Ina Garten talks traditional wives and her marriage confession — but don't ask her about Trump

Well, I have two books ahead of me. One of them is the 14th cookbook, which, after writing more than 1,000 recipes, is a challenge to invent new things that are really compelling and that people want to make. And after that I plan to do a design book, which will be a real challenge. It will be my experience in designing houses, gardens and table decorations, but also much more of a guide to booking than just pretty pictures. For example, how do you set a table that is easy and exciting?

If you were to give a total newbie entertainer tips for hosting a dinner party, what would they be?

The first is to remember that they are your friends and that you invited them to spend time with them.

Which, for some reason, is so easy to forget.

It's so easy to forget. It's so easy to think, “Oh my God, I have to impress her with this dinner.” But really, you just need to make something absolutely delicious that you already know how to make and keep it to the bare minimum.

I recently had some friends over for lunch, and I mean, I've been cooking my whole life – I'm assuming I'm a lot older than you – and every step of the way I thought to myself: Will my friends have more fun? If I bake the peach pie, or can I go to a wonderful local bakery and buy a peach pie and we will have just as much fun together? And so I did that. Will my friends have more fun if I make the watermelon lemonade, or can I just open a delicious bottle of rosé and we have a great time? I stripped it down to the things that really matter and reminded myself that this is about the people, not the food.

How many times have I completely upset people because I'm afraid of what I've done because of…

Because you're afraid, exactly. And cooking is hard. It's not easy, and the easier you can make it and the more you can use local resources to complete it yourself, the better off you are.

In the memoir there is a detail about the encounter with Sriracha. Are there any new ingredients recently that you've started working with – or fallen in love with again?

One of my favorite ingredients is truffle butter. And it's white truffle butter, not black truffle butter, because it's so fragrant. There are many things, such as truffle oil, that I believe have never encountered a truffle in their life. But truffle butter is actually made from shaved truffles and butter and is simply delicious. And for maybe $10, a small pot of truffle butter can flavor a risotto, mashed potatoes, or pasta, turning something very simple into something truly luxurious.

I think that's something people love about your recipes: They're totally doable but feel luxurious.

I'm always looking for a place where something is both simple and special. Anyone can do something simple and boring, but creating something simple and really good is my challenge.

You included so many Parisian favorites in the book. Are there any that are at the top of your list?

People think I go to Paris and visit really fancy places. But what we love is going out for a late dinner at Café De Flore, enjoying an omelette and a glass of champagne and just watching the world go by.

In 2016 you answered the Proust questionnaire for this magazine. And when asked “What is your current state of mind?” you said: “It just couldn’t get any better.” What is your current state of mind now?

I feel pretty much the same way. I didn't get anywhere at all!