If you live anywhere near Maman, the American French-inspired chain of bakery-cafés open in several states, Washington, D.C., and Canada, please stop in and try one of the five newest menu items! Maman and I have teamed up for a year-long collaboration that now includes some of my own favorite savory and sweet treats at all their shops!
I'm very excited to partner with Maman. Right now, the limited-edition summer menu includes my red iced tea with citrus & berries, my tomato tart from my 100th book, MARTHA: THE COOKBOOK, my turkey cobb sandwich, my ultimate kitchen sink cookie, and my crème brûlée sugar bun. We recently released the menu items at a launch party at Maman's newest flagship location in New York City. More than 75 influencers, colleagues, friends, and members of the media attended the event, trying every item - sometimes more than once! It was a fun gathering and a great way to introduce my menu items at Maman. Be sure to visit!
Enjoy these photos. (All photos by Arianna Tettamanzi)
Here I am with Maman co-founders, Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, in front of their newest flagship café in downtown New York City.
This weekend, please stop by any Maman and try the new summer menu items. There are more than 37 Maman shops in the United States and Canada.
At the launch party, invited influencers, friends, colleagues and members of the media were directed to visit each of five stations to try my menu additions.
My red iced tea with citrus & berries is made with red zinger iced tea and lots of fresh fruits to bring out the tea flavors. Each glass is garnished with a sprig of mint.
This station features my rich, savory, vegetarian tomato tart. I often serve this to guests at my home and everyone loves it.
The recipe is from my 100th book, MARTHA: THE COOKBOOK. It’s made using juicy, ripe slices of tomato arranged in concentric circles with grated fontina cheese in my pâte brisée pastry crust.
Look how beautiful this is up close. It is a wonderful alternative to traditional quiche.
Everyone got a slice to try. It’s great for lunch or as a first course at dinner.
Personal size versions are made for the shop.
Another station was dedicated to my turkey cobb sandwich – it has everything one loves about the classic cobb salad, but in a sandwich, including oven-roasted turkey, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, sliced avocado, lettuce, fresh basil, and Dijonnaise served on country bread.
Every station was also very interactive. Guests were able to gather their own herbs to bring home.
Of course, I had to include a cookie. And for Maman, I selected my delicious ultimate kitchen sink cookies. These cookies are so delicious and so easy to make – one doesn’t even need a mixer. The recipe is from my book, Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection. The recipe calls for dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, rolled oats, coconut. It’s all in there – everything but the kitchen sink.
Guests at the launch event enjoyed mini versions served on shot glasses of cold milk.
Can’t have cookies without a little milk…
And this is my crème brûlée sugar bun – a sugar-crusted croissant filled with homemade vanilla pastry cream and a caramelized top.
There was enough for everyone to taste and enjoy.
It was so nice to see such an enthusiastic crowd. Here’s Elisa mingling with guests. Everyone had such a good time.
Elisa and I also exchanged books. I signed a copy MARTHA: THE COOKBOOK and gave her some of my farm fresh eggs. She gifted me with a signed copy of Maman: The Cookbook, All-Day Recipes to Warm Your Heart.
Each guest was able to bring home a copy of MARTHA: THE COOKBOOK. If you don’t already have it, order one today. I know you’ll want to read it cover to cover and make every recipe.
The menu will be refreshed in the fall. Be sure visit a Maman Bakery and Café near you.
Business gatherings are always so much more enjoyable when accompanied by a delicious homemade meal.
Yesterday, I hosted a small luncheon at my home for a group of partners. I, along with food editor and chef Sarah Carey, planned a wonderful early summer menu for nine guests that started with chilled corn soup - so refreshing and delicious. It was followed by an endive and radicchio salad, roasted carrots just picked from my garden, pasta salad with peas and fava beans also from my garden, and tomato tart. For dessert, everyone enjoyed homemade Meyer lemon cookies, brown butter shortbread cookies, and grapefruit granitas with berries and crème fraîche. It was an excellent lunch and a most productive and interesting meeting.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
My housekeepers and I always work on the table settings together. We try to make each one different and beautiful.
And if we can, we always try to incorporate some freshly cut flowers from my gardens.
All the flowers coordinate nicely with the table settings. And small glasses of cut flowers are quick and easy to prepare and add just the perfect touch.
Look who it is – do you recognize him? This is my driver, Andres. He often helps with my lunches and dinners – serving and tending bar.
My kitchen counter is also decorated with flowers. These are some of the season’s first tiger lilies that are blooming under my long pergola.
Sarah plated the chilled corn soup and added just a touch of crème fraîche.
Every bowl was so beautifully prepared.
Guests loved this first course – every one wanted more.
The rest of the dishes were served buffet style in my kitchen. This platter is filled with a variety of different carrots roasted to perfection and then dressed with herbs, capers, and slices of blood orange.
This is such a great and easy-to-make side dish for any meal.
I also served a healthy, fresh salad with radicchio and endives, avocado, homemade croutons and a light vinaigrette dressing.
And, look at the wonderful green colors of this pasta salad – filled with peas and fava beans from my garden – just picked hours before. The pasta salad is mixed with a light dressing of buttermilk, herbs, lemon, a bit of mayonnaise and crème fraîche, salt, and pepper.
This salad was also such a big hit. I am always so happy to serve dishes made with the fresh vegetables I grow in the gardens. If you’re unfamiliar with them, fava beans, also called broad beans, are legumes with a buttery and nutty tase. I grow them every year.
This vegetarian entrée is a rich and savory tomato tart.
Sarah made two – both using juicy slices of tomato layered with grated cheese in a pâte brisée pastry crust. Tomato tart is easier to make than quiche, and some say, even more delicious.
Each guest filled their plates – this one is mine. Many went back for seconds!
Dessert included two different cookies – served on cake stands and brought to the table – free for the taking.
These are Meyer Lemon Meltaways – light and tender, sweet and citrusy.
And these are a big favorite – my Brown Butter Shortbread cookies. Brown butter enhances the texture and flavor of these cookies. Topping them with sanding sugar gives them a nice finish.
And just perfect for summer – grapefruit granita, made with just the fruit juice, and served with grapefruit segments, berries, and a dollop of crème fraîche. A wonderful lunch gathering and “meeting of the minds” – it’s a good thing.
We're expecting a much cooler day here in the Northeast after the first extreme heat wave of the year - temperatures this week soared into the high 90s.
When it's very hot and humid, it's crucial my animals have access to cool water and lots of shade. I also make sure my outdoor grounds crew works safely - wearing protective clothing and staying well-hydrated. And, it's also important to monitor the gardens. Here at my farm we've had some showers, but the hoses and sprinklers are very busy. One of my favorite sources for watering equipment is Gilmour, a Madison, Wisconsin-based company that’s been manufacturing hoses and other watering solutions since 1949. I use several of their products at my home in New York and at Skylands in Maine - they're durable, long-lasting, and easy to use.
Enjoy these photos.
It’s only the first official week of summer and already we’ve had a heat wave. In New York, a heat wave occurs when there has been at least three consecutive days with temperatures 90-degrees Fahrenheit or higher. We’ve had temperatures in the high 90s with feel like temperatures above 100.
Around my farm, I’ve made sure to check on all the animals. My chicken coops are covered to provide ample shade.
The geese outside my stable also have shady areas…
… and multiple pools to keep them cool. These pools are checked often and refilled with clean water.
Out in my horse paddocks, the trees are all checked and limbed up if necessary, so my horses can safely stand under the shade.
The gardens are also closely monitored. Fortunately, we’ve had a lot of rain over the last month, but beds dry quickly in this extreme heat.
A Gilmour hose and at least one sprinkler are placed at every bibb or faucet.
I’ve used Gilmour for years. They’re so durable and come in a variety of lengths. Plus, they curve without kinking, connect without leaking, and are easy to store.
And here’s a tip… to keep it from kinking, when it’s new stretch it along a path or the edge of the lawn and then loop the business end back to the tap.
The hose connects easily to the Gilmour sprinkler directly under the sprinkler head so it is well-balanced and won’t tip over when in use.
The legs can be adjusted for high or low watering.
… And, each of the legs has a spiked foot which provides lots of stability on varied surfaces.
When ready to use, the collar of these tripod sprinklers can be adjusted for partial to full circle coverage. The controls are just under the sprinkler head.
A pin diffuser allows for a customized spray from powerful jet to gentle mist. I show every member of my crew how to use the sprinkler, so they can water properly and efficiently.
The round dial on top makes it easy to set the direction and length of the spray.
Here’s a tripod in my vegetable garden. Look how far the sprinkler can reach – and the spray is very consistent.
Mornings are the best times to water – when water pressure is high, evaporation is low, and the soil can absorb the water before the sun heats up the ground. The distance and spray patterns of these tripod sprinklers can also be adjusted to suit so many garden needs.
Well-established plants with strong, deep root systems will be more drought tolerant.
I designate one crew member to keep track of the watering, so sprinklers are rotated appropriately and water is never wasted.
Once the watering in one area is done, it’s extremely important to turn off the water at the source. Just turning off at the sprinkler puts a lot of pressure on the hoses and pipes.
And at the end of the day, always take the time to properly roll up the hose, so it is neat, tidy, and out of the way. It’s nice to know I have the “right tools for the right jobs,” so all my gardens, groves, and allées can be well maintained.
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