- 1.5 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Butter the foil generously.
- Beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough with your fingers into the baking pan. It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Cool slightly until you get the topping ready.
- For the topping, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.
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