The cover is stunning, a book that most chefs would proudly display on their kitchen table, rather than a traditional coffee table. We see Martha, standing beside a bowl of plainly colored hard-boiled eggs, in muted tones that most likely match the Martha Stewart paint collection charts at the local hardware store. They’re cool, calm, and simple.
Inside, we’re greeted with a photo montage of Martha throughout the years. It’s hard to believe that at one time she was a long-haired New Jersey career girl, starting out as a model before going into the stockbroker business. She’s been in the public eye for decades, and this, her 100th book, is a symbol of not only her perseverance, her resilience, but her enduring love of cooking.
Alongside stunning photos, Martha is sharing her favorite recipes, plus ones she uses for entertaining, and others for special events; we’re not only being given easy to follow dishes, but archival photos where we see Martha in curlers cooking by the stove, winning Best in Show ribbons at a Connecticut farm fair, and making pasta with her daughter. She praises her mother, the “matriarch of a family of eight,” and the recipes she made daily. We see Big Martha, as she was affectionately known, in a photo making pierogis from scratch in her daughter’s kitchen.
The chapters are divided into the kinds of categories one would expect in a cookbook: breakfast & brunch, soups & salads, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, garden sides and desserts. And, surprisingly, Martha has included many classics that even a newbie in the kitchen can create, such as Brioche French Toast or The Perfect Omelet, with Gruyere cheese. She introduces each recipe with a memory or the inspiration. Of the Perfect Omelet, she writes about finding the perfect omelet pan and adds this piece of advice: “never let the eggs stick – if you do, the omelet cannot be folded into thirds.” The accompanying picture of the dish served with fresh spinach is gorgeous, suitable for framing even.
In her Introduction, she writes, “Please enjoy the recipes we have featured and treat yourself, your family, and your friends to a little taste of my favorites – and do not forget to start compiling your own list of favorites to hand down to your loved ones.” And in keeping with that intention, Martha has added recipes for her “basic pantry” staple which includes her homemade beef, chicken, turkey and vegetable stocks, along with her technique for whipping up whipped cream and creating the puff pastry. She also included her daughter’s favorite chocolate chip recipe, and surprisingly, one for onion rings (yes, Martha Stewart makes batches of them, using Vidalia onions and a cup of beer.)
Despite her incarceration in 2004, Martha has, according to a 2024 Forbes article says, “Despite such a major setback, she managed to rebuild her brand and make a successful comeback,” by, for example, being transparent about her experience, choosing to remain in the general population rather than solitary confinement, and using her time in prison to help others. They add that the moral of her story is “don’t give up, and keep reinventing yourself.” In her bio, it reads that “Martha Stewart is America’s most trusted lifestyle expert and teacher, and the author of 100 books on cooking, entertaining, crafts, homekeeping, gardening, weddings, and decorating.”
Martha – The Cookbook
Martha Stewart
Top photo: Bigstock
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