For Food Network stars including Ina, Emeril, Giada and others no food is more comforting than...The Classics. From perfectly juicy prime rib, to creamy mashed potatoes, succulent meatloaf, and more.
For Food Network stars including Ina, Emeril, Giada and others no food is more comforting than...The Classics. From perfectly juicy prime rib, to creamy mashed potatoes, succulent meatloaf, and more.
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Find episode transcript here: https://the-best-thing-i-ever-ate.simplecast.com/episodes/the-classics-ft-giada-de-laurentiis-robert-irvine-and-ina-garten
[MUSIC PLAYING] 1: People ask me all the time.
2: Where do you like to eat?
3: What's your favorite food?
SPEAKER 4: What's the best thing you've ever eaten?
SPEAKER 5: That's why we're here now.
SPEAKER 2: Not only to tell you what we love to eat--
SPEAKER 5: But where you can go get it.
MARC SUMMERS: Talking about classics here, folks. This is a amazing hot dog.
EMERIL LAGASSE: You want something classic? I'm giving it to you.
TED ALLEN: They have so much flavor. The frosting is just creamy, and whipped, and fluffy, and buttery.
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS: And you're like, whoa! And you just are overcome with joy.
BRIAN BOITANO: It's just one of the most amazing things. There is nothing more classic than this.
EMERIL LAGASSE: My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS: You've had a rough day? There's nothing like a nice, piping hot, creamy, chicken pot pie with a flaky, buttery crust. There just isn't. It makes you kind of go-- [BIG SIGH] life is good. My ultimate chicken pot pie is found at the Woodspoon in downtown Los Angeles. It's the quintessential, classic home-cooked meal. It's the perfect thing.
My husband Todd works in downtown LA, so he stumbled upon this place. He told me, Giada, you got to try this pot pie. It is unbelievable. I was a little skeptical, but I walked in, and I could smell the chicken pot pie. I knew, OK, this is going to be really, really good.
Most chicken pot pies-- onion, carrots, peas, and chicken. Well, this one's a little different. It's hand-pulled white meat chicken inside. Really good. Then she adds a few unexpected ingredients, like olives, like hearts of palm. They're so good in there. And then, of course, there's a cream sauce.
SPEAKER 6: This was one of the things that mama taught me.
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS: That creamy filling is phenomenal. So it's on the thicker side, which helps keep that crispy, buttery, flaky crust nice and crunchy. Nice. When you crack into the crust, steam comes popping out, and you smell-- it's like that aroma of all the goodness inside that's been bubbling, like a volcano. And you're like, whoa! And you just kind of-- aah, are overcome with joy.
You slowly start to break into it. Down-home, creamy, soft, buttery chicken pot pie. After I try the chicken pot pie, my husband was like, OK, you trust me now? He's right. It's really and truly that good. It's like, aah! Mmm.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
TED ALLEN: I think this is the ultimate classic American dessert-- the cupcake. My favorite cupcakes are the Butter Lane in New York City. One of the nice things is that you can choose what kind of cake you want and what kind of frosting you want. If I had to pick one, my favorite cupcake would be the banana cupcake with a vanilla frosting, or the vanilla cake with the chocolate frosting. Why do I have to pick one?
This is really cool because I don't have a cupcake right now. And I'm thinking about eating a cupcake, but you didn't get me one. And I don't know what kind of person would do that. This is going to sound like a cliche, but what I think makes them taste so great is that they're really made with love. And they look homemade. They look like they were made by a nice Southern lady which, in fact, they are. Her name is Pam Nelson. And she's charming.
PAM NELSON: So as with most cupcake recipes, you really start out just with butter and sugar.
TED ALLEN: Butter Lane uses all organic dairy ingredients.
PAM NELSON: Put in the liquid ingredients, in this case, buttermilk. The buttermilk makes this nice and rich. I think it really goes well with the banana.
TED ALLEN: And they specialize in a type of frosting called French buttercream.
SPEAKER 7: French buttercream starts with granulated sugar, not confectioners sugar. And you have to melt that with egg whites.
TED ALLEN: French buttercream is lighter and fluffier, and more whipped up than regular buttercream.
SPEAKER 7: Add cold butter and fresh vanilla bean. That's all it is.
TED ALLEN: If you've never used real vanilla beans, they have so much flavor. At Butter Lane Cupcake, you're going to have about that much cupcake, you're going to have about that much frosting. That's just the way I like it.
A lot of the cupcakes they sell in New York are these big, steroidal huge cupcakes. But sometimes, what you really want is the actual classic, just the real deal. It looks just like the ones your mom used to make, but this one is something special.
The cake is light, and fluffy, and moist. And the frosting is just creamy and whipped. And I just go-- [BITE SOUND]. It's hard to not be happy when you're holding a cupcake. It makes you think of pin the tail on the donkey, and being a kid. What's not to like? It's a cupcake. Shut up and eat your cupcakes.
ROBERT IRVINE: There's nothing better than mashed potatoes. I'm English, we eat mashed potatoes. I can eat bowls, and bowls, and bowls of it. This is what happens when you eat mashed potatoes. The best mashed potatoes I have ever eaten, the truth, are the Parc Restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There's no specks, no lumps. There's just silky, smooth, mashed potatoes.
A little roast chicken, maybe? Doesn't get more classical or more comforting than that. Now mashed potatoes sounds simple, right? Potatoes, salt, butter, cream, that's it. You would think anybody could do it, right? Wrong.
Not all mashed potatoes are created equal. I'm very, very picky about mashed potatoes. 9 out of 10 times, they over whip them, they overcook them, they don't put enough butter in. At Parc, they've got it just right.
I will have the roast chicken with the pommes puree.
SPEAKER 8: If you want to start with some Yukon gold chef's potatoes?
ROBERT IRVINE: That's the secret.
SPEAKER 8: Yukons are a very creamy once they're pureed.
ROBERT IRVINE: They boil them, they drain them, then they rice them.
SPEAKER 8: I live and die by the food mill. I get a really smooth, consistent, uniform product at the end. For about 2 pounds of potatoes, we're going to use almost a pound of butter.
ROBERT IRVINE: Mash them together.
SPEAKER 8: I'm going to sprinkle it with a bit of kosher salt.
ROBERT IRVINE: And that's it. Up, up. Here it is. The mashed potatoes are served with half of a roast chicken and a chicken [INAUDIBLE] Just the aroma is enough to die for them. First things, mashed potato. And I know it's going to be good. Look at that. That is just sheer genius. My mother could never make them. She made lumpy mashed potatoes.
The mashed potato is so smooth, and the texture is like butter. My fork hits, and that's all I do. A mouthful of perfection. It is chicken. How moist, how juicy, it tastes amazing. And when you mix that with creamy mashed potatoes, that, to me, is the perfect meal. Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.
It just means you've got to work out a little harder the next day. That was outstanding. There is no better classic dish than mashed potatoes.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MARC SUMMERS: Talking about classics here, folks, we're in the United States of America, what do you think of? You think of mom, you think of apple pie, and hot dogs. Hot dogs, chili dogs, nothing's more classic than that. How much more classic can it get than going to Hollywood, California, Sunset Boulevard. Everything on Sunset Boulevard is classic. It's old Hollywood.
Where am I going have a chili dog? Sunset Boulevard, of course! And the only place to get one is at Carneys. This is the best chili dog I've ever eaten. This is a amazing hot dog. There's hot doggie, and there's like hot doggie. And then hot diggity dog, I'm glad I'm here at Carneys.
The way I discovered this chili dog, I used to be a stand up comedian at a place called The Comedy Store. And back then, I really didn't have a lot of money. By the way, I don't have a lot of money today, but I had even less then. If you're trying to find some good food, down the street, from The Comedy Store, was Carneys.
When you walk into Carneys, [INHALES] you get the smell of that all natural hot dog.
SPEAKER 9: There are especially steamed buns. And we have Carneys own special hot dogs, all beef, natural casing, bull meat, chuck, and flank. Nothing like them.
MARC SUMMERS: That natural hot dog tastes and smells unbelievable. It's like eating a stake in a tube. Now, here's the key.
SPEAKER 9: We have our own special chili.
MARC SUMMERS: It's cow on top of cow!
SPEAKER 9: And a beautiful beefsteak tomato right on top of that.
MARC SUMMERS: You have these gigantic beef steak tomatoes. And they drop them-- drop them, just boom, right there, on your chili dog. Fantastic.
SPEAKER 9: There you have it. It doesn't get any better than that.
MARC SUMMERS: First bite. I hear that snap, that crunch, that dog biting back at me. There's going to be a little chili there. There's going to be a little chili there. There are no words to describe this chili dog from Carneys. It tastes so good.
You eat a chili dog from Carneys. Here's my email address, see it down there? Then you email me and tell me the words that describe how good this hot dog is. I love your chili dog. I love your chili dog. That's how much I love this chili dog.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
AARON SANCHEZ: When I hear the sizzling of a piece of fish on a cast iron skillet, I revert back to that young cook that I was, and it just makes me feel so good, so nostalgic, and it really makes me appreciate where I am now.
The blackening technique is so classic New Orleans. And no other dish embodies that more than blackened redfish at K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, owned by Chef Paul Prudhomme, my mentor, my culinary father.
If you want to talk about life-altering dishes, blackened redfish is one of them. I worked with Chef Paul for a number of years in New Orleans, and it was some of the most special years of my life. And blackened redfish, for me, just brings it all back.
PAUL PRUDHOMME: Welcome to K-Paul's!
AARON SANCHEZ: The whole key to this dish is the utilization of the seasonings. Chef Paul has a line of seasonings that are called K-Paul's Magic. This got garlic, and salt, and black pepper, and white pepper, and red pepper. He's like a culinary sorcerer. Each pepper reacts differently on your palate. It's like boom, boom. It's almost like you're being hit with a punch of seasoning.
It's kind of like surround flavor. The blackening technique is actually a skill. It's an art. A little bit of clarified butter over the top, go right into the hot skillet. Cast iron skillet are like a bubble of memory. I have one that's over 180 years old. That belonged to my grandmother. And when I cook in it, I still really smell and taste the foods that my grandmother did.
They actually impart this wonderful flavor of years of cooking blackened redfish. You can't beat that. So what happens is, you're actually cooking the spices, and you're creating a crust of seasoning that locks in the moisture. It adds a texture, and then a layer of flavor that's so incomparable to anything you've ever had.
Once you take that bite, you get a piece of this fish that's flaky, and sumptuous, and juicy. And then all that seasoning just starts coming up, and it's almost like you feel like you're levitating. You're floating up in the air. You're in heaven. There's no other blackened redfish for me than K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. Period.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
INA GARTEN: There are a couple of things in life that never disappoint me-- Paris, Jeffrey, and the meatloaf at 1770 House in East Hampton, New York. It's the best classic dish I've ever had. It is always perfect.
The thing about classic dishes is, they start from home cooking. It's one of those things that everybody's mother used to make.
SPEAKER 10: Did your mother make meatloaf?
INA GARTEN: Oh, yeah. [LAUGHS] You don't want to go there. This is so not that meatloaf. This is really the most delicious meatloaf I've ever eaten. At Barefoot Contessa, we used to make turkey meatloaf, and it's absolutely delicious. But I have to tell you, it's not as good as the meatloaf at 1770 House.
KEVIN PENNER: This is a variation on my mother's recipe.
INA GARTEN: You know, one time, I actually asked Kevin Penner for the recipe. And I thought, now, why would I want to make this? It's a half a block from my house, I'd so much rather go out and have Kevin Penner make it for us.
KEVIN PENNER: The ingredients we incorporate into our meatloaf are naturally raised beef, naturally raised veal, and Berkshire pork. We're going to add celery and onion, parsley, chives and thyme. We have the luxury of going out behind the house and picking them ourselves.
INA GARTEN: His food is seasoned perfectly. And I remember there's panko in it rather than breadcrumbs, which is the Japanese bread flakes.
KEVIN PENNER: Paddle them all together, forming them into a loaf, and bake it.
INA GARTEN: I'd love to know what he does with the sauce. It's amazing.
KEVIN PENNER: The sauce for meatloaf is made with the meatloaf. That involves heating the meatloaf up with a little chicken [INAUDIBLE] chicken stock, herbs, and butter, roasted garlic. Because we want the sauce to taste of the meatloaf, and the meatloaf to taste of the sauce.
INA GARTEN: Oh, that's very clever. There's a big slice of meatloaf, more than you can ever eat, and a puddle of mashed potatoes. And I love sauteed spinach, so it's the perfect thing for it. The meatloaf is garlicky. It's incredibly moist, it's incredibly flavorful, and it's never dry. It's absolutely delicious. And a nice cosmopolitan-- perfect combination, Cosmopolitan meatloaf, nothing's wrong in the world.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
BRIAN BOITANO: When I think about my favorite classic dishes of all time, it has to be prime rib. I know you would never expect to find the best prime rib at a place called the House of Prime Rib. But believe me, it is there in San Francisco, California. It's amazing.
The reason I like this prime rib is because it's so crusty brown on the outside, and it's really salty, but the inside is really tender. I love this place because it reminds me of my childhood, and how my mom and dad used to take us there all the time. In fact, my dad used to take my mom on dates there before they were married.
SPEAKER 11: Nice to see you again. Thank you very much. Welcome to the House of Prime Rib.
BRIAN BOITANO: First of all, you have to get the salad. They do this whole presentation, up and down in the bowl, spinning in ice. But I'm here to talk about prime rib. There's something special in the way that they prepare it.
SPEAKER 11: We dried our own beef, then it's fully covered with rock salt. This seals in all the juices, seasons it at the same time.
BRIAN BOITANO: And that's different than other places do. The salty quotient doesn't compare.
SPEAKER 11: And then it's baked for a very, very long time. When it comes out of the oven, we need to let it rest for a couple hours, at least. And now, we need to break the crust. After we take it out of the salt crust, the trimming process back here, before we move it to the carving carts.
BRIAN BOITANO: Bring on the silver dome. So when they wheel the cart toward you, and then they open the big silver dome, automatically, your mouth starts watering. Yeah! They carve the meat right at the table. Everybody can get their own cut, and it's just perfect. And so then, they sliced it up.
So now we're getting my end cut, and I sacrifice a little bit of the pink at the middle-- wow, so I can have all that crusty goodness on the outside. It's just one of the most amazing things.
SPEAKER 11: [INAUDIBLE]
BRIAN BOITANO: There is nothing more classic than this.
SPEAKER 11: Let's get [INAUDIBLE] here.
BRIAN BOITANO: Yes. All right.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
EMERIL LAGASSE: My mouth is watering just thinking about it. This gooey, and hooey, and when you cut it and sticks all together, and it's just-- ah, good. You want something special? You want something classic? I'm giving it to you.
Veal parmigiano. Who's got the best veal parmigiano? I'll tell you who's got the best veal parmigiano. Il Vagabondo, that's a dish. That's a classic. Yeah. There's nothing like it. It's to die for. I don't know if it's a veal, I don't know if it's the breading, I don't know if it's the sauce. Maybe they're putting some magic dust in there from the bocce ball court.
I don't know. I don't have the answer. I don't have the secrets.
SPEAKER 12: We have no secrets. The key to our veal parmigiano is fresh ingredients. We use the best fresh tomatoes in making our tomato sauce. We use the best deal possible. We insist upon white veal. We pound it, we bred it, fry it in olive oil, sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, cover it with Munster cheese, and off it goes into the broiler and into your plate.
EMERIL LAGASSE: It's really incredible. The breading is just right. The right amount of tomato sauce on top, and the cheese is melted just perfect. You get the aromas that just come up. You take your first bite, aah! OK, I'm going to have another bite. It's a big portion. I'm really not going to finish this.
And then all of a sudden, there's nothing left on the plate. Where did it go? Some parmigiano elf came down. And while you weren't looking, ran away with it. Just happen to have one in my spare pocket here. Do you see the size of that? Oh, yeah, that's no exaggeration. Who needs this? Use a fork, just like butter. Do you see it? Hmm-mm. That, my friends, is veal parmigiano from Il Vagabondo in New York City.
What street? I'm not telling you. Phone number? You're not getting it, because I don't want to really see you there. I want to be able to get my table. It's a really, really spectacular veal parmigiano. Oh, yum it up, baby. Yum it up.!
[MUSIC PLAYING]