For Martha’s Bruschetta, she uses loaves of italian or french bread (and even sesame loaves, which is my personal favorite since it adds some extra flavor).   Slice your bread, and toss them on the grill so you get the nice grill marks on your bread.  A great tip that Martha gave for savory bruschetta is to rub a clove of garlic on the warmly toasted bread to infuse it with a garlic flavor (plus a great time saving tip instead of worrying about mincing lots of garlic up).

One of the savory bruschetta recipes that Martha made used prosciutto and ribbons of melon.  And here comes my favorite Martha Moment from the segment – Martha used a potato peeler to slice thin ribbons of melon!  How genius is that?  I can see this melon ribbon tip coming in handy for lots of different recipes.

Martha’s 10 Bruschetta Variations:

1.  Fava Beans, Pecorino Romano, and Mint

2.  Prosciutto, Melon and Balsamic Vinegar

3.  Mozzarella, Parmesan, Pesto and Arugula

4.  Tomatoes, Dill and Balsamic Vinegar

5.  Chocolate and Fleur de Sel (sea salt)

6.  Roasted Red Peppers, Capers and Olives

7.  Avocado, Scallions and Celery

8.   Ricotta, Lemon, Honey, and Basil

9.  Goat Cheese, Carrots, Parsley

10.  The original classic with rubbed garlic, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper.

Do you have any other recipes or ideas for interesting variations on Bruschetta?

Rainbow Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

7 oz marzipan paste or almond paste
1 cup sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 drops green food coloring, or to desired color
5 drops red food coloring, or to desired color
12-oz jar raspberry jam (preferably seedless)
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 3 (13- by 9-inch) metal baking pans. Line bottom of each with wax paper, letting it extend at 2 opposite ends, and grease paper. Break marzipan paste into small pieces and grind with sugar in food processor until no lumps remain. Transfer to a large bowl and add butter. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then add yolks and almond extract and beat well. Beat in flour and salt on low speed. Beat egg whites in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold stiff peaks and stir one third into batter to lighten slightly (batter will still be stiff). Fold in remaining whites thoroughly. Divide dough into thirds (about 1 1/2 cups each). Stir green food coloring into one third and red food coloring into another, leaving one third plain. Spread each dough separately into a pan. (Layers will be thin.)

Bake layers in batches in middle of oven until just set and beginning to turn golden along edges, 7 to 10 minutes total. Run a knife along edges to loosen from pan, then while still hot, invert a large rack over pan and invert layer onto rack, pulling gently on wax paper overhangs to release if necessary. Peel off wax paper and cool completely.

Line a large shallow baking pan with wax paper and slide green layer into it. Spread half of jam evenly over green layer and carefully top with plain layer. Spread remaining jam evenly over uncolored layer and carefully top with pink layer (trim edges if necessary). Cover with plastic wrap and weight with a large cutting board or baking pan. Chill at least 3 hours.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove weight and plastic wrap and spread chocolate evenly over top, but not sides, of pink layer. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 1 hour, and cut into small diamonds (12 rows crosswise and 12 diagonal rows).

Cooks’’ note:
• Do not make this dough ahead.

Now to make this Rainbow Cake into a six layer colorful cake, just make two of these but color each layer a different vibrant color.  Make sure to make one cake have red, orange and yellow layers and the next one should have green, blue and purple.  That way when you stack them together, you will have the same beautiful colors of Martha Stewart and Kaitlin Flannery’s Rainbow Cake Recipe!

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Lisa Kudrow & Martha’s Raspberry Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe:

Ingredients:
- 8 cups rhubarb (fresh or frozen works)
- 1/2 vanilla bean (scrape out the inside)
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 pints raspberries (I think I may try frozen raspberries or strawberries)

Directions:
1.  In a pan over medium heat, warm the rhubarb (cut into pieces), sugar, vanilla bean seeds and 1/2 cup water.
2.  Once the mixture has come to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer until the rhubarb breaks down and its thickened and syrup-like… this should take about 15 minutes.
3.  Pop the mixture, raspberries and lemon juice into the blender.
4.  Blend well and pour through a mesh or strainer.
5.  Refrigerate the strained mixture.
6.  Pop the mixture into an Ice Cream Maker.
7.  Serve in adorable floral shapes or cones made of Martha’s Pink Tulle Cookies!

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Emeril, author of Emeril 20-40-60: Fresh Food Fast, taught us how to make this recipe on Martha’s Show!

Emeril’s Skillet Cast Iron Corn Cake & Cherries Recipe:

Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 6 TB yellow cornmeal (Martha mentioned using white cornmeal or mesa too, which I think would be a lovely change of pace!)
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 2 TB butter
- 2 bags (10 ounces) frozen cherries
- 1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Heat your 10″ cast iron skillet in a 350 degree oven.
2.  Mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder, salt and cornmeal.
3.  In another bowl, whisk the milk, olive oil, lemon zest, eggs and egg yolk.
4.  Mix 3/4 cup sugar and whisk some more.
5.  Mix the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Don’t over-mix!
6.  Put 2 TB of butter into your warmed cast iron skillet and melt it all over the surface of the skillet.
7.  Pour the batter into the buttered skillet and bake for about 25 minutes.
8.  To make the stewed cherries, cook over high heat the cherries, lemon juice and 3/4 cup sugar.
9.  Cook the cherries for 10-12 minutes.
10.  Once the cake has cooled for a few minutes, cut the corn cake into triangles and garnish with stewed cherries.

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Emeril’s Creole Fried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
- 4 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup creole seasoning (paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano & dried thyme)
- 2 TB coarse salt
- 2 TB sugar
- 1 head garlic, crushed
- 2 chickens cut into 8 pieces
- 4 cups flour
- 2 TB cayenne pepper
- vegetable oil

Directions:
1.  In a big bowl or container, mix the buttermilk, 1/4 cup creole seasoning, sugar, salt and garlic.
2.  Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and let it soak for a few hours or overnight.
3.  In a big ziploc bag, mix together the flour, 1/4 cup creole seasoning and cayenne pepper.
4.  Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into the bag and shake until coated.
5.  Let the chicken pieces sit on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
6.  Bring a pot with 4″ of oil to a medium-high heat (around 300 degrees).
7.  Add a couple of pieces of chicken to the pot of oil with the skin-side down into the oil.
8.  Let it cook for about 10 minutes, and then turn it over and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
9.  Remove the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels.  Serve after 5 minutes of cooling down time!

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Alain Allegretti’s Recipe for Blood Orange & Fennel Salad:

Ingredients:
- 2 blood oranges
- 2 fennel bulbs (the white portion), sliced very thin
- 2 spring flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TB balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Supreme your blood orange segments by slicing off the top, bottom and sides (the peel) of the blood orange. Then carefully, with a small knife, cut out each segment of the blood orange, cutting as closely to the orange membrane as you can.
2.  Either slice the fennel very thin with a knife, or you can use Alain Allegretti’s shortcut of slicing your fennel with a Mandoline. Once you get a Mandoline, you won’t know what you did without one… Mandolines make cutting vegetables such a simple task!
3.  Mix together the fennel slices and chopped parsley in a large bowl.
4.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
5.  Toss the dressing with the fennel and parsley.
6.  Add the blood orange segments and toss gently.
7.  Serve as a garnish to a dish like Alain’s Trouchia or Swiss Chard Omelet Recipe

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Alain Allegretti’s Recipe for Trouchia or Swiss Chard Omelet

Ingredients:
- 8 Eggs
- 8 cups Swiss Chard Leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 1/3 cups Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- black pepper

Directions:
1.  In the largest bowl that you have, whisk eight eggs (or I will be trying egg beaters).
2.  Mix in your thinly sliced swiss chard, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and peppers.
3. Combine well.
4.  Warm a 10″ nonstick skillet to medium heat, and add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
5.  Add your mixture to the skillet.  Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low.
6.  After around 10-12 minutes, flip the skillet over with the lid still on top.  This is such a great Martha Moment tip on how to flip an omelet!!!  When you flip the skillet over with the lid still on top, then the omelet is lying on the lid, and you can just slide the omelet back into the pan without it breaking… now I won’t have problems flipping omelets!!!
7.  Cook the next side for a few minutes.
8.  The best way to plate this is to cut two small triangles, and kind of overlay the tips of the triangles on the plate to add some height.  And don’t forget to garnish with Alain Allegretti’s Blood Orange & Fennel Salad Recipe!

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Cybele Pascal’s Gluten Free Flour Mix Recipe:

- 4 cups Superfine Brown Rice Flour

- 2/3 cup Tapioca Flour or starch

- 1 1/3 cups Potato Starch

Mix everything together in a big ziploc bag, and store it in the fridge.  This gluten free flour mix should last up to 6 months if it is refrigerated!  For more gluten free and allergy free recipes, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Cybele Pascal’s Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook!

Ingredients:

- 3 TB olive oil
- 1 Cauliflower Head
- 1 Shallot
- 5 – 6 cups Vegetable Stock (though I will use a chicken stock I think)
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
- Parsley to garnish

1.  Martha cut the whole cauliflower head into 1/4″ thick slices (which is interesting, because I only have cut cauliflower into “flowers” like broccoli).  She sauteed the cauliflower slices until they were caramelized and brown around the edges.  She then threw in the minced shallot and cooked some more, for a total cook time of about 10 minutes (Martha said the little brown or black pieces are fine).

2.  Pop the caramelized cauliflower and shallot into a Vita-Mix Blender with the vegetable stock and blend well.  The fabulous thing about a Vita-Mix Blender is that it makes your soup silky smooth… you will no  longer use your food processor or many other appliances… it is amazing what the Vita-Mix Blender can do, I am totally in love with mine!

3.  You can add some heavy cream if you want, or just season with salt and pepper.

4.  Martha makes her own croutons by cutting up brioche cubes (from her favorite brioche bread from Balthazar), and frying the cubes in a little olive oil and butter.  And this is why we love you Martha!!! Such a great Martha Moment!

Martha Stewart brought Gavin Kaysen, Cesare Casella & Sarah Carey on her show to talk all about soups and stews.  Martha’s soup memory is a Polish mushroom soup that her mother used to make on Christmas and Easter with dried mushrooms and a can of mushroom soup (which Martha totally shuns… but I can see some times when canned soup is a good thing Martha!).

Cesare Casella’s soup memory is, of course, the pasta fagioli that his mother used to make with leftover chicken or beef from the day before.

Sarah Carey grew up on a real commune where there were about 20 people at every meal.  Sarah’s soup memory is a white gazpacho made of cucumber, sour cream, chicken stock, grated cheese, walnuts and tomatoes, which sounds completely divine!

What is your favorite soup or stew memory?