Ina Garten or Ree Drummond — Which Food Network Star Has a More Delicious 4th of July Menu?
Ina Garten and Ree Drummond are two of the most famous personalities on the Food Network. Also known as The Barefoot Contessa and The Pioneer Woman, Garten and Drummond each have their own distinct style in the kitchen. And they both serve up delicious food. The question is — which TV chef has a more delicious 4th of July menu?
Ina Garten likes to ‘shake things up’ on the 4th of July
Instead of serving traditional holiday foods like hot dogs and hamburgers, Garten says she likes to “shake things up” on Independence Day. The main dish on her menu this year is Grilled Herbed Shrimp with Mango Salsa, with Panzanella on the side and Watermelon Mojitos to drink.
“It’s an easy, summery menu I can make mostly in advance, so all I have to do is throw the shrimp on the grill just before dinner!! Have a safe and happy 4th of July!!” Garten says.
To have a little tradition on her menu, Garten is also including her classic Flag Cake for dessert. It’s an incredible cake decorated as an American flag, with blueberries, raspberries, and cream cheese frosting. Even Drummond admits that Garten’s Flag Cake is “hard to beat.”
“It’s such a great, rich cake, and I’ve made it for many summer parties over the years,” Drummond writes on her blog. “It’s one of the most delicious and splash-making cake recipes you could possibly cook for your 4th of July festivities.”
Ina Garten’s Flag Cake is a must dessert, no matter which holiday menu you choose
Garten’s Flag Cake recipe comes from her cookbook Family Style. And, as Drummond explains, it’s a recipe that’s “real, simple, and abundant.” Which is one of the reasons why The Pioneer Woman is such a big fan.
For the cake, you will need a generous amount of butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, pure vanilla extract, flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and baking soda. To make the icing, you’ll need even more butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and pure vanilla extract.
To make the red stripes, the recipe calls for three half-pints of raspberries. For the blue background in the star field, you’ll need two half-pints of blueberries.
However, if you don’t feel up to the challenge of decorating with stars and stripes, Drummond suggests “frosting the cake with all of the icing and sprinkling raspberries and blueberries randomly and generously all over the cake” to get the “red, white, and blue effect.”
Ree Drummond’s 4th of July menu is a bit more traditional
To go along with her husband Ladd’s “Fourth of July steaks,” Garten’s holiday menu features two yummy side dishes — Perfectly Baked Beans and Caprese Salad. For the salad, all you need is ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
“Made it as a side for my husband tonight and loved it. Magic happens when FRESH basil is in the mix,” one happy reviewer shared.
Drummond also has a dessert option other than Garten’s Flag Cake. She says her Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce is the perfect dessert for watching a fireworks display.
Episodes of The Barefoot Contessa are available on Discovery+. The Pioneer Woman airs Sundays on the Food Network.
