Ann Patchett

Summary

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Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Guest: Ann Patchett
Original Air Date: October 27, 2024
Host: Ina Garten
Episode Summary by Podcast Summarizer

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Overview: A Day of Stories, Insights & Shared Plates with Ann Patchett

In this delightful episode, Ina Garten welcomes acclaimed author and beloved independent bookstore owner Ann Patchett to her East Hampton barn for a celebration of friendship, storytelling, and inspired cooking. Over homemade cherry clafouti and a collaborative riff on the iconic Charlie Bird salad, the two women share reflections on creativity, forging unconventional lives, and the joys of good food. The episode flows seamlessly between intimate conversation and practical kitchen wisdom, peppered with laughter, honest moments, and a mutual admiration that sets a warm, inviting tone throughout.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Cherry Clafouti for Tom Lake

00:13–06:08

• Ina introduces Ann by preparing cherry clafouti, inspired by Patchett’s latest novel, Tom Lake, which is set in a cherry orchard (01:44).
• Ina demonstrates her easy blender method for the dessert, sharing tips (“How easy is this? Right?” — 03:10) and the clever cheat of using melted vanilla ice cream as crème anglaise (05:16).
• Ann arrives, charmed by Ina’s kitchen (“I am the luckiest novelist in the country going into the inner sanctum of cookbooks.” — Ann, 05:47) and delighted by the dessert, marveling at its tenderness and “gentle” flavor (07:02).

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2. On Choosing Not to Have Children & Living Authentically

07:12–08:36

• Ina and Ann bond over their decision not to have children.
  • Ina: “I like that we didn’t do things because we were supposed to do them. We did them because we chose them. And that really… is what feminism is about.” (07:47)
• Ann confides that Catholic nuns were her childhood role models—independent women choosing their own path (“Original career women…the women who decided not to have children, not to get married and to do what they wanted to do.” — 08:03).
• Both reflect on seeing their work as a calling, deeply influenced by these strong female figures.

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3. The Writing Process: Imagination, Research, and the “Ping”

11:32–14:37

• Ann describes her process of carrying stories in her head for years before writing (“I think about a story, maybe for a year, maybe for three years… always thinking, I wonder what she would be doing now…” — 11:38).
• Ina compares this to recipe development, both agreeing on the concept of a creative “ping” that signals when something is right (“I can hear it. Hear that ping. I can hear the ping.” — Ann, 13:11).
• Ann relishes research, from learning about cherries and evolutionary biology for her characters, to shadowing a malarialist at Bethesda Naval Hospital (“People want to be asked questions…they just wanted somebody to talk about mosquitoes all day.” — 14:08).

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4. Owning a Bookstore: Unexpected Joys & Business as Creativity

14:37–15:49

• Ann shares the surprise and pleasure she’s found in the business side of Parnassus Books in Nashville (“I had no idea how interested I would be in business.” — 14:51).
• Her goal as an owner: “to make a place where people loved to work. Because I thought, if that’s there, everything else will work.” (15:01)
• Ina echoes her experience finding creativity in business and the joy of building a team.

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5. Advice for Writers & Gourmet Adventures

15:43–17:49

• Ann’s advice to young authors: “You need to write because you love it, because you don’t have any idea what else you could possibly do but write.” (15:49)
• Reflects on her nontraditional assignments for Gourmet magazine, including a revealing trip to the Bel Air Hotel where, as a single woman, she wasn’t welcomed (“They were horrible to me because I was a single woman alone.” — 17:00).

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6. Early Reading Struggles & the Teacher Who Changed Her Life

17:50–19:22

• Ann reveals she was a “brilliant little faker” who struggled to read as a child due to frequent moves.
• A stern yet devoted nun, Sister Nina, stepped in and taught Ann to read, a transformative experience (“She saved my life. I would have nothing if not for [her].” — 19:20). They’re still in touch, and Ann sees her as a lifelong inspiration.

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7. Cooking Together: Charlie Bird Salad & Whole Roasted Cauliflower

19:34–23:05

• Ina and Ann joyfully walk through preparing the Charlie Bird farro salad, exchanging practical advice:
  • On cooking farro, Ina instructs, “You have to cook it just until it’s al dente so it has a little bite…” (21:08).
  • Ann is enthralled by Ina’s salad wisdom (“This is why I am on the show—to learn.” — 21:15).
• Ann shares her spin: a roasted cauliflower inspired by Israeli chef Eyal Shani, describing how to boil “your cruciferous vegetable… up to the cauliflower’s shoulders” before roasting (21:50).
• The chemistry between the two women shines as they joke about anthropomorphizing cauliflower and the importance of texture and freshness, especially mint (“Well, you mint, you can’t grow it in the garden. You have to grow it in a pot. Otherwise it takes over the whole garden.” — Ina, 23:22).

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8. The Art and Science of Jammy Eggs

24:00–24:15

• Ina demystifies the now-trendy “jammy egg,” explaining it’s simply a soft-boiled egg with a rebranded name, giving clear instructions for perfect results (“Six and a half minutes. Do you have a watch? I do.” — 24:36).

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9. A Shared Meal & Comfort Food

26:04–28:39

• They assemble their salads, Ann slicing her “cauliflower steak” on top while Ina adds her eggs, a drizzle of lemon, and flaky salt.
• As they carry lunch into the garden, Ann admits her replenishing go-to is “salad in a blender” (“I take spinach, kale, carrots, celery, cucumber, always an apple and a lemon, and I stick it all in the blender… and I drink it.” — 28:13), while Ina professes her eternal love for ice cream.
• Both enjoy the fruits of their labor, reveling in the simple pleasure of good company and good food.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ann Patchett on feminism and role models:
  “You know who my role models were when I was growing up? Nuns.” (07:55)
• On creative process:
  “For me, it is almost tonal… when I’ve written, especially the end of a book… I can hear that ping.” — Ann (12:55)
  “That ping in my head that says, that’s what I was looking for.” — Ina (12:44)
• On research:
  “This is the best part of my job—that I get to say: I want to write about someone who’s an opera singer. Therefore, I am going to learn about opera.” — Ann (13:24)
• On the business of books:
  “I wanted to make a place where people loved to work. Because I thought, if that’s there, everything else will work.” — Ann (15:01)
• On finding her calling:
  “I really saw my work as a calling because that’s the way they talked about it. You’re going to be a writer…that’s your calling. And you’ve got to follow that.” — Ann (08:25)
• On comfort food:
  “Mine’s ice cream. Well, no, I mean, yours is blender vegetables. It’s not food, you know, it’s nourishment.” — Ina (28:39)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:15 — Show begins; Ina introduces Ann Patchett and cherry clafouti
• 06:11 — Ann arrives; warm greetings and dessert tasting
• 07:12 — Discussion: Choosing not to have children; role models and feminism
• 11:32 — The writing process: pre-writing, research, and intuition
• 14:37 — Owning a bookstore and lessons in business
• 15:49 — Advice to young writers; Gourmet magazine assignments and adventures
• 17:50 — Early struggles with reading; Sister Nina’s pivotal role
• 19:34 — Cooking segment: Charlie Bird salad and roasted cauliflower
• 24:00 — Jammy eggs: history and technique
• 26:04 — Assembling and tasting their lunch; comfort food rituals

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Tone & Atmosphere

The tone is candid, playful, and full of mutual admiration. Ann’s humor and reflectiveness match perfectly with Ina’s warmth and practical wisdom, making the episode feel like an intimate gathering between friends—generous, inspiring, and delicious.

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Summary prepared by Podcast Summarizer – perfect for those who haven’t listened, but want all the flavor of Ina and Ann’s memorable day together.

Transcript

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[Ina Garten]

I'm Ina Garten. I love to invite interesting people to my house for good food, great conversation and lots of fun. The incredible bestselling award winning author and bookstore owner Ann Patchett is joining joining me for a fabulous day at the barn.

[Ann Patchett]

It happens to chefs and it happens to movie stars, but it doesn't happen to novelists.

[Ina Garten]

I'm welcoming her with Cherry Clafouti which is inspired by her latest bestselling novel, Tom Lake. We're talking about the secret to her success.

[Ann Patchett]

I think about a story for three.

[Ina Garten]

Years and some childhood revelations.

[Ann Patchett]

We just didn't go to school all the time.

[Ina Garten]

We're cooking together. We're we're making a recipe we both love. Charlie Bird Salad. Then she's showing me the whole roasted cauliflower she serves with it.

[Ann Patchett]

It's like a work of art and.

[Ina Garten]

In return I'm showing her the secret to making my jammy eggs. Two great ideas for a perfect lunch. Anne, I'm so glad you're here.

[Ann Patchett]

I'm so glad I'm here.

[Ina Garten]

I love this. Ann Patchett is major bestselling author. She's won all kinds of awards. And she has a wonderful bookstore in Nashville. Her latest book is called Tom Lake and it takes place in a cherry orchard. And I thought, wouldn't it be great to make her something with cherries? So I'm making a cherry clafouti. It's a classic country French dessert. I'm making it in a baking dish that I've buttered and sugared. Put the cherries in and then we're gonna add some orange liqueur. Just kind of sprinkle the orange liqueur over and it gets absorbed by the cherries. Okay, next I'm gonna make the custard. So first gonna add a third of a cup of sugar. I love this dessert because it's so easy. You make the whole thing in a blender. One and a half cups of heavy cream, three whole eggs. I use extra large eggs. I combined flour, 6 tablespoons of flour, some baking powder and salt. That goes in. I mean, how easy is this? Right? Two teaspoons of vanilla. So now what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna put the lid on and I'm just gonna blend it for a full minute until it's like really thick and frothy. And then I'm gonna pour it over the cherries and bake it. So while I do that, let me tell you about my fabulous guest. Ann Patchett is an award winning novelist and bookstore owner. Born in California, Anne moved to Nashville when she was six years old after her parents divorced. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College where she published her first story in the Paris Review. Ann went on to write for numerous major magazines and newspapers. Anne's nine best selling novels have been translated into more than 30 languages. She has won so many prestigious awards, including the Orange Prize for fiction, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and she is a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. In 2021, President Biden awarded Anne the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. It's no wonder that Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world. In 2011, Anne and her partner, Karen Hayes opened Parnassus Books, a wonderful independent bookstore in her hometown, Nashville, where Ann lives with her husband Carl and her dog Sparky. I just can't wait to talk to Ann. So now I'm just gonna pour this right over the cherries. You see, it's really thick. And I mean, is this the easiest dessert in the world? Just so wonderful. Okay, that's it. So into the oven, 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Then I take it out and let it cool for 20 minutes, just until it sets. This is totally my kind of dessert. And I thought it'd be really nice to have just a little bit of powdered sugar dusted on top. It's cooled, it's set. Now, how good does that look?

[Ann Patchett]

Here we go. We're going to Ina's now. It's gonna be beautiful. Very excited.

[Ina Garten]

And now I'm gonna show you the easiest creme anglaise sauce you'll ever make in your life. So I've got a pitcher. I've got a pint of vanilla ice cream. And all I'm just gonna do is whisk it. So vanilla ice cream is creme anglaise that's been frozen. So I thought if you just defrost it, you'll have Carmen glaze. And you do. And I just thought it would really kind of elevate the clafouti. Perfect. And I am so ready for Anne. I can't wait to see her.

[Ann Patchett]

Oh, my gosh. Gorgeous day. Gorgeous hedges. I am the luckiest novelist in the country going into the inner sanctum of cookbooks. Ina.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, my God.

[Ann Patchett]

You'Re here.

[Ina Garten]

I've been thinking about this for so long. Oh, my gosh.

[Ann Patchett]

Thank you for coming.

[Ina Garten]

You too.

[Ann Patchett]

Really, I'm so excited.

[Ina Garten]

Thank you. I made something special for you. What?

[Ryan Reynolds]

What?

[Ina Garten]

What? So I made a cherry clafouti after your wonderful book, Tom Lake. Thank you. That takes place in a cherry orchard.

[Ann Patchett]

And I love cherries.

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[Ina Garten]

Oh, excellent.

[Ann Patchett]

I adore them.

[Ina Garten]

So I'm just gonna do a little puddle creme anglaise and a big dollop of cherry clafouti.

[Ann Patchett]

Oh, that's gorgeous. Now, are the cherries fresh or are they dried?

[Ina Garten]

They're frozen, actually, which is just great. Cause they're picked at the peak of their performance, and they're just delicious. It's not bad, is it? Wait, wait, wait.

[Ann Patchett]

I'm the novelist. It's not bad.

[Ina Garten]

It's not bad. Oh, good.

[Ann Patchett]

That is brilliant. It's so tender. It's like a pancake. It's a gentle little dessert.

[Ina Garten]

Thank you. You and I have something in common that I think is really interesting. We don't have children. I mean, you have Sparky, which I don't. I don't even have a gerbil.

[Ann Patchett]

But really, this is very important. I understand that Sparky is not my.

[Ina Garten]

Child, which a lot of people don't about their dogs. Did you do it deliberately?

[Ann Patchett]

Never wanted a child.

[Ina Garten]

No. Me too.

[Ann Patchett]

I mean, from the get go. In fact, I always used to say if I saw somebody walking down the street with a baby stroller, I'd cross. And if I saw somebody walking down the street with a puppy, I was like, poppy, Poppy.

[Ina Garten]

I like that we didn't do things because we were supposed to do them. We did them because we chose them. And that really, to me is what feminism is about.

[Ann Patchett]

You know who my role models were when I was growing up? Nuns.

[Ina Garten]

Nuns.

[Ann Patchett]

I went to a Catholic girls school for 12 years.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah.

[Ann Patchett]

And think about it. These were the original career women. The women who decided not to have children, not to get married and to do what they wanted to do.

[Ina Garten]

How interesting is that? Which is good work. Yeah, right.

[Ann Patchett]

And their families were not thrilled that they were going into the convent, but they did what they needed to do.

[Ina Garten]

How interesting is that?

[Ann Patchett]

And I really saw my work as a calling because that's the way they talked about it. You're going to be a writer, you're going to be a famous cookbook author and chef. That's your calling. And you've got to follow that.

[Ina Garten]

I feel like I fell into that, but I'm so grateful I did.

[Ann Patchett]

May I carry your clafouti to the table?

[Ina Garten]

Oh, you may. And I'll carry your coffee. How's that?

[Ann Patchett]

Perfect.

[Ina Garten]

Ok, let's go. Coming up. Conversation.

[Ann Patchett]

I was a brilliant little faker.

[Ina Garten]

And cooking. Making an amazing salad inspired by the Farro salad we both love at Charlie Bird restaurant in Manhattan and served with Anne's whole roasted cauliflower. I love when we think of cauliflower as a person.

[Ann Patchett]

I do, don't you? Yeah.

[Ina Garten]

And my jammy eggs.

[Ann Patchett]

When was the jammy egg as a concept invented?

[Ina Garten]

I think I got a publicist about two years ago.

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ann Patchett]

Not this onion I'm chopping.

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[Ina Garten]

I'm here with a best selling author, Ann Patchett, and I can't wait to talk to you about so many things.

[Ann Patchett]

So thrilled just to be sitting across the table and staring at your beautiful face.

[Ina Garten]

Thank you.

[Ann Patchett]

So wonderful.

[Ina Garten]

As am I. Thank you. So the first thing, how do you prepare to write an entire novel?

[Ann Patchett]

The way I do it is I do it in my head and I think about a story, maybe for a year, maybe for three years. And whenever I am driving or cooking or just living my life, I'm always thinking, I wonder what she would be doing now. I wonder, what if it went that way? What if they lived in Connecticut? I'm constantly thinking and then I finally get to the point where it's organized in my mind and then I write. But it's got to be like coming up with a recipe, right? Oh, I mean, like you start.

[Ina Garten]

Let's not compare what you do with what I.

[Ann Patchett]

Seriously, you start off with an idea and then by actually doing it, you must tweak and change.

[Ina Garten]

Well, each recipe actually, I think, comes from something specific, a memory. Or wouldn't it be interesting if the gorgonzola had something extra in it? Or a hamburger with onions, but maybe it'll have the balsamic vinegar. It starts with an idea and then I'm just trying to get to the idea of the flavor and the texture. And then I keep doing it until I hit that little ping in my head that says, that's what I was looking for.

[Ann Patchett]

Interesting that you say the little ping in your head.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah.

[Ann Patchett]

Because for me, it is almost tonal. I'm not musical. Are you musical?

[Ina Garten]

No, not at all.

[Ann Patchett]

Okay, not at all. And yet it is like a sound. And I know when I've written, especially the end of a book, and I will write it and think, well, that's not quite right. And then I'll write a scene and I'll think, I can hear it. Hear that ping. I can hear the ping.

[Ina Garten]

Isn't that great that we both have that same thing?

[Ann Patchett]

The ping. The same ping.

[Ina Garten]

Amazing. Do you research the worlds that your books are set in before you start?

[Ann Patchett]

It is the best part of my job.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, really?

[Ann Patchett]

That I get to say I want to write about someone who's an opera singer. Therefore, I am going to learn about opera.

[Ina Garten]

Wow.

[Ann Patchett]

How great is that as an adult to just be able to say, okay, I'm going to give myself a class. I'm going to learn everything I can possibly learn about stone fruit, about the harvesting of sweet cherries versus tart cherries. I'm going to learn about evolutionary biology or ichthyology. I wrote a book called Run, in which one of the characters is an ichthyologist. I know a lot about fish, so I just have an idea. This is what the character would do. And then I go off and do research. You want to know something you already know?

[Ina Garten]

What?

[Ann Patchett]

Universal truth. People want to be asked questions. I know a lot about malaria from writing State of Wonder. I went to the Bethesda Naval Hospital. They said, I'm interested in malaria. Can I shadow you for a day? And the chief malarialist, he didn't know who I was. He didn't care what I did. He just wanted somebody to talk about mosquitoes all day. Because people really want to share what they know and what they love.

[Ina Garten]

That's true. So 13 years ago, you decided to open a bookstore in Nashville. So what do you know now about owning a bookstore that you didn't know when you started?

[Ann Patchett]

Well, I didn't know anything about food.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah. I didn't know anything when I started, especially at food stores. So I get that.

[Ann Patchett]

I had no idea how interested I would be in business.

[Ina Garten]

I think business can be really creative.

[Ann Patchett]

And I love it. And I had a wonderful partner, and we opened the store together. And when she retired a year and a half ago, for the very first time I thought, what is my point in owning this bookstore? And it was so clear what I wanted to make a place where people loved to work. Because I thought, if that's there, everything else will work. And I. I never had colleagues, right? I mean, I work alone, I write books, I sit in a room by myself. I've got Sparky, you know, that's it. But to have colleagues, and they're wide eyed, great readers.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, how great. I'm sure a lot of young authors come to you for advice. What do you tell them?

[Ann Patchett]

You need to write because you love it, because you don't have any idea what else you could possibly do but write. You don't think I want to write because I want to publish.

[Ina Garten]

And you can't stop yourself. Yeah, you used to write for Gourmet magazine. What was the best assignment you ever had?

[Ann Patchett]

I had so many good assignments because I'm not a great eater. I'm not somebody who could write food pieces. I'm a vegetarian, I don't drink. You know, there's no way I can go in and write a restaurant review. So it was Gourmet, a magazine of fine living. And they always used to say, you're the fine living part. So when I was writing Bel Canto, I. I asked them to send me on a tour of the great opera houses in Italy. When I was writing State of Wonder, I asked them to send me down the Amazon on a boat. And the best one was I said, okay, what if you send me to the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles and I find out whether or not they're nice to a single woman for a week by herself?

[Ina Garten]

What a great idea.

[Ann Patchett]

And they were horrible to me, the hotel. They were horrible to me because I was a single woman alone. And every night I would go back to my room and there was a guy who was a guard, and every night he would say, excuse me, miss, you have to be a guest to go beyond this point. And I was like, God, do we have to do this every night?

[Ina Garten]

Every single night.

[Ann Patchett]

Every night. I have been here for five nights.

[Ina Garten]

Were they trying to stop prostitutes from coming in? What were they? What was the. I know, I know, but the most.

[Ann Patchett]

Unambitious prostitute in the world.

[Ina Garten]

Why would they not want a single woman to go visit?

[Ann Patchett]

I didn't look like a guest at the Bel Air Hotel.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Ann Patchett]

I couldn't even imagine. I look like a camp counselor dressed in my gap skirt. I felt like I was gonna write.

[Ina Garten]

It as it was. Yeah, sure. Good. Good for you.

[Ann Patchett]

Yeah.

[Ina Garten]

Wow. Am I right that you came late to reading?

[Ann Patchett]

I did. I didn't learn to really read until I was really. Yes. And so that's because my parents got divorced when I was young. We just didn't go to school all the time, and we switched schools and we moved around. But the school that I stayed in until I graduated from high school was called St. Bernard's and there was a nun named Sister Nina, and Sister Nina was the reading teacher. And every time I would show up, I didn't know how to read. And she was like, all right, enough. And she never let me go to recess. I had to have my lunch with her, and I couldn't stand her because she was keeping me away from having fun. And also because she was digging at my deepest shame. You know, I was ready to spend the rest of my life just faking it.

[Ina Garten]

Well, you'd done so well so far.

[Ann Patchett]

I was a brilliant little faker.

[Ina Garten]

That's what I was.

[Ann Patchett]

And everybody liked me because I could tell a story even if I couldn't write it down. And Sister Nina was like, not good enough. We're digging in. We're going to do this. And she taught me how to read. And then I met her again when I was in my late 30s, and I realized for the first time, it was like, oh, wait, you were the reading teacher? She saved my life. I would have nothing if not for.

[Ina Garten]

You in that moment when you met her.

[Ann Patchett]

Yes. Now Sister Nina is 91, and she is my everything. We really, really love each other. Look out for each other. Wow.

[Ina Garten]

So I know we both love to cook, and we both love grain salads, so I was thinking we'd make Charlie Bird salad, which I think you like as well as me. I love that salad. But you're going to make it your way with a roasted cauliflower, which sounds fabulous. I'll make it my way with jammy eggs.

[Ann Patchett]

Beautiful.

[Ina Garten]

How's that?

[Ann Patchett]

You never have too much Charlie burrito salad.

[Ina Garten]

It's not possible. Okay, first we make the vinaigrette.

[Ann Patchett]

I'm ready.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, here we go. So vinaigrette is quarter of a cup of lemon juice, a whisk.

[Ann Patchett]

That's nice.

[Ina Garten]

And just add half a cup of olive oil to it. Fully added, one teaspoon of salt.

[Ann Patchett]

All right.

[Ina Garten]

And that's the pepper. Perfect. Did you ever know you'd be doing a cooking show?

[Ann Patchett]

No, I never did. You know, I think all the time, how is it that I wrote a book and wound up here? I mean, not just here specifically, but in My life.

[Ina Garten]

Let's start with. You didn't just write a book.

[Ann Patchett]

I wrote a book.

[Ina Garten]

You have a brilliant book. Many, many, many brilliant books.

[Ann Patchett]

Many brilliant books. Can hardly believe it. Right, Perfect.

[Ina Garten]

This is like my go to salad dressing anyway, because it's just so simple. It's always lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. And it goes on a salad, it goes on vegetables. It's just.

[Ann Patchett]

You never stick a little Dijon or anything?

[Ina Garten]

Sometimes a Dijon, Yeah. Okay, I'm gonna drain the farron. Okay. So what I did was I cooked the farro in apple cider water, bay leaves, and I'm just gonna drain it until they're al dente. Take the bay leaves out.

[Ann Patchett]

This is interesting, because when I make this, my farro always gets mushy because I cook the farro until it runs out of water.

[Ina Garten]

Well, you really can't. You have to cook it just until it's al dente so it has a little bite, and then you drain the water so you don't have that problem.

[Ann Patchett]

This is why I am on the show.

[Ina Garten]

Oh.

[Ann Patchett]

To learn.

[Ina Garten]

To learn.

[Ann Patchett]

I want.

[Ina Garten]

And take the bay leaves and throw them out. And there's so much discussion about whether bay leaves make a difference.

[Ann Patchett]

Your answer?

[Ina Garten]

If they're really fresh, I think they do. But if they've been sitting in your drawer for 12 years, probably not. That's my answer, and I'm sticking to it.

[Ann Patchett]

All right.

[Ina Garten]

Vinaigrette goes right on. Probably like three quarters of it. I save some of it for later.

[Ann Patchett]

Like that.

[Ina Garten]

Just keep going, keep going, keep going. Okay, perfect. So what I'm going to do is just toss it so warm grains absorb the vinaigrette better than cold grains. All right. So will you show me how you make the cauliflower?

[Ann Patchett]

Yes. This is El Shannon's recipe. He's a terrific Israeli chef. I've been making this cauliflower for years. So you take your cruciferous vegetable, and you put the water up to the cauliflower's shoulders, so it's little cauliflower heads above the line.

[Ina Garten]

I love when we think of cauliflower as a person.

[Ann Patchett]

I do, don't you? Yeah, that's how close I am. And the water should be very salty. Okay. And then you simmer it for 10 to 15 minutes until you can take a wooden skewer and easily stick it into the cauliflower. Then you take your oil and we oil the pan. So then we take our friend, the cauliflower out of the pan, and I use two big spoons.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Whoa.

[Ina Garten]

And then you drop it more of the spoon.

[Ann Patchett]

Same fabulous aina oil, which you can artfully brush or you can just pour it. All right, so then we put on. Oh, this is good.

[Ina Garten]

This is like. Yeah, we like big horse salt, rock salt.

[Ann Patchett]

I like crunchy salt, and then some pepper. We're going to put this in at 475, and you can put it in anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes. Bye.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, let's make the salad.

[Ann Patchett]

All right.

[Ina Garten]

So do you want to put tomatoes in? Cherry tomatoes in half? I do.

[Ann Patchett]

Beautiful, beautiful cherry tomatoes.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, got it. And radishes.

[Ann Patchett]

Radishes.

[Ina Garten]

Chopped mint.

[Ann Patchett]

Mint. That's a lot of mint.

[Ina Garten]

Chopped parsley.

[Ann Patchett]

Do you grow mint in your herb garden?

[Ina Garten]

Well, you mint, you can't grow it in the garden. You have to grow it in a pot. Otherwise it takes over the whole garden. Is that what I mean?

[Ann Patchett]

See, I'm learning. No, I just put it in the garden.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, no, no, no, you can't, because it goes underground. It's like kuzu.

[Ann Patchett]

It's like.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, exactly. Okay. And pistachios. Whole pistachios.

[Ann Patchett]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

I love this because it's all about the texture and the saltiness. And then two cups of arugula. I always use baby arugula because it's tenderer. And now I think we should put a little more vinaigrette on. Sure.

[Ann Patchett]

Okay. Just so you want. Just keep going. All right.

[Ina Garten]

And then Parmesan cheese. Like shards of Parmesan. Okay, so now I'm gonna tell you how to make jammy eggs. Okay. I think perfect ones.

[Ann Patchett]

I've got a jammy egg question. I've never made them, but when was the jammy egg as a concept invented?

[Ina Garten]

I think it got a publicist about two years ago. And everybody has jammy eggs now. Yeah, it's basically a soft boiled egg is really what it is.

[Ann Patchett]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

It's now got a fancy name. All right, so take a pot of boiling water. The key is they're cold eggs. Okay. And you take a spoon and lower them very carefully into the water so that the eggs don't bang against each other. So it's just a low simmer. You can just see the bubbles coming up like that.

[Ann Patchett]

All right, good.

[Ina Garten]

And you measure exactly six and a half minutes.

[Ann Patchett]

Do you have a watch? I do.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, excellent. Go. I love cooking with Ann.

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[Ina Garten]

So Ann and I are here. We've made Charlie Bird salad, which we both love. Fabulous. And you've made your incredible cauliflower. That is gorgeous.

[Ann Patchett]

So beautiful. It's like a work of art.

[Ina Garten]

And I've made jammy eggs. So how about if I do my jammy eggs on top first and then you do the cauliflower so you just cut it right on top of the salad.

[Ann Patchett]

Oh, beautiful.

[Ina Garten]

How's that for a perfect.

[Ann Patchett]

No, that's perfect. That's perfect.

[Ina Garten]

And I always think how you finish something is a lot of how it tastes. So I'm just gonna do a little bit of lemon. Just a little squeeze of lemon makes such a difference. Just a little lemon on the salad. A little bit of flaky sea salt on egg. All right. And that's my salad. But now I can't wait to see this cauliflower. All right. And it just looks amazing.

[Ann Patchett]

And it is so delicious. Beautiful cauliflower steak. It falls apart. I don't care because it still tastes the same. Beautiful.

[Ina Garten]

Well, mashed potatoes fall apart too.

[Ann Patchett]

That's right. I'm gonna get the last little piece over there. Beautiful.

[Ina Garten]

How gorgeous is that? Yum.

[Ann Patchett]

Yeah.

[Ina Garten]

So I would say we need to take these.

[Ann Patchett]

Thank you.

[Ina Garten]

One for you, one for me. Into the garden because it's A gorgeous day out.

[Ann Patchett]

Let's do it. I'm gonna fall forward. All right, here we go.

[Ina Garten]

Who's grabbing the forks? Oh, I am. Forks, Forks.

[Ann Patchett]

You are so classy for incredible.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, I just can't wait to taste this cauliflower. This looks amazing.

[Ann Patchett]

Everything looks amazing. Gorgeous.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, so do you usually do it on a separate plate or in the bowl? I like your style.

[Ann Patchett]

That's me.

[Ina Garten]

That's it. Me too. I want to do everything you do.

[Ann Patchett]

All right.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, isn't this gorgeous? It's so good.

[Ann Patchett]

It's so good. It's really so good.

[Ina Garten]

It's just so buttery and falls apart. It's perfect with a salad. People who do hard things like you do need to, like, replenish themselves. What's your favorite food to replenish yourself?

[Ann Patchett]

This is so not you. This is.

[Ina Garten]

And it's not ice cream. It's not.

[Ann Patchett]

No, no, no. It's not cooking, and it's a little gross. I call it salad in a blender. And I take spinach, kale, carrots, celery, cucumber, always an apple and a lemon, and I stick it all in the blender with a cup of water and I drink it.

[Ina Garten]

And it makes you feel better?

[Ann Patchett]

It makes me feel great. But also it means that no matter how hard the day is, I know that I've had all my vegetables. Great.

[Ina Garten]

You're right. It's definitely not me. Mine's ice cream. Well, no, I mean, yours is blender vegetables. It's not food, you know, it's nourishment.

[Ann Patchett]

So often on book tour, I'm eating those little peanut butter cheese crackers that you buy at the airport.

[Ina Garten]

So if.

[Ann Patchett]

If I can drink a glass in the morning, I think, all right, I'm in control.

[Ina Garten]

You could do it.

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[Ina Garten]

Isn't that great?

[Ann Patchett]

And your beautiful little. Once they were soft boiled. They're jamming eggs.

[Ina Garten]

I know. Thank you so much for coming. I just love, love you being here.

[Ann Patchett]

I love every minute of it.

[Ina Garten]

Thank you. How fabulous was that? If you loved this episode of Be My Guest, the podcast with me, Ina Garten. Please make sure to rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It would mean so much to me.

[Ann Patchett]

Thanks.

[Ina Garten]

Cheers.

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[Ann Patchett]

Hey, this is Sarah. Look, I'm standing out front of a.m. p.m. Right now and well, you're sweet and all, but I found something more fulfilling, even kind of cheesy. But I like it. Sure, you met some of my dietary needs, but they've just got it all. So farewell. Oatmeal the long use strange soggy break.

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