The Recipe Ina Garten Makes The Most Is A Sweet French Classic

There are some days when you're just so tired of your rotation of recipes and you think to yourself, "I wish I was a professional chef so I could whip up something new every day!" Well, believe it or not, chefs are just like us, and they also gravitate towards their favorite dishes again and again. Even though the iconic Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, has over 1,000 recipes in her repertoire, she admits there is one she makes the most: her French apple tart. "It's got a crisp crust and sweet apples and butter and sugar, and it's easy to make," said Garten – who just released a memoir, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens" – on NBC's Today show. 

The traditional French apple tart, known as a tarte Tatin, originated back in the 1800s at an inn south of Paris owned by Caroline and Stephanie Tatin. One day, Stephanie neglected to put a pie crust on the bottom of her apple pie, so instead of starting over, she put the dough on top. Once it was baked, she flipped the pie over, displaying perfectly browned apples on top of a flaky dough, and voila! A new classic dessert was born. However, if you think turning a whole dessert on its head sounds a little stressful, Garten actually has a preferred go-to stand in for a homemade tart.

Despite her magical prowess in the kitchen, Ina Garten is not superhuman and realizes there are days where making a homemade dessert is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean you should always embrace low-quality supermarket confections: "When I say 'store-bought is just fine,' I'm not talking about going to the grocery store, buying a really bad birthday cake, and claiming that you made it yourself," Garten says (via Food Network). So on those hectic days when you have no time to spare, she recommends purchasing her go-to Trader Joe's French apple tart. She puts the dessert in the oven before guests arrive, so that the whole house smells like apple bliss.

Another grocery store treat that Garten adores is vanilla ice cream, specifically from Häagen-Dazs, Ben and Jerry's, and Ciao Bella. To accompany the ice cream, Garten also buys store-bought pound cake (though it would also make the perfect partner for your apple tart).

If you are making your own dessert, there are still Ingredients Garten simply prefers to buy at the store. This includes lemon curd for her fresh lemon mousse recipe, caramel sauce for her salted caramel brownies, and frozen puff pastry for her apple galettes. So let dessert-making be fun and stress-free! The queen of cooking said so herself.