Christine Baranski

Summary

Podcast Summary: Be My Guest with Ina Garten – Christine Baranski

Date: October 26, 2025
Host: Ina Garten
Guest: Christine Baranski

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Main Theme & Purpose

Ina Garten welcomes acclaimed actress Christine Baranski to her East Hampton home for a day centered around good food and heartfelt conversation. The episode blends sharing beloved recipes (especially breakfast pastries!), personal stories, and reflections on family, acting, and the simple joys of life and cooking.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Warm Welcome & Scone-Making

[01:30 – 08:22]

• Ina prepares her maple oatmeal scones in anticipation of Christine’s arrival, sharing details of the recipe and her enthusiasm for hosting.
• Christine arrives, marvels at Ina’s kitchen, and joins in the “messy” fun of glazing scones, noting how her grandsons would love this.
  • Quote: “It’s my favorite breakfast, unless I’m in Paris.” – Christine Baranski [06:26]
  • Quote: “It’s required to be messy. That’s the point. I hate things that are perfect.” – Ina Garten [06:42]
• Ina offers practical baking advice for making scones ahead, to Christine’s delight as a grandmother.
  • Quote: “You just roll them out, cut them out, put it in the fridge, and then just throw it in the oven.” – Ina Garten [08:00]
• Christine is genuinely moved, declaring:
  • Quote: “I’m not acting—the best scone I’ve ever had.” [08:48]

2. Christine’s Childhood & Family Background

[11:09 – 13:49]

• Christine reflects on growing up in Buffalo, NY, in a close-knit Polish-American family. She lived with her grandmother, who, along with her grandfather, was involved in the Polish theater.
• She speaks candidly about her mother, who was both an impeccable cook and somewhat intimidating in the kitchen, leading Christine to feel unsure about her own cooking skills.
  • Quote: “If anything, my mother intimidated me. She made me feel like, you don’t know how to do this, let me do it.” – Christine Baranski [11:59]
• Christine tells of her mother’s resilience after her father’s sudden death and the hardships encountered by her family.

3. Early Interests, Theater, and Career Beginnings

[13:29 – 15:18]

• Christine fondly recounts singing and dancing for the Virgin Mary statue in her grandmother’s room, performing musicals like South Pacific.
• Inspired by reading about Juilliard’s acting division, she applied, was accepted, and received a scholarship.
  • Quote: “That’s my dream, is to go to Juilliard. And I did get in.” – Christine Baranski [14:20]
• With her scholarship money, she traveled solo in Europe, an act of independence initially challenged but ultimately embraced by her mother.
  • Quote: “I went to Europe alone for two months... My mother was so against it... [but] she said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’” [14:46]

4. Breakthroughs, Family, and Balancing Work

[15:20 – 19:17]

• Christine discusses her big Broadway break in The Real Thing, a Tony Award win, and her whirlwind year of marriage, pregnancy, and professional success.
  • Quote: “Within one year, all of this magic happened in my life.” [15:36]
• She shares the story of meeting her late husband, Matthew Coles, after a “prayer” for love, and of their life together.
  • Quote: “He was such a captivating personality... We fell in love rather quickly. Within a year, we were married and had these beautiful children.” [16:04]
• The challenges of balancing rising fame and motherhood are acknowledged, including the support of her husband and her willingness to take on diverse acting roles.

5. Acting, Fame, Community & Craft

[18:48 – 22:37]

• Christine relishes her time in period dramas like The Gilded Age and her longstanding relationships with directors James Lapine and Rob Marshall (working together on Midsummer Night’s Dream and Chicago).
• She prizes the communal aspect of acting, equating an ensemble at its best with a “great ballet” or collaborative cooking:
  • Quote: “It’s the communality of it and the joy you get from being together that I now value that more than anything... It’s rather like putting a meal together.” – Christine Baranski [20:22]
• Both agree on the beauty of teamwork in creative (and culinary) pursuits.
• Christine appreciates the unsung heroes on set: “Actors get way too much attention... But what really moves me is professionalism—everybody coming together. That’s very special.” [21:37]
• She observes that staying fresh and alive is the most challenging part of acting, especially in TV and film.

6. Life Offstage, Hobbies, and Simplicity

[22:46 – 24:42]

• Offstage, Christine enjoys quiet activities such as reading, music, and online poetry courses.
  • Quote: “I love to be quiet. I just took a poetry, an online poetry course on William Wordsworth... It introduces you to the poet.” [22:46]
• Cooking for herself means simple, nourishing soups and stews, echoing Ina’s philosophy of “no fussy food.” Both women criticize overcomplicated restaurant tasting menus:
  • Quote: “I’m just sitting there thinking, I just am hungry. Don’t you have any Hungarian goulash?” – Christine Baranski [24:24]

7. Italian Roots, Weeknight Bolognese & Cooking Together

[24:42 – 32:29]

• Christine mentions her house in Tuscany, leading them to cook Ina’s Weeknight Bolognese and roasted broccolini.
• The cooking segment is full of relaxed culinary tips, tricks, and humor.
  • On wine: “I always like to cook with something you want to drink... If you’re going to open a bottle, you might as well drink the rest of it.” – Ina Garten [25:50]
  • On broccolini: “Cut off the ends... put them on the sheet pan, olive oil, salt, pepper. That’s it. No, I’m serious.” – Ina Garten [27:24]
• Christine gets hands-on, peppering Ina with questions, amazed at the simplicity of the recipes.
  • Quote: “Is this really as easy as it seems?... Oh my gosh.” [27:05]
• Both women extol the virtues of home-cooked vegetables and the importance of not overcomplicating food.

8. Finishing Touches, Bonding, and Simple Joys

[31:09 – 36:09]

• Together they finish the meal: orecchiette pasta tossed directly in the sauce (“Let the water go in! It thickens the sauce”), lots of fresh basil and parmesan, and well-roasted broccolini.
  • Quote: “How’s this pasta bolognese? It may not be Tuscan, but it’s Italian, right?” – Ina Garten [35:13]
• Christine shares her idea of a perfect day: starting with homemade scones, ending with lakeside skinny-dipping, and relishing good company.
  • Quote: “Once it gets dark, take off all my clothes. My favorite thing... skinny dipping. And I invite my friends to do the same, and you’re more than welcome to come.” – Christine Baranski [32:54]

9. Farewell & Friendship

• The episode winds down with mutual affection and invitations for future visits.
  • Quote: “I would say this is the beginning of a beautiful cooking friendship.” – Ina Garten [28:20]
  • Quote: “You can come out and visit me anytime.” – Ina Garten [36:05]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Christine (on messiness and grandkids): “I have four grandsons. Can you imagine what they would do with this?” [06:45]
• Christine (on success): “Thirteen years on The Good Wife and The Good Fight... I can’t write this any better. I’ve had a really charmed career.” [18:18]
• Ina (on food philosophy): “I hate fussy food. If there are more than three flavors, your brain can’t figure out what it is.” [23:37]
• Christine (on acting): “It’s the communality of it...I now value that more than anything. It's rather like putting a meal together.” [20:22]
• Ina (on kitchen teamwork): “When it was good, it was like a great ballet...the communality of it.” [21:19]
• Christine (on simple cooking): “Really, the simpler the better.” [23:51]
• Christine (on a perfect day): “And then once it gets dark, take off all my clothes. My favorite thing...skinny dipping.” [32:54]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:30 - 07:27]: Scone prep, breakfast pastry banter, and arrival.
• [11:09 - 15:18]: Christine’s family, mother, and Juilliard journey.
• [15:20 - 19:17]: Broadway breaks, marriage, family juggling.
• [20:22 - 22:37]: Communality, acting as collaboration, and crew appreciation.
• [23:34 - 24:42]: Simple cooking philosophies and European travel stories.
• [24:42 - 28:29+]: Cooking weeknight Bolognese and roasted broccolini, Italian inspirations.
• [32:29 - 36:09]: Plating, favorite days, and laughter over pasta and skinny dipping invitations.

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Overall Tone and Experience

The episode is marked by warmth, humor, and an easy rapport between Ina and Christine. Their conversation meanders between deep personal history, culinary wisdom, and witty asides, providing inspiration and joy for anyone listening—whether passionate about food, acting, or simply savoring life’s simple pleasures.

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For listeners, this episode offers:

• Excellent, accessible recipes (maple oatmeal scones, weeknight Bolognese, roasted broccolini)
• Honest reflections on childhood, motherhood, and balancing career with family
• The joy of creative community—whether on stage or in the kitchen
• Laughter and genuine friendship between two accomplished women

Whether you love food, theater, or hearing about extraordinary lives, this is a satisfying listen from start to finish.

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 amazing award winning actress Christine Baranski is joining me for a wonderful day at the barn. She loves breakfast pastries, so I'm welcoming her with my maple oatmeal scones, the.

[Christine Baranski]

Best scone I've ever had.

[Ina Garten]

And then I'm showing her weeknight Bolognese and roasted broccolini.

[Christine Baranski]

Broccolini, Broccolini, broccolini.

[Ina Garten]

One of my favorite Italian meals.

[Christine Baranski]

Dream guest, dream hostess.

[Ina Garten]

I can't wait to meet Christine. I understand she likes baked goods for breakfast, so I thought I'm going to make her my maple oatmeal scones. They're so good, I think she'll love them. So that's three and a half cups of all purpose flour. I'm putting in a cup of whole wheat flour just to give it a little flavor and some quick cooking oats. Give it a little texture. It's gonna be great. And then two tablespoons of baking powder, two tablespoons of sugar, just a little bit of sweetness and 2 teaspoons of salt really brings out all the flavors. Okay, I'm gonna stir this together and then I'm gonna add butter. A lot of butter makes really good scones. So I've got one pound of butter and I've diced it about a quarter of an inch to a half an inch. Want to be sure the butter is very cold so it doesn't mix in Totally. So while that mixes, I'm going to do the wet ingredients. So I have four eggs. I'm going to add half a cup of buttermilk to the eggs and then I want to taste like maple, so I'm going to add half a cup of maple syrup. Just going to combine them all together. Okay, let's see how these are doing. Perfect. Now, while I pour the wet ingredients in, let me tell you about my fabulous guest. Christine Baranski is an incredible, multi award winning star of stage, screen and tv. She can sing, she can dance, she can play, witty, funny, or deadly serious. Now that's talented. She grew up in a Polish American family in Buffalo, New York, raised by a single mom after her father tragically died when she was just eight. She started acting in high school and won a scholarship to Juilliard, where she later received an honorary doctorate. Her big break came in the Broadway hit the Real Thing, directed by Mike Nichols, winning her first of two Tony Awards, which was followed by a run of theater smashes. Christine then won an Emmy for her first big TV show, the comedy Cybill. Since then, she's had leading TV roles in shows from the period drama the Gilded Age.

[Christine Baranski]

Do people like that bring their daughters out? I thought they just sold them to the highest bidder.

[Ina Garten]

To the hit series the Good Wife and the Good Fight, plus the mystery thriller Nine Perfect Strangers. She also won acclaim for her iconic movies like Chicago, the Birdcage, into the Woods, Mamma Mia. And so many more. Christine was happily married for more than 30 years to the late actor Matthew Coles. She has two lovely daughters and four grandsons who she absolutely adores. Isn't Christine amazing? I can't wait to meet her. Okay, the dough's done. Ready for the next steps. First is rolling out the dough. So I'll flour the board, dump out the dough, then sprinkle on a little flour and just pat it out, working quickly to keep the butter cold. Next, I'll roll out the dough to 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch thick. Then the next step is cutting the scones with a 3 inch fluted cutter. I'll put the 12 scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then the final step is to brush the tops with egg wash. That will make the scones deliciously golden. Okay, into the oven 400 degrees for 20 minutes. These are gonna smell so good when Christine gets here. So the scones are nearly done. I'm just gonna make a quick maple glaze for them. So I have one and a quarter cups of confectioner's sugar, half a cup of maple syrup, and just want to be sure to use good maple syrup. This isn't a time for imitation anything. And then just a teaspoon of vanilla. And what that does is just bring down the sweetness and adds another flavor. Okay, glaze is ready. You just want it pourable. Mm. So good. Ugh. These smell so good.

[Christine Baranski]

I'm on my way to Ina's house. It's gonna be an incredible day. Okay, I'm here. This is it. Oh, my God. It's like being in an enchanted kingdom.

[Ina Garten]

Christine, you're here. I'm so happy to see you. Welcome.

[Christine Baranski]

What a pleasure to meet you and.

[Ina Garten]

To be part of your beautiful world here. My God, look at this kitchen. Thank you. I understand you like scones. Hope I'm right.

[Christine Baranski]

It's my favorite breakfast, unless I'm in Paris. And then, of course.

[Ina Garten]

So I made maple oatmeal scones. Are you going to help me glaze them?

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, I would love to.

[Ina Garten]

Ok, so I'll do some and you do some big competition. Okay.

[Christine Baranski]

To be a little messy here, it's.

[Ina Garten]

Required to be messy. That's the point. I hate things that are perfect.

[Christine Baranski]

You know, I have four grandsons. Can you imagine what they would do with this?

[Ina Garten]

Gone in two minutes. Right. So I understand you've been in the Hamptons before.

[Christine Baranski]

This is really a sentimental journey for me. There's a theater here in Easthampton, and I worked at that theater in 1975. Wow. When I was just out of Juilliard, I did a Noel Coward play called Tonight at 8:30, directed by John Lithgow.

[Ina Garten]

I just met him. I literally just met him.

[Christine Baranski]

He's a doll.

[Ina Garten]

Isn't that great?

[Christine Baranski]

I mean.

[Ina Garten]

And that's how you started?

[Christine Baranski]

Yep. I was right out of school, so happy memories of East Hampton. And look where I am now. Making scones with Ina Garten.

[Ina Garten]

This is the pinnacle of your career.

[Christine Baranski]

It is.

[Ina Garten]

So the next thing I do is just put some oats on, since they're maple oatmeal scones. So it's a little bit of a crunch, but it also tells you what it is.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my gosh. Now, if I wanted to make these scones for my grandsons, I have four of them.

[Ina Garten]

They could eat all of these, right?

[Christine Baranski]

I wonder how far in advance I'd have to get up in the morning or how do I do this?

[Ina Garten]

You know what I would do is I'd make them before, the night before.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, put them in the fridge.

[Ina Garten]

Put them in the fridge.

[Christine Baranski]

Do you roll it out in advance?

[Ina Garten]

You roll.

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[Ina Garten]

You just roll them out, cut them out, and put it in the fridge, and then just throw it in the oven.

[Christine Baranski]

For how long?

[Ina Garten]

20, 25 minutes.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, and they come up, and it.

[Ina Garten]

Smells great, and they're hot. And then you do the glaze. You can have the kids do the glaze, right?

[Christine Baranski]

You know what they do? They take this spoon, and they'd be doing that, and we'd be dealing with a massive sugar high.

[Ina Garten]

But they'd be so happy, right?

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my gosh. I live to make. They're the most wonderful kids.

[Ina Garten]

Can I give you scones, please? Which one's your.

[Christine Baranski]

Which is your favorite? The tops, to me, are the best. I've known just the tops of muffins.

[Ina Garten]

Here, you help yourself.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, wonderful.

[Ina Garten]

How's that?

[Christine Baranski]

God.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, we're gonna take one.

[Christine Baranski]

Still warm?

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, still warm.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, God, These are great.

[Ina Garten]

Thank you.

[Christine Baranski]

I'm not acting the best scone I've ever had.

[Ina Garten]

Thank you so. I have so much to talk to you about. You've had the most incredible talk.

[Christine Baranski]

Need a sequel?

[Ina Garten]

Cheers. Cheers. Nostrovia, as they say. Nostrovia.

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[Ina Garten]

I'm here with Christine Baranski, the most amazing actor and we have so much to talk about. I can't wait to talk to you.

[Christine Baranski]

I know.

[Ina Garten]

Take me back to Buffalo where you grew up.

[Christine Baranski]

Yeah. I was raised in a suburb of Buffalo and it was a Polish American community. I went to all girl Polish Catholic high school. I lived with my paternal grandmother. It was her house and we lived there and I shared a bedroom with my nana and she was an actress in the Polish theater.

[Ina Garten]

Really?

[Christine Baranski]

And my grandfather was. They were actors in the Polish theater in Buffalo. It was wonderful. And my mother was an impeccable cook. She just was queen in the kitchen. But unfortunately, she really didn't pass it on to me. If anything, my mother intimidated me. She made me feel like, you don't know how to do this, let me do it.

[Ina Garten]

Well, that I can relate to because I was never allowed in the kitchen. So no matter what I'm making, I'm always sure it's going to come out wrong. So I totally get how stressful that is.

[Christine Baranski]

Yeah. Yeah. And you had a mother and father who were quite judgmental. Very true. My mother was very hard on. You know, I always felt she was going to judge me critically or be angry at me. I mean, I love her. And years later, I think, you know, I have great love for her because she had a hard life. She grew up in the Depression. She said she ate nothing but jelly sandwiches. And you can imagine walking to school for miles in the winter in Buffalo, New York. And she. They had newspapers in their shoes. I mean, the depression was really hard. And then when that was over, she fell in love with my father, but they couldn't marry because of the war. He went off to World War II. Then he came back and they started a family. But my father died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm. And I was 8 and my brother was 10. So my mother, who really wanted to be a housewife and to cook for us and to bake and, you know, suddenly she didn't even know how to drive and she had to find work. So our life changed. Yeah. So my mother always said she regretted not being able to be a mom who cooked, who was home when you.

[Ina Garten]

Got home from school.

[Christine Baranski]

Yes, exactly.

[Ina Garten]

Understand when you were little, you used to like to sing and dance to musical records.

[Christine Baranski]

My mother and grandmother and aunt would go off to bingo and I'd go up to my grandma's room and she had all of these LPs, and one of them was South Pacific. And I would do every part in South Pacific.

[Ina Garten]

Every part.

[Christine Baranski]

And her record player was on this side of the room and on the other side of the room was a statue of the Blessed Mother. And I just remember dancing and singing to the Virgin Mary. Basically, there is nothing like a dame that was the beginning of my showbiz career, was dancing and imagining myself being fabulous.

[Ina Garten]

And it worked. So then you came to New York?

[Christine Baranski]

Well, I read about the opening of the acting division of the Juilliard School and I put that article, taped it to my wall and said, that's my dream, is to go to Juilliard. And I did get in.

[Ina Garten]

And you had a scholarship to Juilliard School?

[Christine Baranski]

I got a scholarship, but at the end of my first year, they gave a thousand dollar scholarship to a hard working student who also needed money. But you know what I did with it?

[Ina Garten]

What'd you do with it?

[Christine Baranski]

I went to Europe alone for two months.

[Ina Garten]

Wow.

[Christine Baranski]

I went from London, arrived in Paris, stayed at one of the cheapest hotels in Paris, went from Paris by train into Switzerland, into Italy. I was. And my mother was so against it. She said, you can't go alone. What are you doing? And I remember arriving back at the airport, calling my mother and she said, I'm so proud of you.

[Ina Garten]

Isn't that lovely?

[Christine Baranski]

You know.

[Ina Garten]

So she came around.

[Christine Baranski]

Yeah. Isn't that great? That's great.

[Ina Garten]

I love that. What was your first big break on Broadway?

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, gosh. And it was a big break. It was a play called the Real Thing by Tom Stoppar, directed by Mike Nichols. And I played Jeremy Irons wife.

[Ina Garten]

I went to it. It was huge.

[Christine Baranski]

I got married in October, went into rehearsal late October. By December, I was pregnant. Won a Tony in June, had a baby In September. So within one year, all of this magic happened in my life.

[Ina Garten]

That was quite a year.

[Christine Baranski]

It was a great year. It's hard to top that year.

[Ina Garten]

Tell me about your late husband, Matthew.

[Christine Baranski]

This is a story. I had this feeling that it would be time for me to get married. And I even went to this little grotto where there's a statue of the Virgin Mary. And I remember saying a prayer. Please, let me meet someone. It's time. And within a day or two of that prayer, I got a call from a man named Bill Gardner who said, I want you to do this play, Ghost. There's a wonderful actor named Matthew Coles, and you'll love working with him. It was like an answered prayer. Because then I did this play with Matthew, and he was such a captivating personality. One night he asked me if I wanted to ride home on his BMW motorcycle. I did, and we went over the Williamsburg Bridge, holding on. And I said, I'm scared, Matthew. And he said, so am I. Anyway, we fell in love rather quickly. Within a year, we were married and had these beautiful children. And we lived in his childhood home.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, fabulous.

[Christine Baranski]

But he was a wonderfully generous, imaginative, funny guy. He was far more famous than I was because he created a character named Billy Clyde Tuggle on All My Children.

[Ina Garten]

On All My Children.

[Christine Baranski]

Anyway, he would walk down the street and people would recognize him. But I didn't have any real TV notoriety then. And by the time I did, you know, my first TV show, I was already in my 40s. It was, you know, we'd already been living in Connecticut for quite a while. But it was a wonderful place to raise. To raise daughters.

[Ina Garten]

Have you had to make really hard choices in your career?

[Christine Baranski]

When my kids were small and my career was ascending and I was working, but I was leaving them. You know, the commuting to make a relationship work, the sacrifices you have to make to leave your spouse, to leave your family. And I felt so tortured. But I was blessed to have a husband who. He had such a. Like Jeffrey, such a big heart and such a respect for my talent that he recognized the opportunities that I couldn't say no to.

[Ina Garten]

Absolutely. I mean, I know you always say you were so lucky, but you also.

[Christine Baranski]

Did the hard work. You know, I was unafraid to try different characters and to, you know, play old, play young, play, play tragic. But I've been lucky to. I mean, my God, I've, you know, 13 years on the Good Wife and the Good Fight. Thirteen years and then the Gilded Age. I mean, I can't write this any better. I've had a really charmed career.

[Ina Garten]

And we're so glad you have.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, well, here I am eating your scones. I must have done something right.

[Ina Garten]

So how much fun is it doing a period drama?

[Christine Baranski]

I love doing a period drama, particularly this period, because, of course, it was the Gilded Age, which means you get to wear tons of beautiful fabric. And my character's so funny, she's grumpy. And in some ways, I'm playing my mother, so it comes easily to me. But even though, you know, we're often in a corset for 14 hours, somehow it's still an enchanted place to be.

[Ina Garten]

You've been directed by two of my dear friends, James Lapine and Rob Marshall. How was that?

[Christine Baranski]

Gosh, I have such happy memories of working with both those people. James was in the mid-80s. My first play in New York, where I made an impression, I think playing Helena in Midsummer Night's Dream. I won an Obie Award, and it remains my favorite piece of theater that I've ever done. But I was never more enchanted than being on a stage doing that play. And then, of course, Rob Marshall and I did a workshop of a musical called the Petrified Prince. I think we instantly had a crush on each other. But, you know, Rob is. You fall in love with Rob, it's like butter and sugar, Right? And so that led to my doing Chicago with Rob, which won an Oscar.

[Ina Garten]

I just love that role that you played, Mary Sunshine.

[Christine Baranski]

You kind of have a Mary Sunshine look, actually. Yeah. So, yeah, they're two people very dear.

[Ina Garten]

To my heart and me, too. What's the most fun of being an actress?

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, there's so many fun things about it. But the older I get, the more I love the communality of it. I could wake up kind of groggy or in a bad mood or, oh, the news is so bad. And then I show up on a set or in a rehearsal, and you're bumping into vibrant, talented human beings, and you get energy from them. And, like, the Gilded Age is just a cast filled with Nathan Lane, magnificent theater actors. And we've all worked together. And, oh, that workshop and this Off Broadway playmate. It's the communality of it and the joy you get from being together that I now value that more than anything. It's less about just me being fabulous, you know, but just like all of us creating something, it's rather like putting a meal together.

[Ina Garten]

It's interesting because what I love in a. What I loved about Running Barefoot Contessa is In the kitchen, yes. When it was good, it was like a great ballet. Yes. Everybody pulling together to do the same thing together that you couldn't do on your own. And that was the communality of it is.

[Christine Baranski]

And I also come to, especially on film sets, I so appreciate the people who are in the crew. You know, every day you show up and you rehearse and then the actors. Actors get way too much attention. We're like red dogs, you know, honestly, we're like. People fuss over us. But you see a cameraman or a sound person, boom, person. They don't get to take breaks the way the actors do. They're there for sometimes 12, 14 hour days, long days. But what really moves me is professionalism on that. Everybody coming together. That's very special.

[Ina Garten]

So what's the hardest thing about acting?

[Christine Baranski]

When you ask me that, I would say the most challenging part, certainly in film and television is staying fresh, staying alive. And that is true on stage too. But I think people don't realize how hard that is.

[Ina Garten]

So hard.

[Christine Baranski]

But at the end of the day, when you've done it, you feel really celebrated.

[Ina Garten]

So when you take the pearls off and you're Christine Vransky at home, what do you like? You have sweatpants on. What do you love to do?

[Christine Baranski]

I'm really loving reading. Just quietly reading. Love to read, love to listen to music. And I love to be quiet. I just took a poetry, an online poetry course on William Wordsworth. I've done one on Dante. I did Wordsworth and now I'm doing Baudelaire. And it's just for an hour and a half, one day a week, but it introduces you to the poet.

[Ina Garten]

Isn't that gorgeous? It is. I love that you do that. How fabulous. So what do you like to cook?

[Christine Baranski]

Well, I make a wonderful curried squash bisque soup. I like soups and I like stews.

[Ina Garten]

I can't believe you like soup.

[Christine Baranski]

I love soup.

[Ina Garten]

I would like to make soup for everybody. I just think it's satisfying.

[Christine Baranski]

It is.

[Ina Garten]

It's good for you. I love soup.

[Christine Baranski]

I'm not someone who likes fussy. Fussy.

[Ina Garten]

I hate fussy food. And I actually think that if there are more than three flavors in something, your brain can't figure out what it is. Right. It just. It drives me crazy. I like really simple food. So you taste the intrinsic flavor of each thing.

[Christine Baranski]

Really, the simpler the better. I was traveling in Europe recently and one of the benefits of doing this six month job was that I was based in Munich and I got to take trains all over. So I was in Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest, and then I made it to Krakow. And so I'm in Budapest. Oh, Hungarian goulash. Wonderful. We wind up at this restaurant and it turns out it was one of those restaurants with tasting menus and like five different things came on your plate. And the portions are about that big, these little dots on your plate. With about four people come to the table and explain to you what's in. And I'm just sitting there thinking, I just am hungry. Don't you have any Hungarian goulash?

[Ina Garten]

So you have a house in Tuscany?

[Christine Baranski]

I do.

[Ina Garten]

And I thought if we're going to cook something together, it has to be Italian. I thought maybe I'd show you how to make weeknight bolognese.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh.

[Ina Garten]

With a side of roasted broccolini, which both of them are so easy.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, that would be perfect. An all purpose Bolognese would be so great. I mean, I can do the bolognese on a cappellini, on a linguine or a lasagna.

[Ina Garten]

We've already cooked the ground sirloin in a little bit of olive oil.

[Christine Baranski]

So it's sirloin brown.

[Ina Garten]

It's sirloin. And then I'm gonna put in some garlic.

[Christine Baranski]

Right?

[Ina Garten]

Lots of garlic.

[Christine Baranski]

You're cooking this in olive oil. Nothing.

[Ina Garten]

Exactly right.

[Christine Baranski]

And you're talking to a real basic, you know.

[Ina Garten]

Well, this is basic.

[Christine Baranski]

Start from scratch, girl.

[Ina Garten]

So the next thing is oregano. And I just put it in my hands and I grind it like that, just. And you get all the flavor kind of on the flavor.

[Christine Baranski]

So it releases the flavor by doing that.

[Ina Garten]

By doing that. Isn't that great? Okay, little red pepper. You like a little heat? Yeah.

[Christine Baranski]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

Just a little. Not too much. Just like that. You're doing an excellent job of stirring. And then we need wine. I mean, it's Italian cooking after all.

[Christine Baranski]

Of course we need wine.

[Ina Garten]

So I always like to cook with something you want to drink. So how about a cup of wine?

[Christine Baranski]

So you can use really good wine in your cooking and not just some old thing that's been around for months.

[Ina Garten]

I hate the old stuff. And you're going to open a bottle, you might as well drink the rest of it. Right? It's an excuse to drink the rest of it.

[Christine Baranski]

Absolutely.

[Ina Garten]

And one thing that the wine does is it scrapes up all those brown bits in the bottom of the pan, so it brings all the flavor into the sauce, which is really good. That's a lot of wine. Well, it's going to all evaporate and it's just going to cook into the meat. So Italy. Italy. Why did you choose Italy?

[Christine Baranski]

I fell in love with Italy when I was 19, and I went there for the first time. I've gone back many times, and I find it really stimulating. I'm learning cooking. People really, they live in their senses, and they enjoy life and appreciate it and appreciate each other's company around a dining room. So that's the quality of life I would like to have now. And you're invited.

[Ina Garten]

You don't have to ask me twice.

[Christine Baranski]

But you have to cook a little bit. You have to sing for yourself.

[Ina Garten]

I have to cook. Okay, next I have just a whole can of crushed tomatoes. Pour the whole thing in. And tomato paste to just give it even more flavor. And then we need salt and pepper.

[Christine Baranski]

Is this really as easy as it seems?

[Ina Garten]

It's it. That's it.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my gosh.

[Ina Garten]

So this is going to simmer for 10 minutes, and in the meantime, we're going to make broccolini. Roasted broccolini. Broccolini.

[Christine Baranski]

Broccolini. Broccolini, Broccolini, Broccolini, Broccolini. Okay, ready to go.

[Ina Garten]

I love her. That was great. Okay, so you're not going to believe how easy this is. Okay, sheet pan. So broccolini. Cut off the ends, about a third of the bottoms, put them on the sheet pan. This is the easiest vegetable you've ever made. And I have to say, it goes with everything. I make it all the time. Just olive oil on top, salt and pepper.

[Christine Baranski]

Do I just stick your hand in? Stick my hand?

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, you can just stick your hand in. Lots of salt. That's perfect. Hey, Pepper, Clean hands are cook's best tools. They're never in the drawer. They're never in the dishwasher. They're always with you.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my gosh.

[Ina Garten]

And that's it. No, I'm serious.

[Christine Baranski]

It's unbelievable that it's that easy.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, into the oven. 375 for 10 to 15 minutes, and it'll be so good.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my God. Broccolini.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, we're nearly there. We've got the sauce. We have to cook the pasta. And the broccolini is in the oven. I would say this is the beginning of a beautiful cooking friendship.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my gosh. If you welcome me in your kitchen, I will be there. Thank you.

[Ina Garten]

How fun is this?

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

Christine and I are just finishing the weeknight Bolognese. I'm stirring sauce and you're doing the pasta.

[Christine Baranski]

That's why I'm here. What kind of pasta is this?

[Ina Garten]

It's orecchiette, which is Little ears. Isn't that sweet?

[Christine Baranski]

I'm stirring it.

[Ina Garten]

You can use really any kind and lots of salt.

[Christine Baranski]

And you don't put olive oil in here.

[Ina Garten]

I don't. Because as long as the water's boiling and it's moving around, it won't stick. And that's what the olive oil is for. And I think the olive oil coats the pasta so the sauce doesn't get into it. How's that?

[Christine Baranski]

The things I'm learning. Thank you. Good.

[Ina Garten]

I'm so glad. Okay.

[Christine Baranski]

I've been doing everything wrong for years.

[Ina Garten]

And you know what? I used to, too. I've learned this over the years. Okay. A few more things to do with the weeknight Bolognese sauce. So I'm gonna add a little cream. Just gives it a little richness right into the Bolognese. Just a quarter of a cup. Little nutmeg, which is. It's kind of like. Gives it a really earthy flavor. Just a pinch of nutmeg, lots of fresh basil. Because, of course, it's Italy. You have to have basil. Right. And parmesan cheese. A lot of parmesan cheese. Half a cup. And then the last thing I put in is really unusual. There's red wine in it, But I just put some red wine in at the end, like a quarter of a cup. And there's still gonna be enough in here for us to drink.

[Christine Baranski]

Just like that. Oh, that's not. Just a little bit.

[Ina Garten]

Well, that's what I call a little bit.

[Christine Baranski]

Yes.

[Ina Garten]

That's a little bit. So what's a perfect day for you? Mm.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, getting up and having a homemade scone with your recipe. Clearly. And then. Cause I have a home in Connecticut that's directly on the lake, and I love to end my day with a glass of. And then once it gets dark, take off all my clothes. My favorite thing.

[Ina Garten]

Skinny dipping.

[Christine Baranski]

Skinny dipping. And I invite my friends to do the same, and you're more than welcome to come.

[Ina Garten]

Okay. Let's see how the broccolini's doing. Oh, it's perfect. How's that? Oh, I love it. Is that the easiest vegetable you've ever seen?

[Christine Baranski]

So pretty too. It looks so fresh.

[Ina Garten]

Thank you. Okay, I'm just gonna take it and put it on the platter. How's that?

[Christine Baranski]

It's looking fantastic.

[Ina Garten]

This goes with everything. I mean, it goes with lamb and pork and pasta, and you could have.

[Christine Baranski]

It for breakfast with an omelet, couldn't you?

[Ina Garten]

You could. You really could. Or frittata. Do you make frittatas? It's very Italian.

[Christine Baranski]

I do make frittatas, and I'm curious about okay with cooking eggs. I'm good at omelets. Scrambled cheese eggs, frittatas. I love to, you know, saute some vegetables. You just put a little salt and olive oil in there. I do that with eggs. So this was incredibly easy. Are most vegetables that easy to cook to retain the flavor? Because that's my problem with vegetables is they cook and then you can't taste them enough.

[Ina Garten]

You know, I think one of the things is, I think we got to undercooking vegetables, and they just taste like raw vegetables. Right. So I like vegetables that are cooked through, but just barely. Like, this is just. It's kind of crisp, tender. You can do asparagus. You can do, I mean, almost any vegetable. Aricot verre, just olive oil, salt and pepper into the oven. And I think the oil brings out the sweetness in the vegetables, so I think they taste better. How's this? Okay, let's see how the pasta's doing. So we want to cook it just maybe a minute less than the box says, because it's going to cook in the sauce.

[Christine Baranski]

Right.

[Ina Garten]

So instead of draining it, I'm going to put it in the sauce. So you.

[Christine Baranski]

You're not afraid of the water going in there?

[Ina Garten]

Actually, I want the water because the water is starchy and it's going to thicken the pasta sauce.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my gosh.

[Ina Garten]

I mean, 20 years ago, I used to dump the sauce on top of the pasta, like all Americans did. And then you find out and what a difference this is, right?

[Christine Baranski]

Absolutely.

[Ina Garten]

You know what I love? I love that the orecchiette, those little ears catch the sauce.

[Christine Baranski]

I know it's particularly good for the meat and everything. Yeah. Okay.

[Ina Garten]

I think it's done. You know what I love sometimes to do is just put the whole pot on the. On the buffet table. So we're making us a buffet table here. Okay. I've got two bowls, one for you.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my God.

[Ina Garten]

How's this pasta bolognese? It may not be Tuscan, but it's Italian. Right?

[Christine Baranski]

Got it.

[Ina Garten]

That's pretty good.

[Christine Baranski]

Ooh, thank you.

[Ina Garten]

But don't try it yet because I still have more to go. Hold on. And I always like to garnish it with something that's in it. So we have a little Parmesan cheese. Little Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, yeah.

[Ina Garten]

Doesn't that look pretty? Maybe a little broccolini on the side.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, my God. Look at this.

[Ina Garten]

A little Chianti. What do they say in Italy?

[Advertiser/Host (Various Ads)]

Salute.

[Ina Garten]

Salute. Sounds so good. Well, I hope it's good. Not bad.

[Christine Baranski]

Feels like I'm in Italy.

[Ina Garten]

Does it? Oh, good. Has this been the best day? Like, the best day ever? It's the best. Thank you so much. You can come out and visit me anytime.

[Christine Baranski]

Oh, welcome to my life.

[Ina Garten]

And I hope you do.

[Christine Baranski]

Basta pasta, Basta pasta and broccolini.

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