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I'm Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.
I'm having a party, and you're invited.
Surprise!
Happy birthday.
[ Laughs ]
[ Laughter ]
Let the celebrations begin.
I'm throwing an easy garden party
for the East Hampton Historical Society.
They do incredible work,
and it's really something to celebrate.
I'm making three hors d'oeuvres -- caramelized bacon.
It's a little wacky, but it's really delicious.
Potato-basil frittata.
It's a Barefoot party classic for a reason.
And for real pizzazz, roasted shrimp with green goddess dip.
Then two hors d'oeuvres that are fantastic shortcuts --
smoked chicken with horseradish sauce
and big bowl of delicious marcona almonds and sea salt.
I'm setting up a champagne bar where everyone can mix and match
their own perfect champagne cocktail.
-- Captions by VITAC --
We're gonna do something really special
to celebrate the East Hampton Historical Society.
I think they're amazing.
And I thought a cocktail party would be just great.
Just when people think you're gonna make pigs in blankets
is the time you want to make something really wacky,
like caramelized bacon.
I mean, how good does that sound?
So it starts with a topping.
First, we need 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
I use light brown sugar.
So what this is is roasted bacon,
and it has a topping that's maple, pecans, brown sugar,
and it caramelizes in the oven.
Oh, my God.
It's so good.
Right into the food processor.
1/2 cup of pecans.
What I'm gonna do is just grind them up in the food processor
and then add some spices.
My friend Barbara told me her mother used to make these
for cocktail parties when she was little,
and she would always sit by the kitchen stairs
waiting for one to come her way.
It's very old-fashioned.
So then I'm gonna add 2 teaspoons of salt,
1 teaspoon of pepper.
And I put in 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne.
You want to put just a little bit in,
but it really depends on how hot you want it.
This may be an old-fashioned hors d'oeuvre,
but I'm giving it a little more heat.
And then I'm gonna just pulse it to combine.
And now comes the good part -- maple syrup.
I use Grade-A dark-amber maple syrup.
It's got a really nice, smoky flavor.
But use whatever pure maple syrup you can find.
2 tablespoons.
And that's gonna moisten the whole mixture.
Mmm.
Just think how crazy good this is on bacon,
and it caramelizes in the oven.
Okay, now the bacon. So I've got 1/2 pound of bacon.
I'm just gonna cut it right in half.
I'm using really good applewood-smoked bacon.
I've got a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil,
and I put a baking rack on top.
I cut it in half so it's not such huge pieces.
I kind of like that
this is an old-fashioned American hors d'oeuvre,
considering it's the East Hampton Historical Society.
Okay, now for the topping.
So I've just got a little spoon,
and I'm just gonna place it right on top of the bacon.
And when this bakes, it melts and gets all crusty and crisp.
So just a little bit on each.
So it's got the pecans, maple syrup, brown sugar,
and a little bit of cayenne pepper to give it some heat.
You can bake it a little bit before the party.
It actually sits well at room temperature.
You don't want it too hot.
This is certainly one of the most outrageous hors d'oeuvres
I've ever made.
But I have to say in my experience,
it's one of the most addictive.
So this is gonna go into the oven 375 degrees
for 25 to 30 minutes.
Just keep an eye on it because you don't want it to burn,
and yet you want it to get nice and crisp.
This is gonna be so good.
And while that bakes,
let me tell you a little about the Historical Society.
I think they do such good work.
They're based on the Osborn Jackson House
that was home to six generations of one family.
Isn't that amazing?
I just love Mulford Farm.
It's from 1680,
and the Society's director, Richard Barons',
passion is incredible.
We're getting ready for a 4th-grade class today.
And one of the things we do is teach them antique games
so they sort of know what kids did in the 17th century.
We try to bring in students.
We try to bring in adults.
We do re-enactments of battles for the whole family.
Anything we can do
to get people to appreciate the history of East Hampton.
INA: Their work is amazing,
and that's why I wanted to throw a party to celebrate them
and invite the members over to celebrate their achievements.
The next hors d'oeuvre I'm gonna make is a potato-basil frittata.
I've been making it for so long, since my friend Anna Pump and I
used to do catering back in the day.
Usually frittatas are made for breakfast,
and I make them in a pan,
but Ana taught me to make them in a sheet pan
for hors d'oeuvres.
So it's a very thin, flat frittata,
and I cut it in squares and it's just delicious.
People often ask me for advice about cocktail parties --
all kinds of parties --
and the advice I have is keep it really simple.
I usually serve five or six different hors d'oeuvres.
I try to mix meat, fish, and vegetarian, so I'm covered,
even if one of the guests doesn't eat something.
I make some of them, assemble some of them,
and buy some of them,
and I never try to make everything myself.
I prefer to serve the hors d'oeuvres
at room temperature so I can make them ahead.
And last but not least,
I calculate six to eight hors d'oeuvres per person.
That's a perfect amount for cocktails.
So I'm just gonna finish the potatoes.
I've got three cups of diced potatoes.
I'm just gonna sauté it in four tablespoons of butter.
So it's nice cooking potatoes like this
because they get nice and browned on the outside
and tender inside.
10 or 15 minutes, and they'll be ready.
Next I'm finishing the frittata,
roasting shrimp to go with the divine green goddess dip,
pulling together shortcut hors d'oeuvres
and a fantastic self-serve champagne bar.
I'm doing a cocktail party
in honor of the East Hampton Historical Society.
I think they're amazing, and it's gonna be in the garden.
So the second hors d'oeuvre I'm doing
is a potato-basil frittata.
I'm just gonna wisp 12 eggs together,
then I'm gonna add lots of great things to it.
Okay.
Next is 22 ounces of ricotta.
I always like to buy good homemade ricotta.
It's really creamy.
And then lots of grated Gruyère.
So it's 1 pound, 2 ounces of Gruyère.
It's gonna give it so much nutty flavor.
One stick of melted butter.
And then one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of pepper.
I'm just gonna stir that together.
It's a great hors d'oeuvre
because you really can make it a little bit early,
serve at room temperature, and they're so easy to make.
Instead of making this in a frying pan, as I usually do,
I'm actually gonna make it in a sheet pan.
It comes out very thin, and I'm gonna cut it in squares.
It'll be great for hors d'oeuvres
for the cocktail party.
Makes lots of them.
I need 1 1/4 cups of chopped fresh basil.
This isn't a time for dry basil.
1/2 cup of flour.
Just sprinkle it on top.
And one teaspoon of baking powder.
The flour makes it easier to cut.
Sort of gives it body.
And the baking powder makes it puff up a little bit,
which is nice.
So I'm just gonna fold these guys in.
Make sure the flour is well-distributed
in the baking powder.
We don't want one side puffing up and the other side not.
It's really great.
I can really smell the Gruyère and the basil.
Okay, now I'm gonna put the potatoes in the half sheet pan
that I've greased and floured.
Just spread them out like this.
Okay, and then the frittata mix is just gonna go right on top.
Okay. This is one big mixture.
And just spread it out really evenly.
We want it to bake really evenly.
And so after it comes out of the oven,
we're just gonna cut it into little squares.
And then just pick it up with your fingers.
Make sure it's really level and smooth.
Okay, into the oven.
350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
And it's gonna be puffed and golden-brown and so delicious.
Mmm, I smell caramelized bacon.
I bet it's done.
Oh, this looks amazing.
That's two hors d'oeuvres done.
I'm gonna go pick flours
and set up the champagne bar in the garden.
Instead of having a full bar for the cocktail party,
I thought, "I'm gonna keep it simple."
I'm gonna have champagne
and lots of things people can mix with them.
And also, I'm keeping the table simple.
Got lots of fresh dahlias from my garden.
I've gathered everything for the table.
I'm just gonna start with the flowers.
So one of the things I do with flowers
is I'm gonna make sure that they're in a vase
the way they grow in the garden.
So I always include flowers, and also, I like buds in it.
That's the way they grow.
Looks great.
So I've stripped off some of the leaves.
Just put them all together in a bouquet.
It's good to just look at it and see how it's building.
It's doing okay now.
So you don't want it all the same height.
The way they grow in the garden, they grow at different heights.
And I'm gonna keep it all one color,
which is the simplest way to do an arrangement.
Okay. Almost there.
And then the last thing I do is just cut all the stems
so they're all the same length.
Just like that.
And if I'm lucky, it's the right vase.
And I have to tell you, I'm not always lucky.
But I think that looks like a garden party.
How's that? All ready for the table.
Okay, so what I'm gonna do is a simple box cloth
so that it takes up all the extra fabric here.
So what you do is you put your finger on this corner,
and you pull this side up just like that,
and then you come around and just smooth the whole thing.
Just get it so it's really flat.
Took me a few times to figure this out.
All right, it took me many times to figure this out.
And then just pull it straight back.
Pull this corner to make sure it doesn't move.
And then you've got a simple box cloth just like that.
Well, it's a garden party.
I thought a nice flowery cloth would be appropriate.
So I'm just gonna -- I got a square.
I'm just gonna put it on a diagonal.
Looks a little jauntier, a little less formal.
It's pretty.
Big ceramic bowl for ice and champagne for later.
Perfect.
So what I'm gonna do
is ask everybody to have a glass of champagne
and then to add something wonderful to it.
So cassis to make kir royale...
...framboise to make kir imperial...
...and brandy and a sugar cube
makes a classic champagne cocktail.
It's kind of like ice-cream sundaes but with cocktails.
Okay, I think I'll put the flowers right here,
and then later, I've got juices in addition to the liqueurs.
I've got pomegranate juice and blood-orange juice
and some fruit that people can put into their drinks.
It's gonna be really good.
So I like the glasses in a bit of a triangle.
So there are six in the back
and there are five in front -- four, three.
You can keep going, but this is perfect for here.
I'm also serving sparkling water,
so if anybody wants to mix juices and waters,
and it's all gonna go in a champagne glass.
So all that's left to do before the party is the fruit,
the juices, the sugar cubes, and of course, champagne on ice.
Coming up, my ideas for cocktail-party invitations,
delicious roasted shrimp with green goddess dip,
and fabulous no-cook hors d'oeuvres.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Everybody expects shrimp cocktail
at a cocktail party, right?
I'm gonna do roasted shrimp with green goddess dressing.
So much better.
So I'm gonna start with two pounds of shrimp,
and I've actually asked the seafood shop
to clean and de-vein them and just leave the tails on.
It's a nice, little handle.
I'm just gonna put them on a sheet pan.
So simply olive oil, salt, and pepper.
So shrimp very often are called all kinds of things --
jumbo, tiny -- I don't know, they have all kinds of --
in the grocery store, jumbo's like this big,
and in the seafood shop, jumbo's like that big.
The only way to really know is to order it by the count.
So what I have here is two pounds -- 14 to 16 count,
which means each pound has 14 to 16 shrimp in it.
So that's olive oil, lots of salt to give it flavor.
So instead of boiling it,
which kind of gets the flavor out of it, I roast it.
So that adds flavor to it,
instead of having all the flavor of the shrimp
in the boiling water.
Trust me. People go nuts over this.
Such a simple change, but it's really good.
Okay, into the oven, 400 degrees,
for about 8 minutes until it's just done.
So next, I'm gonna get the ingredients
for green goddess dressing,
but in the meantime, let's talk invitations.
This is what I do.
If it's a party for a crowd or a special occasion,
like a cocktail party, I always mail invitations.
It's kind of old-fashioned but really gracious,
and I think it makes it more special.
When I write the invitation,
I always say exactly what the event's for so everybody knows.
Always ask for an RSVP.
You really need to know how many people are coming.
And for cocktails,
an invitation should have a beginning and an end time,
say 6:00 to 8:00.
Okay, I need lots of things for green goddess dressing.
So the first thing is a cup of mayonnaise.
It's all gonna go in the food processor, so it's really easy.
And the good news is you can make it way in advance.
So, cup of mayonnaise.
One cup of chopped scallions.
Green goddess dressing
was actually invented at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco,
and it was a nod to the successful play of the moment,
which was called "The Green Goddess."
It was originally made with tarragon,
but I decided I'd update it a little bit
and make it with scallions and basil.
I think it's a little better.
So one cup of chopped scallions.
One cup of basil.
Just leaves.
That's a big cup of basil.
So I would say just like that.
Okay, 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice.
Like that kind of edge that lemon just gives it.
Two cloves of garlic.
Two teaspoons of anchovy paste.
I want this to have great flavor.
That should be about right.
Okay, next, two teaspoons of salt.
Green goddess dressing
is usually used as a dressing over lettuce,
but it's also great as a dip.
And one teaspoon of pepper.
Okay, now I'm just gonna puree it...get it nice and smooth.
It's gonna turn a beautiful pale-green color.
Okay, and last, one cup of sour cream.
Just put it right in.
I don't know what people used to do
before they had food processors.
Just mix it in.
That's it.
I'm just gonna put it in a little bowl
so it's ready for the party.
And the nice thing is you can make it way in advance.
It only gets better.
So, we've got the green goddess sauce,
and the shrimp should be ready.
Okay, right onto the platter.
So I've got two things going on the platter
that are great with the green goddess sauce.
One is the roasted shrimp, and the other is celery sticks.
I think everybody's gonna love them.
And happily today,
we have the most gorgeous day for a garden party.
I always worry if I have enough shrimp
'cause everybody loves these.
Okay, great.
And then to go with it,
I love celery and green goddess dip together.
So I thought it would be fantastic.
And the nice thing about celery is you can cut it in advance,
put it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator
with a little bit of ice, and it stays really crisp.
So I'm just gonna do celery sticks on the sides
so people can have shrimp and celery
and dip it in the green goddess dressing.
Fantastic.
Just got to make sure it's okay.
Mmm, that works.
Coming up, I've got some easy appetizers,
some last-minute prep, and then it's party time.
Champagne cocktails, anyone?
I'm doing a little cocktail party
in celebration of the East Hampton Historical Society.
They do an amazing job preserving old buildings here.
So the frittata's done.
I'm gonna let that cool,
and then I'm gonna cut it in squares.
In the meantime,
I'm gonna get everything else ready for the party.
First, the caramelized bacon.
It's so crisp, sweet, and spicy at the same time.
Just goes onto a round platter.
Next the frittata.
I'm just gonna cut it in small squares
and put it on a clean, white platter
with a little fresh basil in the middle.
I never make everything at a cocktail party.
I always have a few things that are store-bought.
Big bowl of marcona almonds.
No cooking at all.
Just a little sea salt on top.
And then store-bought smoked chicken breast.
I just slice them, place them beautifully on a silver platter
lined with hydrangea leaves,
and then I'll put two containers of horseradish dip into a bowl
to serve with the smoked chicken.
So that's the food done.
And now it's back outside
with the finishing touches to the table.
So just the last few things to put on the table --
the almonds and the chicken.
Then for the champagne cocktail bar,
strawberries, fresh raspberries, and sugar cubes.
And fruit-juice mixers and some bubbly water
'cause I always like to have something
for people that don't want to drink.
And finally the champagne.
I think I'll put my friend Frank in charge of popping the corks.
So that's it. Champagne's all chilled.
Everybody's gonna mix their own drinks.
And I think I'll ask some of the guests to serve hors d'oeuvres.
That way they get really involved.
I'm ready for a party.
Perfect timing.
How are you? [ Laughs ]
How about you, Barbara?
What would you like?
Casey? [ Laughs ]
Excellent.
Nothing like champagne to get you in the mood.
WOMAN: What would you like? Pomegranate.
Oh, I love pomegranate.
I like it.
They're just wonderful.
MAN: Sounds fantastic.
Isn't that good?
Thank you very much.
I think it's time for a little food.
Laura, Isabel, can I enlist you to serve?
Absolutely.
So it's potato-basil frittata.
Potato-basil frittata.
That's a tongue twister. You come with me.
I've got another one for you.
[ Laughs ]
And this is roasted shrimp with green goddess dressing.
Beautiful. Oh, boy.
How's that? Can you handle this?
Look at this.
Shrimp with green goddess dressing.
Oh, thank you so much.
These look amazing.
Oh, my. Thank you.
They look totally delicious.
Can I top you off?
Can I offer you caramelized bacon
for the wackiest hors d'oeuvre you've ever had?
But hopefully one of the best.
Bacon. Isn't that wild?
Wow, what is this?
Caramelized bacon.
You've got to be kidding.
I love to find new ways to eat bacon.
[ Laughs ]
We need more. We need more.
Everything tastes better with bacon.
I like that motto.
[ Laughter ]
Thank you.
[ Chuckles ]
Have fun. Bye.
Thank you, Richard.
It's all because of you. [ Chuckles ]
Bye.
Well, that was really fun.
And it's 8:00 and I've done everything I needed to do today.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.