Cooking for Stephen: Ina Garten and Stephen Colbert Talk Cookbooks and Meet-Cutes

From The Colbert Report to The Late Show, Stephen Colbert has been a staple of late-night television for two decades. Last year, he and his producer wife, Evie McGee-Colbert, wrote a best-selling cookbook: Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves. The two stopped by Ina Garten’s house to share their favorite recipes and stories with the legendary chef.

Ina’s made several appearances on The Late Show over the years, so it was only fair that she claimed the hosting duties from Stephen for the afternoon. Per the couple’s request, Ina prepped for their arrival by making her famous sour cream coffee cake.

Ina’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake

The recipe begins by mixing a batter of unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract. Once that’s done, Ina sifts flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, which she gradually introduces to the batter while in the mixer.

The cake consists of two layers, divided by and topped off with a streusel made of brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and unsalted butter. Rather than using a mixer, Ina pinches the ingredients together to form a crumble. After stirring in some walnuts, the streusel is ready to bake. She layers the batter and streusel in a tube pan, and places it in a 350-degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

Just before company arrived, Ina made a maple glaze for the cake consisting of confectioners' sugar and — as Ina emphasizes — “good maple syrup.”

Cooking for Stephen

As they walked up the steps to Ina’s front door, Stephen admitted, “I feel like I’m going into a dream that I have every day.” After introducing herself to Evie, Ina told the story of how she and Stephen first met, thanks to an X post where he requested she write a cookbook dedicated to him.

His dream came true. Ina sent him an edited version of Cooking for Jeffrey, titled Cooking for Stephen, where every reference of her husband, Jeffrey Garten, had been replaced: his pictures, mentions throughout the book and even everywhere the title of the book appeared.

Love Blossoms in Charleston

Over coffee and cake, Stephen and Evie recounted the first time they met. A young Stephen had just returned home to Charleston, South Carolina, to contemplate the future of his relationship. He’d been given an ultimatum: marriage or nothing. His first night home, his mom took him to the theater. The second he walked in, he saw Evie and said to himself, “Her. You’re going to marry her.” Despite his sharkskin suit, Evie was taken with him. The two had grown up in the same town but had never met up until that point. She wrote him a postcard when he returned to Chicago, which was conveniently intercepted by his girlfriend. The rest is history.

Ina had a similar story of her first interaction with Jeffrey. He’d seen her walking down the street when he was a student at Dartmouth. He said to his roommate, who just so happened to know Ina, “I have to go out with her.” Four years later, they got married.

Tales from The Late Show

When Ina asked Stephen what the wildest thing that ever happened in front of his studio audience was, he had an easy answer: “Jane Fonda crawled in my lap and stuck her tongue in my ear.” He shared that in one week, he was kissed by Helen Mirren, Sally Field and Jeff Daniels (on the lips)!

Family Recipes

Evie’s favorite recipe included in their book is a Southern staple known as Hoppin’ John. A regional take on beans and rice, the people of Charleston pair Hoppin’ John with collard greens on New Year's Day to bring good luck. Evie’s theory for the tradition: “I think it’s because it’s good hangover food.”

Stephen and Evie grew up with very different approaches to food. Evie’s side of the family is where most of the recipes come from. Growing up the youngest of 11, Stephen’s mom “didn’t cook — she distributed.” Her one specialty was fudge; however, that remains a hotly debated topic among Stephen’s generation. Each of his siblings has their own idea of what the recipe should be, which is why five different fudge recipes appear throughout the book.

Evie’s Green Goddess Dip

Evie’s take on green goddess dip comes courtesy of her sister-in-law, Kitty. Starting with sour cream and mayonnaise, Evie tossed them in the food processor with green onion tops, tarragon, flat parsley and chives. Ina and Evie bonded over their love of the mysterious "anchovy paste,” as Evie mixed it in along with fresh lemon juice and salt.

Stephen’s 'Capri Sunset'

Stephen got right to work on his cocktails, using his bare hands to scoop ice. After some light criticism from his better half, he chose to use a spoon for the rest and decided Jeffrey would be getting the first glass.

Stephen shared that the inspiration for his Capri Sunset came from the legendary Dick Cavett. Cavett was one of the most prominent talk-show hosts from 1968 to 1996. While his ratings didn’t compare with the likes of Johnny Carson, his cool-guy approach to the time slot made him an icon for the following generations of late-night hosts.

Dick got his signature drink of orange juice and Campari from Marlon Brando, but that wasn't strong enough for Stephen. His recipe keeps the OJ and Campari base, but adds two Mississippis of vodka and a splash of soda water. Coincidentally, Ina is a huge fan of Campari.

Once everything was ready, the trio relocated to the patio, where Jeffrey joined them for cocktails and the most stunning veggie platter known to man. No one can slice veggies like the Barefoot Contessa.