Presenting: Julia on Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Hey, it's me, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. We are officially back with a brand new season of Wiser Than Me. To celebrate your Out of This World support for our show, we've been brewing up something special, a Wiser Than Me Mirror Traveler. It's a versatile, sustainable travel mug to keep your coffee hot and your tea cozy all year round. It's perfect for wise women on the go. Head over to wiserthanmeshop.com to grab yours now. Okay, here's the show. Hello there, it's Julia. As you know, we love Ina Garten here at Wiser Than Me. I mean, I love her. You love her. I mean, who doesn't love her? Face it. Who does not love Ina Garten? And did you know that Ina's got a podcast now? It's appropriately named Be My Guest with Ina Garten because on each episode, a friend of hers, RSVPs, to go out to her house in the Hamptons for a day to cook and hang out in her gorgeous kitchen and home. And in some of the episodes, there's a surprise visit from her lovely husband, Jeffrey, too. And I had the thrill of being invited this season and we're going to play it for you in just a second. But I really, I have to tell you, it was such a delightful day for real. There was no faking it. It was just like total bliss being with her. And now I know how to frost a cake correctly and I know what kind of kitchen countertops I'm going to get for my kitchen. So win, win. Doesn't get better than that. Head on over to Be My Guest with Ina Garten wherever you get your podcast to hear some other guests who RSVP'd yes, too. But before doing that, let's listen to my episode with Ina. I'm Ina Garten. I love to invite interesting people to my house for good food, great conversation and lots of fun. The incredible 11-time Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian and producer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is coming to the barn. We're sharing a French omelet. And I have the big hat. Talking life, love and laughs. It's like endorphins you can taste. Then we're fooling around with frosting. Don't make me laugh, you're ruining my cake. Making an amazing chocolate cake and I better watch out. It looks good. I'm here to take over. Be My Guest. What? Julia's moved in. My guest is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I mean, who doesn't love her? So, I know she likes eggs and I know she likes bacon. So, I'm going to make her my French country omelet. And it starts with four slices of bacon that I've cooked until crisp. I'm just going to take them out and put them on a plate. And then what I'm going to do, and a little bit of fat that's left. I'm going to cook some potatoes. I mean, who wouldn't like that? Eggs, potatoes, bacon, yum. This actually comes from a recipe from a bistro in Paris that I love. Okay, lots of salt and pepper. And that's going to cook for about eight to ten minutes until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender. And while they cook, let me tell you about my insanely talented and beloved guest. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the incredible actor, comedian and producer, is one of the greatest performers in TV history, winning eleven Emmys. Born in New York, she divided her time living with her stepfather and mom, a writer, and her French entrepreneur and philanthropist father. Julia studied theater at Northwestern, where she met her husband, fellow comedian Brad Hall. At just 21, she was discovered by SNL, the youngest member in history. There, she met Larry David, and three years later, she joined him and Jerry Seinfeld to play the beloved character Elaine in Seinfeld, where she won her first Emmy and went on to win a Golden Globe and five Screen Actors Awards. She won her second Emmy for her hit TV series, The New Adventures of Old Christine, while picking up a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2012, the political satire beat hit our screens, where she played Vice President Selena Mayer, a role she won six consecutive Emmys for. It's no wonder she has received the coveted Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Her range also extends to incredible dramatic roles in movies such as Enough Said, You Hurt My Feelings, and Tuesday. She lives in California with her husband Brad and two sons. I have met Julia virtually on her hugely successful podcast, Wiser Than Me, and I can't wait to meet her in person. She just does it all, doesn't she? She's got comedic roles and dramatic roles and streaming and movies. She's the real deal. She's amazing. Okay, the potatoes are cooked. Nothing like the smell of bacon and potatoes. I'm just going to put the potatoes on the plate. And now, I'm going to get the eggs ready. So I've got five eggs. I'm just going to beat them. Three tablespoons of milk. Lots of salt and pepper. So I'm going to put a little butter in the pan. Just let it melt. Okay, eggs go in. Just like that. So next, I'm going to put the potatoes and bacon in, but I want to mix them up. And then a little bit of chives always looks good. Add a little onion flavor to it. I mean, that looks pretty good, doesn't it? Okay, I'm just going to put this in the oven, 350 degrees for eight minutes, just until the eggs are set, and I'll be ready when Julie gets here. Okay, I am so excited because I'm in the Hamptons, and I've been invited to Ina Carton's house to help her make a chocolate cake. She needs my help, guys. She needs my help. Alrighty. So how much are they asking for this place? Mm-mm-mm. What if she isn't here? Wouldn't that be hilarious? Are you guys punking me? Did she not show? Is this not Ina's house? I swear to God, if this is some sort of joke, it's funny. Ina? Okay, well, I'm cooking in here no matter whose house it is. Ooh. How good does that look? It smells just as good. I understand Julie is as big a fan of salt as I am, so I think good French sea salt would be perfect on it. Two plates, and I'm all set for Julia. Ina? Ina? Julia! Ina! You're here! Of course I'm here. Where else would I be? I thought maybe you were punking me. I would never punk you. Come on in. Oh my goodness. Look at this. I'm so happy to see you. So wait a minute. Before anything happens, I brought you something. You brought me something? I did. It's a little hostess gift. Oh, I love this. It's a blood-orange marmalade. Can't wait to eat this. We planted our first blood orange tree. Do you have trees? Yes, and this is the fruit from the very first season. Thank you so much. Thank you. Oh, I love you. Enjoy. Thank you. I can't wait. Well, I've made you an omelet. Well, finally you did something. With bacon and potato. Something nice and light for breakfast. Oh, this is perfect. No, seriously. Is this a large enough piece? Can I have the big half? You like salt, right? Yeah, I mean, just everything. If you want to just pour the salt on the plate, and I'll eat the salt. Oh, you did give me the bigger piece. I did give you the bigger piece. So what's it like instead of playing a character? Actually being yourself wiser than me. Oh, it's a different ball game. It's totally different, isn't it? Yeah. In what way? Well, it's not a performance. I mean, I know it is, but it doesn't feel like one at all. And also, you know, we do the podcast over Zoom. And so there's something kind of relaxed about it as a result. One of them we did in person for a variety of reasons when we talked to Carol Burnett, but other than that, everybody's on Zoom. And I think just because you get to be in your own house, you don't have to put on hair and makeup, even though this is how we look normally. I always look like this. I get out of bed like this. Oh, absolutely. I mic myself first thing in the morning. That's great. But anyway, so it sort of engenders a kind of intimacy in conversation, which is what we're going for. Yeah. But also, I think it's interesting because when you're, because you really connect with people. Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do. And when you do, you really do. And when you're playing a character, you're not really connecting with an audience. You're playing a character. So I think connecting with people is what we love to do. And it's just really satisfying. Yeah. Although I agree with that. But the thing is too, is that when you're playing a role, you're actually also connecting. You're connecting with the other characters. Yeah. It's a different kind of a, yeah. Isn't that interesting? But there has to be an authenticity in place as well, as a matter of fact. But anyway, so now wait a minute. What is this? It's Belgian granite. It's Belgian granite. Okay. I need a list. I'm taking this with me. You'll have a hard time getting that into the car. It's fine. You'll be able to replace it after I'm gone. You'll figure it out. If it's missing on the word is. Coming up, wisdom. I didn't really succeed in any kind of way there, except to say I learned by not succeeding. 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And my closest friend always said, well, she's exactly the way you think she is, but her language is worse. Nice. What would your friends say about you? Exactly what you just said. I kind of thought so. Exactly, right? Do you think that you're always meant to be a comedian or is it just like in your DNA? I think it's in my DNA. It was certainly in the culture of our family, you know, was just... Who was funny? My mother was funny, my grandmother was funny, my dad was very funny. Do you remember making them laugh when you were young? Sure. What'd you do? When I was really little, I was trying to make my mom laugh and I stuck raisins up my nose. And she laughed just like that. And it's so funny. It's so funny. And then she said, okay, take them out and I inhaled them. And we had to go to the emergency room. But it was totally worth it because I got the laughs. I had a very complicated childhood. What was your childhood like? I mean, my parents were divorced and I went back and forth between the two homes, but I was really raised by my mom and stepfather. But this was back when divorce was like... Yeah, it was... It wasn't a dime a dozen. And it was whispered. It was whispered. I got into jail. Yes. They divorced. They divorced. But you still had your mother and your stepfather to ground you? Yes, I did. So in 1985, when you were renewed at SNL, what did you learn from that experience? It must have... Well, I went to SNL very young. I was 21 and I was there for three years. And I didn't really succeed in any kind of way there, except to say I learned by not succeeding. And I learned what I didn't want. I didn't want a tense work environment. I didn't want to be unhappy. And I thought to myself, well, if I can't find work that's happy-making like the work I was doing in Chicago, in theater, I don't think I'm going to do this because it's not right for me. I always think some of the worst things that ever happened turn out to be the best. That's right, because my final year on SNL, Larry David, was the writer there for one year. He was deeply miserable there. He was more miserable than you. And I was deeply miserable. And so we connected through our misery. And then a couple of years later, I heard from him about this show he was working on that was called The Seinfeld Chronicles. And the rest is history. And the rest is history. How does it feel to make people laugh? It's like endorphins you can taste. That's a good description. I would say that sharing a laugh with someone is like another kind of language. It's a very, God, it's just a great way to live life. It's wonderful. Is it hard to play roles that are both dramatic and funny at the same time? Well, first of all, playing a role that's both comedic and dramatic is where I live. I love it. Because that's life. That's how we live. I hate a movie that's just all do-or-do. One thing. I hate it. Exactly. I wouldn't describe one as being harder than the other. I have to, I really enjoy doing dramatic work that has sort of maybe a comedic shell over it. Finding those roles can sometimes be a challenge. But when I find them, I dive in ahead first. That's great. Yeah. One of my favorite quotes of all time is Oscar Wilde said, work is easy, fun is hard. I always run my business. If I'm having fun, everybody also have fun too. Yeah. And I think, am I right that you do the same thing? Oh, without question. Because people know what to do for work. They know how to do their jobs. But finding something that's fun to do, I think it's much harder, isn't it? Yeah, but if you find it, don't let go of it. Exactly. Keep it going. And you found it. I mean, it's just so magical. Yeah, I found it. And it has so much energy and positivity. It's just fabulous. Tell me about your recent movie, Tuesday. It's sort of an adult fairy tale. The story centers around a mother and a daughter, and the daughter's quite ill. And so it has a lot of pathos to it, but it's magical. But it's completely fanciful. So I think people might really enjoy it. I hope you'll like it. Oh, sure. I will. What was the toughest time in your career? Well, getting employed. There was a period of time where I was, after SNL, it was about a one, two year period, three year period in which I was really pounding pavement. I nabbed a pilot, which is the first episode of a TV series, but then it didn't go to series. The other challenge for me in my career has been the juggling act. Because while I was making Seinfeld, for example, I gave birth to both of my children. Super challenging. But also fabulous, because I was becoming very famous at this time. And it really kept all of that in perspective. Isn't that interesting? And did they put you behind the potted plant so they couldn't see that you were pregnant? Yeah, well, let's see. The first go round, yes, I stood behind things. I carried boxes, et cetera. By the time I was pregnant the second time, nobody cared. It was like it wasn't happening. I walked in, I was out to here, and no one said anything. In 2012, you created the character of Selena in Veep, who was both egomaniacal and kind of crazy. And kind of delusional in some way, right? Completely delusional. She's in a position of power, but she's not quite there yet. That's so smart. And so, you know, you think you've made it? No, you didn't. And nobody cares. So I thought that there was so much material could be mined from that position. Starting with every time you walked into a room, saying, did the president call? 100%. She just loved that line. So the answer's always no. It was just the most exhilarating experience because there was a lot of improvisation and a lot of goofing around that got folded into the show. And it was all caps fun. All caps. Isn't that great? Yeah. In your podcast, Wiser Than Me, you interview older women. What have you learned from them that was interesting? The big takeaway for me is that all of the women, including yourself, there's a common thread. And the common thread is complete comfort in their own skin. Isn't that interesting? And that is very freeing. And it's like rocket fuel. It really gives you freedom to do exactly what you want to do. That's right. But don't you think that a lot of your guests were that way when they were young? Actually, not necessarily. Yeah. Jane Fonda wouldn't say that she was like that. She would not. No. And Jane Fonda said it's so hard to be young. Yeah. And I thought, oh my gosh, she's so right. I love that episode because in the middle of it, you ended up with a bomb cyclone and you got disconnected. Oh, yeah, disconnected. And you handled that so beautifully. It was total Julia that we tried for ourselves. I was screaming at the universe. It was so crazy. But it became like a character in the show and it was just brilliantly done. I will say that in the second season of the show in which you are in, we have another technical snafu. And I'm sure you handled it the same way. Well, anyway, let's just say the audience gets another taste of bomb disease. You made a wonderful documentary that I adored about your late father and his kind of wacky art collection, right? Yeah. My father was an art collector and he amassed quite a collection of it. Describe his art collection because it's wild, right? He was a sort of a mentor to a lot of the artists whose work he collected and was very interested in the sort of the outsider art world. He got to know people like Jacometti and Dubuffet and people like that. My father was French. French and American both. Yeah. And so anyway, he just, my father, I think of him as sort of he was a hoarder, but a hoarder of really nice things. Whatever that is. And he collected what he loved. And he collected what he loved. He didn't collect what other people would love. Yes. He collected what he loved. Exactly. And I love what he did with it. What he did with it was, yes, he set up his collection in such a way. So, and he has bequeathed the entire collection to the Harlem Children's Zone. It's the most magnificent school. And so the whole idea is to raise the awareness about the collection. We are slowly selling it down to benefit the Harlem Children's Zone. And we've been, my father passed in 2016 and we've been, since he's passed, we have been in fact doing exactly that. Fabulous. Yeah. So I understand you like chocolate cake. Would you like me to show you how to ice the chocolate cake? If you don't show me, I'm going to kill you. And I'm definitely going to show you. I give up. Coming up, competitive cake making. This is our first fight. With incredible results. I can't talk to you. I got to eat this. I got to eat this. Over quantity feel both sustainable and smart. 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Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to quince.com slash wiser for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash wiser. And we're back. I'm Julie Louis-Dreyfus and I'm with Ina Garten in her kitchen and she's evidently going to show me how to do something. You like chocolate cake, right? Love it. Okay, I picked the right thing. So I'm going to show you how to make a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. Okay. And we're going to get it all over ourselves, I'm sure. Now wait a minute. How did this happen? Well, I'm going to show you how I did it. The cake is really easy. First I sift it together, one and three-quarter cups of all-purpose flour, two cups of sugar, three-quarters of a cup of good cocoa powder, two teaspoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of baking powder, and a teaspoon of kosher salt. And I put the dry ingredients into the bowl of my electric mixer. Next, the wet mix. I combine half a cup of vegetable oil, a cup of buttermilk, and two extra large eggs, plus one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and mix them together. Then with a mixer on low, I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, plus a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee, and mixed it all together. Then I poured the batter into two eight-inch pans that had been buttered, floured, and lined with parchment. Into the oven, 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Then I took them out to cool in their pans for 30 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Okay, so that's the cake. Yeah. Now the frosting. Oh boy, the best part. You're in charge. How's that? Yeah. Two sticks of butter, unsalted butter. Yeah. I don't know, you're not going to put that in yet. Can I just drink it? No, you can do that. I think. Okay, we're going to turn this on. Yeah, that's good. And then we're going to put in one egg yolk. Should I do it? You should just do it. And if you don't want to use an egg yolk, you don't have to use an egg yolk. But I just did. It makes the icing better. You told me too late. Exactly. One teaspoon of vanilla. Yes, one teaspoon. Good vanilla extract. Yes. And this is really strong coffee. It's a tablespoon of instant coffee grounds. Okay. And then slowly, this is one and a quarter cups of sifted confectioner sugar. Yes. And then slowly just put it in. You're in charge. I'm in charge. Yeah. Hope I don't screw it up. You won't screw it up. Am I going too fast? Nope, you're doing just fine. Okay. That's why it's sifted so it won't clump. How important do you think sifting is for real? Actually, you know why I like sifting? It's because when you sift it, it's every cup is exactly like every other cup. Yeah. So it lightens it. Sometimes it can be really packed and sometimes it can be light. Oh, yes, yes, yes. You get the same amount of confectioner sugar every time. Or flour for that matter, right? Or flour, exactly. Actually, flour I don't sift. You know what I do? I put a cup in and I lighten it and then I scoop it. What does it mean, lighten it? Just kind of fluff it up. Oh. You know, like fluffers? Excuse you? Different kind of fluffer. She doesn't know what she's saying. She has no idea. Poor dear. Okay. You've been to the Hamptons before, right? Yeah, when I was like three. For real? Really? You haven't been back since? The story goes that my mom took me down to the Hamptons. I was at the beach. She was talking to a friend. She looked over. I was butt naked running around and talking to everybody. I'd taken all my clothes off. And this was, you know, 1960. I actually know that story because I've heard people talking about it. Adorable naked little girl running around. That was me. And then this is six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate melted. And we're good. That's it? That's it? Yeah. You ready to ice the cake? Yeah. Okay. I'm going to show you how. Does this sink work or is it a prop sink? No, it's a real sink. You know what you need in this kitchen? I know. Paper towels. Have you heard of paper towels? It's a prop towel. Okay. Next we're going to ice the cake. Yeah, let's do it. You ready for that? Yeah, come on. Let's do it. Let's go. And we're having a terrible time as you can imagine. It's really one of the worst days of my life. So the first thing is you take the chocolate cake that we made before. Yeah. And put it on the cake stand. And I put it on a rotating stand so we can turn it around while we ice it. How's that? I love it. So the trick to keeping the plate clean is I use parchment paper or wax paper and just put it underneath the cake. And then you don't have to clean up the plate after you make a mess with the icing. Just put it underneath there all the way around. That's interesting. Smart. Okay. So now you want to put some frosting on the milk. Do you want to make sure you have enough of the outside too? Yeah, no kidding. That's perfect. And now we can always make more. We've got our whole lives ahead of us. Isn't it great having a turntable? Oh my God, I love it so much. I think I need more frosting in here. I think you're doing okay though. Really? You're doing a little more. That looks perfect. Okay. Excuse me, but I think you really know what you're doing. You know what? What? I'm here to take over. Okay. And the second one I'm going to put on upside down. Yeah. Because you want the top to be really flat. Right. Looks more professional. It's good and sticky. What's your technique for this moment? I do the sides first. First. And then the top. I want to watch you because you're here to teach me. I'm going to take the spatula and just do a thin layer. And the key is you don't go back and forth. If you go back and forth over the cake, what happens is it just like this. Just smooth it in one direction. And then we'll smooth the whole thing when we're done. But just get the icing on first. I'm watching. You're watching? Okay. How do you decorate cakes? What do you like to do? I'm not a... I mean, I certainly appreciate cake decorating. But usually when I'm making a cake, like if I make my son's orange cake, I decorate it with mandarin oranges on top. I love that. Yeah. So you know what it is. Yeah. It just tells you what it is. It's also a tasty thing to eat. Yeah, exactly. And then if it's a carrot cake, often I'll just really have really crumbly pick hands and just put that on top. Yeah, which is in the cake. Exactly. Right? That's exactly what I do. What about you? Is there anything else you do? No, I don't know. I'm pretty simple with that decoration. What about flowers? Do you put actual flowers on a cake? For a wedding cake, maybe, but not a regular cake. I don't know why. Yeah. And they can't be scented flowers. So I'm going to take the spatula. I'm going to put the rest of it on top and just smooth it out. May I? Yep, you may. I insist, in fact. And then I'll show you how I'd like to pipe it. Oh, look at this. I seen the cake. That's it. See it? There's enough, isn't there? We are so happy. Okay. So how about turning on the hot tap water? Yes. I'm going to show you what I do. I'm going to warm up the spatula and then we're going to smooth it all out. Okay. Just a little bit. Just enough so that it's a little smoother. More and have mercy. It's a miracle. And then just run your spatula around the edge and you have a nice square edge. How's that? You get to lick that. Well, I'm going to tell you what. It's not fantastic. Thank you. Okay. So you want to pipe it? I'm going to do icing in a piping bag. Just for you. So this is the way I learned how to do piping. Just on the board. Okay. Just do it like that. And when you're comfortable with it, we'll do it on the cake. Okay. I think I have to have a heavier hand with it. Here, I'll show you what I do in order to do a shell. And you know what we can do too? We can do it just stars. Would that be easier? Want to do that? Oh, sure. But I'd also like to learn this. You want to lift? Okay. Yeah. Okay. Well, that's easy peasy lemon squeezy. That's easy. And the other one is like a shell. I'll show you what you do. You start here and you go up and down. And then up and down. Oh, oh, I see. How's that? That's what this is. That's what that is. Up and down. Up and down. And then you stop. And then start again. You're doing okay. I'm not doing okay. I'm not doing okay. So up and down and then stop. Lift the bag. Stop. That's why it takes time. It takes time to figure it out. Up and down. Look at that. Stop. Perfect. Oh, I see. Now you got it. Yup. There's like a rhythm to it. Up and down. And down. Yeah, I'm getting there. Yeah. See? Yeah. It took me like 40 years to get that. So I'd say in like five minutes you did pretty well. I did pretty well. Okay. And am I doing it on the edge? I'll do it around the edge. You start here and you go up and down. And then up and down. Oh. Oh, I see. How's that? So you really lift it. Yeah. You're right. You've got it. Look at that. Fabulous. Fabulous. It feels like a rhythm to it. I mean, how good does this look? Up and down. Oh, God. It got it. Are you going to go home and start a cake decorating business in your spare time? Oh, 100%. I've got all the paperwork drawn out. Don't make me laugh. You're ruining my cake. Okay. So I'm going to show you what to do in order to take the paper out. Just run your knife along the bottom, just like this, and just pull it out. That is so clever. And now you have a clean plate. All right. Here we go. Yeah. Big piece, little piece. Enormous. Enormous. Is that what I call classic? Still my beating heart. One for me, one for you. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers. Here we go. Let's see what we think. First of all, the cake part is off the chain. Don't you think? That's right. And the frosting is yummy to the 10th power. I can't talk to you. I got to eat it. Oh, my God. We need a picture of this. Does anybody have a camera? Oh, my God. I love it. I love it. I love it. That's me. I've just been canceled. Oh, my God. If you loved this episode of Be My Guest, the podcast with me, Ina Garten, please make sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. It would mean so much to me. Thanks. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.