Sabrina
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.
The Movie
The Menu
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
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
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
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Epilogue
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!