Quick: You’ve been invited to a dinner party and need to bring a gift for the host. Your first thoughts may be a charcuterie board, dessert, dip or bottle of wine. Your friend will likely appreciate the gesture, but if you ask Ina Garten…you can do better.
*This* Is the Host Gift Ina Garten Brings to a Dinner Party (Hint: It’s Not a Bottle of Wine)
From homemade granola to fancy caramels
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Published Nov 22, 2024
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“I don’t bring something that the hostess feels…that they need to serve,” says the Barefoot Contessa in an Instagram video posted by @pastrywithjenn. “So, I don’t bring wine, because they feel like they should serve it with the meal. I don’t bring a particular course, like I wouldn’t bring cheese, because they feel like they need to serve the cheese with the dinner. I bring things like homemade granola. I’ll bring good coffee. I’ll bring maybe chocolates, like Fran’s caramels, that everybody likes. I love Fran’s caramels. I’ll bring good tea; you know, something they’ll enjoy another time.”
It seems like a no-brainer when she says it (no surprise there), but I’d genuinely never thought that bringing an unsolicited food item to a dinner party that’s meant to be eaten immediately could be considered sort of…rude? Unless it’s a potluck situation, odds are the host curated a specific menu for the occasion. Why throw a wrench (albeit a tasty one) into their plan and compromise people’s appetites when you weren’t asked to?
Oh, and for the uninitiated with a sweet tooth, Fran’s Chocolate is an American artisanal brand that’s been slinging confections for more than 40 years. There’s no shortage of deliciousness to peruse on the online shop, but I’d recommend following Ina’s lead with these smoked salt caramels enrobed in milk chocolate.
After all, they’re only $9 on Amazon. When has the Queen of Chambray ever steered you wrong?
