Martha Stewart, 100 books later, is still unapologetically herself

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The cookbook world is changing. Martha Stewart isn’t.

Stewart fills “Martha: The Cookbook," her 100th title, with American classics, as she has always done. She revisits recipes for tomato tarts, pierogi and her daughter’s chocolate chip cookies. Eggs abound, with poached, steamed and coddled variations.

There is even a page with notes on “the mighty potato," accompanied by a 2008 photo of her holding a bowl of potatoes, surrounded by sacks of spuds. “Cookbooks should reflect what the cookbook writer likes, and it should be personal," said Stewart, 83. “You have to be true to yourself." The cookbook genre has evolved over the years as cuisines from around the world have worked their way onto Americans’ dinner tables.

That has propelled the success of titles such as Kiano Moju’s “AfriCali: Recipes from My Jikoni," Eric Kim’s “Korean American: Food that Tastes Like Home," and Frankie Gaw’s “First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home." There appears to be plenty of appetite for books featuring traditional American fare, Stewart’s specialty. Her new cookbook recently ranked No. 9 on Amazon’s top 100 bestseller list.

“Nothing in the book is too modern or too vegan," she said. “It’s pure Martha kind of cooking." Stewart catapulted onto the national stage more than 40 years ago, with the 1982 publication of “Entertaining," complete with 500 color photographs, 300 recipes and special-occasion menus. The book established Stewart as a tastemaker in food, home entertaining and, later, home decor.