The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook at Chef2Chef

The book's 19 chapters cover every dish type. Ranging from hors d'oeuvres to desserts (there are three chapters on sweets, plus candy-making formulas), and including sections devoted to vegetarian main courses, salsas, sauces, and dips, Living's world-spanning dishes are imaginatively conceived and meticulously presented. A few standouts among many include Pappardelle with Osso Buco Sauce, Chunky Vegetable Potpie, and Ginger Pecan Cake. Also at hand are comprehensive ingredient and equipment glossaries; cooking tips and techniques; "101" recipes (basic formulas such as Omelet 101); extensive lists of food and equipment sources; and 32 pages of color photos. Like its parent publication, the book strikes just the right chord for those who want to cook along with Martha. --Arthur Boehm

From Booklist
This one celebrates the tenth anniversary of Martha Stewart Living magazine with a collection of 1,500 recipes. Bonnie Smothers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
I was quite excited to see this new cookbook. As I paged through all 592 pages, I was pleased to see a recipe for "Moroccan Preserved Lemons," "Tzatziki," (a cucumber sauce), "Pistachio-Honey Torrone," and "French Almond Nougat." Those are not recipes you will find just anywhere. Many collectors will enjoy this cookbook for the tantalizing tidbits of information in the headnotes alone. The beauty of this cookbook is that it takes basic foods like "Macaroni and Cheese" and gives them a more gourmet taste. This can be a great inspiration to cooks who need some new ideas. The recipe titles of "Tarragon Limeade" and "Orange Pekoe Lemonade" had my full attention. I want to know how these recipes taste, the titles are so tantalizing. This cookbook begins with page after page of food photographs to show you what some of the recipes will look like. The "Fresh Apricot Almond Tart" picture looks like the perfect summer dessert, the "Coconut Layer Cake" has me running to the kitchen to see if I still had a bag of coconut in the freezer. When you see the picture of the Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce, you will long for a warm apple crumble to drizzle it over. Martha has divided her book into logical chapters. You start with a few pages on Basic Kitchen Helps and then dive right into Hor D'Oeuvres, Breakfast, Breads, Soups, Salads, Vegetables, Potatoes, Pasta, Rice and Grains, Meat, Poultry, Fish and Shellfish, Vegetarian Main Courses, Desserts, Pies and Tarts, Cookies and Candy, Drinks and finally, Salsas, Sauces, Dips and More. In some of the recipes, Martha uses ingredients, which may not be familiar, however...just like in her magazine, she does not leave you stranded. The last section of the book includes a Sources Section. If you ever think a negative review won't sell a book, let me tell you, I bought this book because of a negative review. Yes, it is true. Sometimes that will sell a book even faster. Well, one of my fellow reviewers complained about the Macaroni and Cheese recipe being bland. So, being a investigator at heart, I had to know if it was true. After trying the recipe, I have a few theories about Martha's Recipes and the philosophy, which she perhaps might use in creating them. After receiving this book I did see that the type was a bit smaller, but it is not smaller than most cookbooks out there. I prefer a 15-point size myself, but hardly any cookbooks cater to my desire for a larger print, so I am going to publish one myself! What I did love was the nice bold headings on the recipes, the little hints and tips and "did you know" blocks of information sprinkled throughout the pages. When I read that someone did not like the Macaroni and Cheese 101 recipe, I had to try it. Then I read: "This is quite possibly the most popular recipe we have ever created." page 244. Wow, now I really had to try it. So, we headed off to the store to pick up 18 ounces of sharp white cheddar cheese and 5 ounces of Pecorino Romano cheese. Most macaroni and cheese recipes are better with sharp cheeses. As I was making the recipe, I noticed a chef like quality to her cooking, but her directions needed a revamp. Not only should you start boiling the water before you start the cheese sauce, the noodles should be cooking during the other preparation steps. The recipe parts should also be divided. Had there been a heading "Topping" and "Cheese Sauce" that would have been nice. I also didn't like having the butter and cheese divided in the instructions but not in the actual ingredient listing. When making the dish, I could feel that something might be amiss in the cheese sauce, there was way too much milk for the flour and butter. 1 cup milk to 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons butter is more traditional for a cheese sauce. Martha's recipe calls for 8 tablespoons flour to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter and 5 1/2 cups milk. That leaves the sauce in a rather soupy state as most recipes would only call for 4 cups milk. Then she recommended that the noodles be cooked strangely. It is hard to cook them the way she did, so I just cooked them until they were done. That must be the key...to undercook them so they absorb more of the sauce. The instructions read: "Cook the macaroni until the outside of the pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes." page 244. What I DID LOVE about the final result...was the topping. The cheese and bread cubes in butter was SO tasty. It was quite a lot better than just dried breadcrumbs. What did I serve it with? Lemon Pepper chicken that I found at my local store. Very tasty! They fried up fast and then you could add a green veggie if you wanted. Well, I will continue to test more recipes. I found the Mac recipe good when I sprinkled it with freshly ground black Tellicherry peppercorns and then sprinkled it with Fleur de Sel. Now, those two things can make anything a bit better! Yes, it was more bland, but I think Martha expects you to season it to taste. The nutmeg flavor was quite good. The sauce was not as creamy, but I think if you undercooked the noodles, it would solve all problems. I recommend this book to cooks who want some new inspiration in the kitchen. For those who are just starting to cook, you will enjoy many of the recipes, but remember to season them to taste. There is also a good reason Martha might say something, so even if it seems to go against what you are used to, try the new instructions and I bet the recipe will work. ~The Rebecca Review Author of Seasoned with Love: A collection of best-loved recipes inspired by over 40 cultures Comment | Permalink | (Report this)