I was thrilled when my old friend and former student Greta Anthony phoned me in mid-August about appearing on a show about teachers with Martha Stewart. The whole audience, 185 people strong, would be teachers, and each would receive a copy of BAKE! Another call from Greta closer to the air date let me know that Martha wanted to make the food-processor version of Quick Puff Pastry from the book.
When the appointed day arrived (last Wednesday) I got to the studio early (some audience members were already lined up at 6:45 am) to go over all the food prep with the kitchen staff. Thomas Joseph, a several year veteran of the Martha TV kitchen, had prepped everything so perfectly I only had to add a few finishing touches. Martha has always employed top-notch people, but Thomas stood out as particularly organized and helpful.
It was Hollywood on the Hudson - private dressing rooms for the guests, friendly and accommodating staff people everywhere, and then just as I was being walked to the set a few minutes before air time, Martha herself, looking radiant. "Why, I haven't seen you since we made strudel together," Martha said as we fell in together in the corridor. I reminded her that I had also done a buttercrunch segment and another on molded cookies when her media efforts were housed in a large built-to-order space in Westport, a few miles from her then house.
Both segments flew by, but I'll let you watch them rather than describe them. Here are the links:
Segment 1: Ox Tongues
Segment 2: Fig and Raspberry Croustades
The recipes are posted with the video clips on Martha's website.
Walking back to the kitchen after the second segment, Martha presented me with a beautiful wooden bucket filled with apples "from my own trees," she said. In the taxi on the way home I bit into a shiny MacIntosh, perfectly crisp and just tart enough. It had been quite a morning.
