Search - The Martha Stewart Cooking Collection - Martha's Guests - Master Chefs on DVD

"...........I get by with a little help from my friends.....

Toni | Chicago, Illinois United States | 07/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Martha, Martha, Martha!!! Well done, our good friend!! This time, she has invited some of the most well-known and powerful chefs to join her and share their kitchen gems!!

Of course I would have loved for this to have been longer and with more video and recipes and such, but how can I possibly complain? It has the markings of Martha quality and perfection that is her trademark and she has once again, delivered some of the very best. Only this time, she has shared the spotlight with some of the cooking greats!

There are 15 recipes that compromise 5 major cuisines, which include American, Italian, French, Mexican, and Asian. And she has some of the top chefs within each joyful international fare to teach us, with the assist of Martha's reputation of superb filming quality and perfection of delivery.

AMERICAN:
Oven-Roasted Ribs with Bobby Flay/ Olive-Stuffed Flank Steak with Tom Douglas/ New England Clam Chowder with Jasper White

ITALIAN:
Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Mario Batali/ Spiedini alla Romano with Lida Bastianich/ Lemon Chicken with Frank Pellegrino

FRENCH:
Cote de Boeuf with Daniel Boulud/ Shrimp with Orange Dust with Jean-George Vongerichten/ Coq au Vin with Riad Nasr

MEXICAN:
Tamales with Diana Kennedy/ Chiles Anchos Rellenos with Roberto Santibanez/ Calamari with Jose Hurtado

ASIAN:
Pad Thai with Su-Mei Yu/ Pork Buns with Eileen Yin-Fei Lo/ Hand Rolls with Nobu

As per usual, there is the ability to print recipes and instructions for all of these classic foods. Trying to pick a favorite is very difficult because there is a time and occasion for each of these gastronomic delights and it would be very weak to cry ignorance in knowing how to prepare any of them.

The joy (or shall we say the secret) of Martha's success lies in her knowledge that if you give all the steps and instructions to make something, be it food or crafts or gardening, the masses will return to you again and again. And we do. This DVD is no exception to her steadfast rule. We are very grateful for her step-by-step, detail-oriented teaching style and this has become her hallmark. She requires this of her guests as well. And when it comes to cooking and baking, it is essential; if you want a following, teach them well and with patience.

I was please to see that she went back into some of her earlier shows to bring up this menu of guest chefs and recipes. To see a very young Bobby Flay and Mario Batali as well as the most elegant Lidia Bastianich. She has even more treasures from her earlier shows which I hope she brings to DVD as well, perhaps to buy as a series. Ah yes, I digress...........

I was trying to decide which was my favorite but that became impossible as each recipe had some aspect of desire that made it difficlt to decide. The Clam Chowder was soooo very good but that is for my fall and winter settings; for summer, I rely on the Pad Thai with its slight kick of flavor to get us in the mood for sun and fun, not to mention the superb Shrimp with Orange Dust----------absolutely a must!!! And if you need something just a wee bit special for dinner, go with the Olive-Stuffed Flank Steak because it is as beautiful to serve as it is to eat.

This is a definite Top Ten Martha----enjoy!!!"

Great DVD

W. Manley | 07/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you enjoyed the old Martha Stewart Living program then you will be happy to add this DVD to your repertoire. It offers many different dishes and cuisines as you can tell from other reviews and it is fantastic to be able to relive these classic Martha moments."