Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist

Episode: Ina Garten on Hosting, Dessert Traditions and Dream Dinner Guests – Part 2

Date: December 21, 2025
Guest: Ina Garten

Episode Overview

In this lively continuation of a live-audience conversation at New York City's City Winery, Willie Geist and beloved cookbook author Ina Garten dive into the art of effortless hosting. Part two shifts focus to the joy of desserts made simple, creating a showstopping platter with store-bought sweets and fruits, tips for mixing a proper Kir Royale, and candid audience Q&A covering Ina's culinary philosophies, dinner party secrets, and more. The episode is filled with practical advice, laughter, and the signature warmth both host and guest are known for.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Effortless Dessert Platter (01:54–12:14)

• Ina’s Approach:

  • Ina debunks the notion that dinner party desserts must be elaborate or homemade, offering a no-cook, visually stunning alternative.
    • “I have a way to make a dessert that's equally over the top but really simple, requires no cooking at all.” – Ina (01:54)

• Building the Platter:

  • Begin with flowers for the table, not for the food—favoring “one flower, lots of them” for impact (02:19).
  • Combine shapes, sizes, colors, and add greenery and fruit for visual interest and flair (02:51–03:01).
  • Select a variety of bakery treats and fruit: lemon loaves, raspberry bars, brownies, chocolate-dipped macaroons, and thumbprint cookies (03:32–03:54).
    • “Nobody will know you never turned the oven on.” – Ina (03:15)

• Selecting Bubbly and Mixing a Kir Royale:

  • Visit to a wine shop for champagne—highlights the importance of acidity to balance the sweetness from crème de cassis (black currant liqueur) (04:22–04:38).
  • Kir Royale demonstration; simply crème de cassis plus chilled champagne, served in any glass you like: “If you want to drink it out of a tumbler, knock yourself out. It'll still be delicious.” – Ina (04:55)

• Dessert Platter Assembly Tips:

  • Layering green leaves on the platter adds contrast and freshness (07:13–07:31).
  • Anchor the display with a focal fruit (like a pile of strawberries), surround with grapes, and arrange baked treats in groupings—avoid mixing similar shapes next to each other (07:41–09:39).
  • Group items (not scattered like M&Ms), alternate shapes (rectangle, round), pile brownies, slices of cake, cookies, and fruits for an abundant look (09:13–11:00).
    • “It's about texture and flavor and… make it really interesting. And everything is accessible. So if you put this in the middle of a table, everybody would just go, oh, that looks so fabulous.” – Ina (10:10)
  • No cooking necessary: “You know, there was no cooking at all.” – Ina (11:33)

2. Ina’s Entertaining and Food Philosophy

• Always plan the platter visually and in terms of flavor variety (12:00).
• Chocolate is non-negotiable: “Always chocolate. Something chocolate.” – Ina (12:08)

Audience Q&A Highlights (13:23–19:55)

Takeout in Ina's Life (13:23–14:41)

• Favorite takeout: “I like really simple takeout things like a souvlaki from the Greek restaurant or… there's a restaurant near us called 1770 house that has great meatloaf. So on a cold winter night, it's wonderful.” – Ina (13:54)
• Rarely opts for fast food; has occasionally enjoyed In-N-Out Burger when in California.

Managing Meal Timing (14:41–15:47)

• Ina uses a written “battle plan” to orchestrate when dishes go in and come out so all are ready together.
  • “If I have four things… and I want to serve everything at 7:30, I work my way backwards… Otherwise I'm always going, oh my God, do I have to put the string beans in now?” – Ina (15:08)

Enjoyment vs. Stress of Entertaining (15:38–16:04)

• When does she start to enjoy a dinner party? “When it’s over… every single Sunday I’d go, oh, I’m so tired. I’m never giving another dinner party again. And then on Monday, I’d start inviting people for the next weekend.” – Ina (15:41, 15:47)

Cooking With Music (16:10–16:44)

• Cooking is always accompanied by music; Ina has Spotify and Apple Music playlists for moods and occasions: French, dinner party, road trips.
• “Always. I actually have playlists that I have on Spotify and Apple...” – Ina (16:15)

Favorite Paris Eats (16:56–17:24)

• Visits Paris multiple times a year; prefers relaxed brasseries over “fancy restaurants.”
  • “The thing I love about Paris is not the fancy restaurants, it's the brasseries and really simple places… go to Flor, and have an omelette and a glass of champagne.” – Ina (16:56)

Dream Dinner Guests (17:25–18:43)

• Ina’s list: Julia Child, Eric Ripert, Jacques Pépin
  • “Wouldn’t that dinner party be fabulous?” – Ina (17:45)
  • Entertaining Eric Ripert: “I was in a full panic… I made him a French apple tart when he came. And he was just adorable.” – Ina (18:02)
• Willie’s list: Dolly Parton, Martin Short, plus his NHL-playing great-grandfather Herbie Lewis (18:43–19:13)

Advice for Non-Cooks (19:29–19:51)

• Start with a simple cookbook and master two dishes—like roast chicken and pasta bolognese—through repetition:
  • “Learn to make two things… Just keep making it over and over and over again until you feel comfortable with it and then you've got two great dinners.” – Ina (19:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kir Royale glassware:
  “If you want to drink it out of a tumbler, knock yourself out. It'll still be delicious.”
  – Ina Garten (04:55)

• On assembling dessert:
  “Nobody will know you never turned the oven on.”
  – Ina Garten (03:15)

• On hosting and stress:
  “When do I start to enjoy a dinner party? When it’s over.”
  – Ina Garten (15:41)

• On starting to cook:
  “Learn to make two things… then you've got two great dinners.”
  – Ina Garten (19:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:54 – Introduction to the no-cook dessert concept
• 03:01 – Building the dessert platter: shopping for fruit and bakery treats
• 04:16 – Champagne & Kir Royale explanation and demo
• 07:30 – Dessert platter assembly: tips on arrangement and aesthetics
• 13:23 – Audience Q&A begins
• 13:54 – Ina on takeout favorites
• 15:08 – Secret to meal timing and planning
• 16:15 – Cooking with music
• 16:56 – Favorite Paris restaurants & simplicity
• 17:45 – Dream dinner guests discussion
• 19:29 – Advice for non-cooks

Episode Tone

The episode is friendly, witty, and conversational, interspersed with audience laughter and candid banter. Ina's advice is approachable, never prescriptive, and often humorous. Willie guides the conversation with warmth and a bit of self-deprecation, making the listener feel like a guest at their table.