The 2 Foods You'll Rarely Find At Ina Garten's Dinner Parties

The queen of entertaining, Ina Garten is incredible at coming up with default dishes for easy and elegant dinner parties. No matter if she's serving up a homemade pizza or a slow-simmered beef Bourguignon, her failsafe tip is to start with one star of the show before brainstorming a series of simple dishes to support it. However, there are two foods you'll rarely find at Ina Garten's dinner parties. "I never eat steak tartare or raw eggs, unless I know they're from a safe place," the author explains in her cookbook "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics." "I'm not about to serve food to friends that requires me to explain its provenance."

Much like Italian beef carpaccio or a Peruvian ceviche, steak tartare is served raw. This classic French dish is made by finely chopping raw minced beef with seasonings before it's shaped into a circle and served with a raw egg cracked on top. As this delicacy isn't cooked, it's vital that the beef itself be fresh and of high quality — not just for flavor reasons, but for food safety. There's a risk that raw beef can be contaminated with bacteria that cause Salmonella or E. Coli, so serving it at a dinner party can be a dicey move unless you know exactly where the meat has come from. Moreover, many people are squeamish about eating raw meat, particularly when it has been prepared by someone else (even if it is by the talented Garten).

Serving steak tartare with raw egg is common, but it isn't mandatory. The egg is supposed to be stirred into the meat at the table by each diner to lend the steak a velvety texture and an additional element of richness. Many health experts advise against eating raw eggs because there's a risk they could be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause abdominal cramps, fever, and vomiting. Using pasteurized eggs can reduce this small risk (according to the American Egg Board, the chance of an average consumer encountering a contaminated egg is once every 84 years). That said, it's better to avoid serving raw eggs to vulnerable groups, like toddlers and the elderly.

Now, this isn't to say Ina Garten doesn't serve any variety of raw protein or eggs at home. For instance, in her cookery book titled "Family Style," there's a recipe for tuna tartare, which she recreated after trying it at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. She also whips a raw egg yolk in her chocolate buttercream frosting to make it silky smooth and rich. It seems the cookery show host simply errs on the side of caution when preparing a meal for dinner party guests, but is happy to enjoy raw meats and eggs in the comfort of her own home.