And then there is her considerable contribution to home cooking. She is of the devotees of “Cook Your Way Through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” School of Culinary Education. And it has certainly served her well. Now the provenance of her recipes is sometimes questioned. Unlike Ina who is forthright about what she learned from whom, Martha never attributes a thing to anyone but Martha. I feel compelled to attribute posts from Martha’s recipes not just this week but for two weeks running.
The reason for the excess of Martha is because of the excellence of Martha. The Strawberry Basil Shortcake from last week was replaced this week with a superb Cornmeal Berry Sheet Cake. And because the farm stand is brimming with beautiful berries of all kinds—raspberries, local strawberries, blackberries and blueberries—I really want to get this one to you so you could enjoy it this weekend and all summer long. This is what I would call a Breakfast Lunch and Dinner cake. You can have as a morning pastry with a cup of yogurt. You can serve it at lunch topped with even more fresh berries. Then for dinner, top the cake with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And even though Martha says the cake is best served the same day, we’re on day number 5 at our house. I am often told by Andrew, our house baker, that a recipe is simple only to see him take 8 hours to make it (See Martha’s Strawberry Basil Shortcakes), But I have to admit, this one did seem to take very little time to make. Don’t miss making this. I think it will become an all-time favorite summer dessert.
