The Time Jennifer Garner Turned Her 'Cooking Show' Into Prestige Drama
Jennifer Garner's "Pretend Cooking Show" has gained many fans on social media since it began on Facebook in 2017. This cooking show now seems far from pretend, as episodes have been regularly uploaded on Facebook, Instagram, and more recently TikTok. In one of 2023's many installments of this show, Garner turns a brown butter sage pasta recipe into prestige drama as she shows off both her acting and cooking skills.
In April of 2023, a miniseries that Garner starred in and produced, "The Last Thing He Told Me," was released on Apple TV. The series is based on a novel by Laura Dave and features a brown butter pasta made by Garner's character, Hannah. In Garner's "Pretend Cooking Show," she recreates this pasta from a recipe called, "Hannah's Brown Butter and Sage Pasta," and while doing so narrates the book's passage in which this pasta is referenced. The result is an episode that is shot and performed like a drama, culminating in an elevated pasta dish with butter browned to perfection.
Brown butter sage gets a dramatic reenactment
While on set for the drama show, Garner recalled, "chunks of Laura Dave's book played back in my mind like an inner monologue." The actress let this inner monologue out in her cooking show's episode as she gave viewers a taste of Dave's writing, which Garner says she loves. In true "Pretend Cooking Show" fashion, Garner puts the recipe and directions straight into the video's caption — a chance for inspired viewers to save and try out her recipes.
@jennifergarner PretendCookingShow: Brown Butter & Sage Pasta. 🍝 Sometimes, during a quiet take on TheLastThingHeToldMe set last summer, chunks of Laura Dave's book played back in my mind like an inner monologue. I really love her writing (although I edited the heck out of this scene here, pardon me, Queen). And, not for nothing, I really love this Poggio inspired pasta, which is ready in the time it takes to prepare the noodles. . Hannah's Brown Butter & Sage Pasta from TheLastThingHeToldMe Ingredients: – ½ lb linguine pasta – 4 Tbsp unsalted butter – 12 fresh sage leaves – ½ lemon, juiced – ¾ cup (or more🙋🏻♀️) freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper . Directions: 1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot. 2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add sage leaves. Cook until butter browns and sage becomes almost crispy, ~7 mins. Stir in lemon juice. 3. Add to pasta and toss to coat. 4. Stir in pasta water. Cook over medium heat until water is absorbed. Stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. 5. Yum.
Brown butter and sage sauce is simple but it elevates any pasta dish. Brown butter on its own is nutty and rich, but when infused with sage it becomes an aromatic and herby sauce worthy of any pasta. Garner picks a multigrain linguini, as per the novel's pasta, which is a hearty choice that pairs well with the delicate sauce. Anyone who has tried brown butter sauce before would know that it is, as one commenter puts it, "one of the most gorgeous tastes known to man." People are fans of the brown butter sage pasta, and it's hard not to also be a fan of Jennifer Garner. Commenters described her narration as "soothing," and one person shared: "It's like I'm reading the book for the first time again."