Recipes for foodies and film nerds. Because life's too short for stale popcorn and crappy movies.
I spent many, many hours binging TCM in my youth. And Sabrina was one of my first loves from the 1950’s. A then modern-day fairy tale, the film features a gruff and vulnerable Bogie, and a beautifully idealistic Audrey Hepburn. Need I say more? The clothes alone…
But what I always found most attractive about this film is Sabrina’s culinary education (something which was, annoyingly, replaced in the less awesome 1995 remake). There aren’t a great many food scenes in the movie, but when they happen, they stand out– specifically in Sabrina’s case as moments of self realization and self confidence.
I learned to make a soufflé after watching this film, and aspired to Sabrina’s ability to improv a meal out of the contents of an office cocktail cabinet. I hope the menu below (could be brunch, lunch or dinner!) comes close to evoking the simple sophistication of our beloved chauffeur’s daughter, and leaves you humming La Vie en Rose after consumption. Just don’t get too fancy, you’ll miss out on life’s fun.
Bon Appetit.
While not quite a rose colored glass, the pink champagne in this cocktail does help get the point across. And sugared rim felt like a nice Larrabee Corporation tie in! It's really too bad David couldn't have had a few of these before he sat down... IBA says rations are 2-1-1-4, but go with whatever conversion makes you happy and bubbly! I prefer not so sweet (if it were a mimosa I’d be the “splash of orange juice but still mostly transparent” girl), so I adjusted a bit to get to the above. Making a souffle seems challenging, but the hardest part is serving before deflation! Just moniter the oven closely, and remember--a woman happy in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappy in love, she forgets to turn on the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Set oven rack in lowest position. Grease interiors of two 12 oz ramekin with softened butter. Add some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, rotating ramekin so that entire interior is covered. If you have excess parm, feel free to snack whilst you cook! Wipe the top rim of the ramekin and stick it in the fridge until you’re ready to use. Continuing to whisk, add heated milk gradually. Make sure you break up or prevent any lumpies. Whisk in salt, mustard and cayenne. At this point, your sauce should be pretty thick. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Wipe the rim for a clean look, and feel free to smooth the tops with a small spoon for an even bake. Souffle is often served with a light salad. You can always toss mixed greens in a bit of olive oil and lemon juice, but this vinaigrette has a touch of dijon and honey that goes perfectly with the savory egg dish above. While I chose to forgo a souffle out of stale crackers, I did feel inspired to make a delicious tapenade out of some of the Larrabee cabinet inventory. Puffed rice and sardines didn't make the cut, but go nuts if you're feeling inspired! Using a small food processor, blend all of your ingredients and allow to sit, refrigerated, for at least an hour before serving. If you don't have a mini food processor, no worries-- just mince all choppable ingredients and whisk your olive oil and juice rapidly to help it emulsify before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Rose French 75
Yield:
1 Cocktail
Ingredients
Instructions
Start by wiping the rim of your glass with a lemon wedge. Dip in sugar to fully coat the rim. Next, shake all ingredients ex-the champagne and the lemon twist, pour into a champagne flute, and finish off with the final two ingredients.
Souffle For Two
Yield:
2 Servings
Cook Time:
1 hour
Total Time:
1 hour
Ingredients
Instructions
Now for the beschamel, or white sauce. Microwave your cup of milk for one minute to heat. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until just frothy. Add flour and whisk to form a paste. Continue to whisk until you smell mostly buttery goodness, about 1 minute. 
Transfer béchamel sauce to large heatproof mixing bowl. Whisk in egg yolks one by one—it’s important to whisk constantly, or you’ll end up with scrambly eggs. Mix in cheese, and let sit while you take care of your egg whites!
In large mixing bowl, using a French whisk, electric hand blender, or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites until firm, glossy peaks form (takes about 2 minutes with an electric hand blender).
Using a rubber spatula, stir in 1/4 of beaten egg whites to béchamel base until thoroughly combined. Then, very gently fold in the remaining egg whites. The texture should be very light and fluffy.
Remove ramekins from refrigerator and set on rimmed baking sheet. Scrape soufflé batter into each ramekin, filling it up to the inner ridge, but not to the top (discard any excess). 
Transfer soufflé to oven. Bake until well risen over the top of the ramekin rim and very nicely browned on top, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately before souffles deflate.
Notes
Tomato Juice Tapenade
Yield:
3/4 Cup
Cook Time:
5 minutes
Additional Time:
1 hour
Total Time:
1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
While you cook, I highly recommend getting into the Sabrina state of mind by listening to this vintage French playlist on Spotify. Starting a little early on your cocktails would probably help too.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!
Fantasy films from the 1980’s are my favorites of all the films. I’ve always preferred them to modern fantasy movies– partly because the tangible, practical effects made the magic feel that much more real and authentic. But I also think the camp inherent in some …
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has always reminded me of my youth visiting family and friends in Chicago. I’m a Florida kid, so I always appreciated the cold weather and fireflies. And the Shedd Aquarium. And the Adler Planetarium. And the trains. And the river. And …
Parasite was by far my favorite film of 2019. I’m almost never happy with award season outcomes, but Director Bong Joon-Ho more than deserved all of the wins– this is A+ cinema.
The movie focuses on the destitute Kim family in South Korea, who scam their way into the well-to-do household of the Parks. As tutors and servants, the Kims are able to worm their way into a world that they simultaneously mock and envy. Dark comedy combines with disturbing thriller, and in the process the audience is confronted by the negative (and currently lingering) effects of classicism and socio-economic disparity. And don’t get me started on the creeper in the basement…
What people may not realize is that, in addition to a number of other techniques and motifs, Bong Joon-Ho utilizes food throughout Parasite to get his point across. In this movie menu I’ve tried to reflect some of what I learned reading into the dishes from the film. Note, I didn’t make a cocktail– just plan on drinking all the booze you have in the house and you’ll be on theme.
Ram-Don helps to encapsulate the class divide showcased in Parasite. It's telling that Mrs. Park asks specifically for the highest quality Korean beef to be used in an instant noodle dish-- even when the Parks eat the "food of the lower class", they have to up-scale it. But Ram-Don is delicious with or without IMO. Cut the steak into ½ inch cubes, pat dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium high heat and cook the steak through, about 4-5 minutes, turning the pieces to ensure that all sides brown. Set aside. Now it's time for your noodles-- if you're leery about spicy, you might want to start with half of the spice packets, but I used them all. Place a medium saucepan over the burner. Fill your saucepan without about 3 ½ cups water, and bring to a boil. Add all of the contents from the both noodle packets, and continue to boil until the noodles have softened and the water has reduced to a thick brown sauce, about 6 minutes—if you need to, you can add ¼ cup of water to continue cooking to desired level of noodle softness. Toss in steak cubes and stir, ensuring that steak is fully coated in the noodle sauce. Divide among two bowls, top with scallions and serve! Korean grocers and Asian markets are very likely to have these noodles in stock, but I found mine on Amazon. Of course, they were the American imports, so if anyone knows where to get the real deal stuff let me know. Rather than Da-Song's birthday cake, I baked a Taiwanese Castella cake-- the cake at the root of Geun-sae's debt and bizarre hermitage in the Park family's basement. A huge but short-lived fad in South Korea in 2016, Castella cake shops flooded the market until the bubble burst, and many middle-aged shop owners were left without a job or any savings. It's a sweet cake, so I've paired it with some soju soaked peaches (Moon-gwang's... favorite? Yeesh). Combine sugar, water and lemon zest in a small saucepan and bring to a boil-- simmer until the sugar is dissolved, and allow to cool. Add your peaches and soju and let soak while you bake your cake. Preheat oven to 350, and line a 5x9 baking pan with parchment paper-- by cutting the corners away, you can fold up the edges nicely against the sides of the pan. Lightly beat the eggs using a stand mixer at a low speed. Add the sugar and mix. Beat the egg at high speed for several minutes-- you are trying to get to an off-white color. Eventually, when you lift the mixer, a rippling pattern should remain on the surface. Dilute the honey with the heated water. Add it to the beaten egg and mix for 1 more minute at high speed. Switch to low speed and mix for about another minute until it has a fine, glossy texture. Next, add your bread flour into the egg mixture. At medium speed, whip for another minute until it has a smooth texture again. Pour the batter into your baking pan, and slash the batter in a zig zag patter to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 and continue to bake for 30 minutes more. The baking temperature and time depend on the type of your oven, so adjust them accordingly if you think the top of the cake is getting too brown. To test done-ness, pierce the castella cake with a toothpick. With other cakes, you want the toothpick to come out completely dry-- but for a castella cake you're looking for a bit of moisture (dry and clean means the castella has lost its moist texture). IMMEDIATELY remove cake from the pan and peel away parchment paper. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge for several hours (overnight is best to retain moisture). When ready to serve, slice and plate with soju soaked peaches. Castella cake is normally served without frosting or icing of any kind, but a nice dollop of whipped cream couldn't hurt if you've got it.
Ram-Don with Beef
Yield:
2 Servings
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Castella Cake with Soju Peaches
Yield:
2 Servings + Leftover Cake
Cook Time:
2 hours 2 seconds
Additional Time:
12 hours
Total Time:
14 hours 2 seconds
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
It’s important that we remind ourselves that America is NOT the only producer of quality films. Parasite is a perfect example. We have to be more open to international and foreign language films. Here’s a list you can start with now.
Besides, subtitles are fun! Ok, end soap box rant.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!
Deliciously rich and open to whatever flavor additions you have in mind.
Bring Water, Sugar and Salt to a boil. Boil gently, regulating heat, until the liquid changes from clear, to honey golden, to a deap amber, about 15 minutes.
Lower heat and pour in cream gradually at a steady stream, stirring costantly. Your sauce will baloon with bubbles, and then thicken quickly. If you desire, add in whatever flavoring you'd like at this point (tsp of vanilla, cherry simple syrup, etc.
Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
