Her first book, “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” published in 1999, is a culinary time capsule, preserving the recipes from Barefoot Contessa, the food store she ran in the Hamptons from 1978 to 1996, when the neighborhood was still a place to escape urban hassles like parking tickets and dress codes. Paul McCartney or Annie Leibovitz might stop to pick up sandwiches on the way to the beach, or post-aerobics class for iced coffee and banana crunch muffins.
Thanksgiving ›
Grocery Checklist
Some items on the Thanksgiving shopping list are obvious, but there are several other ingredients that will prove invaluable to have on hand. See our full guide on How To Cook and Plan Thanksgiving and our list of staples below.
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- Butter, lots of it. Choose European-style high-fat butter for pie crusts, and regular unsalted butter for everything else.
- Stock. If you haven’t made your own, look for homemade stock at the same butcher shop where you buy your turkey, or in the freezer section of your supermarket. The canned and boxed stuff should be a last resort.
- Fresh herbs. Not only do they add freshness and flavor across your Thanksgiving table, but they’re also pretty, lending a touch of green to a meal heavy on earth tones.
- Garlic, onions, leeks, fresh ginger, shallots. An assortment of aromatics keeps your cooking lively and interesting. You’ll need them for the stuffing, for stock and gravy, and for many side dishes.
- Fresh citrus. Lemon, lime and orange juice and zest contribute brightness to countless Thanksgiving dishes, from the turkey to the gravy to the cranberry sauce to the whipped cream for pie.
- Nuts. These go a long way to give crunch to otherwise texturally boring dishes. (Ahem, sweet potato casserole.)
- White wine/vermouth/beer. Even if you’re not drinking any of these spirits before or during the meal, they can be splashed into gravy or vegetable dishes, or used to deglaze the turkey roasting pan. (Bourbon and brandy work well as deglazers, too.)
- Fresh spices. If you can’t remember when you bought your spices, now is a good time to replace them.
- Light brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup. These sweeteners are more profoundly flavored than white sugar, and they have an autumnal richness.
- Heavy cream, sour cream, crème fraîche, ice cream. You’ll need these for topping pies and cakes.
- Please, wear a mask. It protects both yourself and others from coronavirus, and aim to maintain several feet of distance from other shoppers in stores whenever possible. If you opt for grocery delivery, tip as generously as you can.
- See all of our Thanksgiving recipes.
“Turkey meatloaf, barbecued chicken and orzo with roasted vegetables, and coconut cupcakes,” said Antonia Bellanca, who owned a flower shop a few doors down in East Hampton and worked on many of the same parties that Ms. Garten catered. “I still wish that I could stop there every Friday night and buy food that I know everyone will like.”
Ms. Garten arrived there from the Jimmy Carter White House, where she was an analyst in the Office of Management and Budget (and one of only two women in her department). She had cooked her way through Julia Child’s first two books as a budding political hostess while Mr. Garten worked at the State Department, and was ready for a second career; Mr. Garten went to work on Wall Street. Her decision not to have children, rare for a young woman back then, freed up a lot of time for work in her 30s and 40s; she was 51 when her first book was published.
As a caterer, she built a reputation as a reliable perfectionist, and in its heyday, Barefoot Contessa helped define “the Hamptons” to the world outside, made it an international destination and established a style of beachy, casual luxury that persists there today (at a much higher price point).
When she and Jeffrey went into lockdown in March, the work did not stop. In addition to becoming her own social media manager, she has taken over production of her new show, “The Best of Barefoot Comfort,” acting as her own hair and makeup team, camerawoman, director, audio tech and food stylist.
