Lawson: Courtesy Photo. Garten: Patrick McMullan/Getty Images.
Nigella Lawson Always Keeps Frozen Broccoli on Hand for This Ultra-Creamy Soup
The #1 Mistake You’re Making When Hosting a Dinner Party
You’re spendingtoo much time cooking. “The host needs to be a part of the party,” says Garten, and Nigella advises, “The mixture of people is most important. If the best thing you can talk about is the food, it’s not a good evening. You want the food to be lovely, but it’s there for everything else.”
Lawson and Garten, who both got into the food media business at least in part because they love a good dinner party, suggest that you not aim to impress with the meal, but keep it simple and cook what you want to eat. And keep the courses to a minimum so you’re not up and down clearing and resetting the table and cleaning all night long. “I hate clearing the table,” says Ina, who likes to keep her dinner parties to just one course—the main course. She’ll allow an additional course, like aneasy saladora cheeseordessert course, though.
“Doing the dishes is harder than cooking,” Lawson says, and “the things that won’t go in the dishwasher can wait. I can go to bed with a messy kitchen. I’m a great soaker of things.” So, don’t just cut down on the complexity of what you’re cooking and the courses, but cut yourself some slack too and enjoy the time with your guests.
5+ Other Things That Caught Our Attention
1. Lawson & Garten’s perfect day, respectively
2. The go-to dish they have in common
Coincidentally, both Lawson and Garten have the same go-to dish that they turn to when they need a simple and satisfying dinner: chicken in a pot.Garten’s versionuses dill and saffron, whereasLawson useschile flakes, tarragon and lemon. Both use orzo that cooksin the same potwith the chicken. “Everything should be spritzed with chicken fat,” says Lawson.
3. Lawson & Garten’s all-time favorite desserts
Lawson loves plain cakes, too, or what she calls “cut-and-come-again cakes,” rather than flamboyant cakes. “I like quiet, comforting cakes with simple flavors like lemon zest and vanilla.” As you might know if you have her bookFeast, her absolute favorite cake in this style is lemon meringue.
4. A disagreement over Thanksgiving spreads
5+ other tidbits
Here are few more things that came up in the conversation that we thought you’d like to know:
And if you’re wondering if the dynamic duo will ever be appearing on stage together again, there’s a good chance the answer is yes. After Garten confirmed to the audience that it was their first time meeting in person, Lawson chimed in with, “You’re stuck with me for life.” Us too!
24 Ina Garten Recipes We Can’t Stop Making
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Tell us why!
