The Diva That Breakfasted With Martha Stewart

Breakfast Table at Martha Stewart Living

The first season of “Martha Bakes” which is exclusively sponsored by one of my favorite companies Kitchenaid USA and the second season of Martha Stewart’s Cooking School. Both of these will premiere on PBS stations, nationwide, beginning April 6, 2013 (check local listings).

Martha Bakes, is a 13-episode teaching series that originally aired on The Hallmark Channel. In this informative series, Martha shares her best tips and techniques, for viewers to create desserts and baked goods at home.

In the second season of Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, Martha will demonstrate more classic cooking techniques and basics using her signature step-by-step, how-to teaching process. Episodes will include everything from soups, stews and seafood to roasting, sautéing and preserving.

I was actually surprised that the breakfast was so intimate. Especially when I walked in from the freezing “SPRING?!??!” New York weather with my nose running and Martha sidled up to me and said, “Hi” and shook my hand. All I could think of was asking her for tissue… which I didn’t. I may have even been a bit starstruck because I couldn’t find my tissues in my purse at the time. I couldn’t find anything to wipe my nose with. No paper napkins at a Martha Stewart event. Anyway, I missed out on getting a photo with her because I was finding my salvation in the ladies room. Later, when the event was over, I found two packs of tissues in my bag aka The Black Hole. The tables were beautifully appointed and the setting was gorgeous overlooking the Hudson River.

Martha demonstrated her unforgettable buttermilk herb biscuit recipe which she whipped up quick-smart in the fantastic new KitchenAid food processor—it has adjustable blades for slicing! Even when she added too much buttermilk to the biscuits dough, she kept her cool and laughed it off!

My dearest biscuit making friend from the south, Thong, insists that the best biscuits are made by hand, but as Martha pointed out if you have to make biscuits for a crowd, the food processor saves a ton of time.

The interesting bit of technique I saw was her only cutting half the flour and all butter together, then mixing the back back in with the remaining flour—easy peasy. Another tip was a classic one, don’t over handle the dough or the biscuits will be tough—this applies to scones as well. Her biscuit recipe is below.

So what was for breakfast? Well, herb biscuits of course! We had her famous popovers, which were so popped they bordered the obscene. Martha served scrambled eggs made with the eggs from her own hens so orange they GLOWED. We had apricot jam made from apricots sent to her from her dear friend in the Silcone Valley. The berry jams were made from her homegrown berries… naturally. There was apple wood smoked bacon and I was lucky to be sitting next to someone who didn’t want theirs, so I got double bacon! My only complaint was lack of salt in the butter or in popovers.

In the end, I was stuffed, very much like the swag bag: Two of Martha’s cookbooks, a KitchenAid hand blender, Martha’s labels and Martha Stewart Living magazine with the stunning Easter eggs on the cover. I was happy. Fat and happy!

UNFORGETTABLE HERB BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
MAKES EIGHTEEN 2-INCH BISCUITS

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 heaping teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, chilled
• ¼ cup mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, rosemary, and/or chive (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, well shaken, plus more for brushing tops

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with racks set in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Transfer half of the dry ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some larger pieces still remaining. Return this mixture back to the bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. Add herbs, if using, and stir to combine.
3. Make a well in the center and gradually add buttermilk, stirring with a fork or wooden spoon until large clumps form; do not allow a dough to form in the bowl. Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface, and using lightly floured hands, knead two or three times just until a dough forms.
4. Pat dough into an 8-by-8-inch square. Using a sharp knife, cut 2-inch square biscuits, or use a 2-inch round cutter, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Brush tops with buttermilk. Transfer to oven and bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Recipe courtesy Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.