When Harry Met Sally
Aaaahh When Harry Met Sally– THE classic rom com perfect for an at-home New Years Eve celebration. It is also the best of its genre. If you think you have a superior candidate, feel free to send it my way.
Ok maybe Princess Bride is a contender. And His Girl Friday. But when I try to decide it’s like Sophie’s choice and that’s not at all the vibe I’m going for in this post.
For those (egads) unfamiliar with When Harry Met Sally– it’s a movie about romantic love evolving from friendship, written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. Apparently they had loads of fun infusing their own personality traits into lead characters Sally (Meg Ryan) and Harry (Billy Crystal), who are both neurotic yet idealistic each in their own way. Harry broodily boasts about his dark side, yet is clearly terrified of being emotionally hurt or vulnerable, and Sally thinks she’s a high functioning person yet refuses to recognize her own high maintenance fussiness and unsustainable positivity. Clearly, it’s a match made in heaven, except neither person can see it.
Harry and Sally’s years-long relationship is framed by those of their friends (notably Carrie Fisher as Marie and Bruno Kirby as Jess), not to mention some of the best segments of the film– the interspersed vignettes featuring happily married older couples telling their own real life love stories (though actors were hired for these, the dialogue/anecdotes were real). I could never choose between Ben Small of the Coney Island Smalls or this couple. LOOK AT THEM.
When Harry Met Sally is a love letter to love, one full of witty banter, quick worded arguments, and moments of personal growth and maturity that I find even more relatable now that I’m in my 30’s and I can’t help repeating to myself that the clock doesn’t start to tick until I’m 36. All that said, if you’re still feeling a little ambivalent about romance after the end of the movie, I get it. But at the very least I agree with the articulate Sonia Saraiya of Vanity Fair when she says “perhaps some men and some women can’t just be friends. But spouses better be friends already.”
And now, a movie menu for When Harry Met Sally that may or may not be as much a love letter to the famous Katz’s Delicatessen in NYC as it is to the film. I couldn’t help it, them sammies are so gd delicious. If you feel like having more than just deliciously juicy and delicious meat on bread however, feel free to take a page out of Harry’s book and scroll to the end first– my “on the side” sides section includes a guide on how to construct some Katz’s menu favorites. And while you cook, sing along to the equally yummy Harry Connick Jr and the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack. Happy New Year!
The Movie
The Menu
I started ordering this as a child on every plane ride after seeing When Harry Met Sally, and I'm relatively certain none of the flight attendants got the reference. But since I've been able to add vodka to the mix I haven't cared quite as much. If you want to be super authentic, most airlines use Mr & Mrs T Bloody Mary Mix, but adding the spices listed in my Notes section gets you close to where you want to be. OK, here's what you want, in two cups. Regular tomato juice, filled up about three quarters, than add a splash of Bloody Mary mix, just a splash, and a little piece of lime, but on the side. The vodka is optional, but highly recommended. If you have a plethora of spices and don't feel like ordering an entire bottle of Bloody Mary Mix, you can add a pinch each of black pepper, cayenne, celery salt, paprika, onion powder, and a small dash each of hot sauce, Worcestershire, and horseradish. Yes, Katz's pastrami in NYC usually gets all the attention when you are fortunate enough to eat there. But we all know THE scene from When Harry Met Sally when Sally shows Harry, very audibly, how good of an actress she is-- and she is most definitely eating (and disassembling, as is her way) a delicious deli turkey sandwich. Farther down we get to Harry's order, but (like Estelle Reiner), I'll have what she's having. Har har. Note, Katz slow roasts their turkey in a "bag" or tightly wrapped tent of aluminum foil so that the meat remains moist and succulent as it cooks in its own juices. I've attempted to replicate that strategy here, and IT WORKED. Preheat your oven to 325, and mix your herbs/spices in a small bowl. Next, place two long sheets of aluminum foil onto a baking sheet, one running horizontal, the other vertical-- this will form your baking "tent". Butter the surface of aluminum foil, and set a small rack in the center. Remove your turkey from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Place onto your baking rack, and spread with remaining butter. Sprinkle all over with herb/spice mix, including inside the cavity. Bring the top layer up around the rack/turkey breast to form a loose tent. Then, bring up the remaining sides. If you need to, use an additional piece of aluminum foil on the top of your tent to cover any holes. Pierce a small hole through the aluminum foil using a digital meat thermometer (if you have one) and push halfway through the deepest part of the breast-- be sure to stay away from the bone running down the middle. Place in the oven on the lowest middle rack and bake, until temperature reaches 165. Remove from oven and allow to sit, tent opened, for 10-15 mins. To slice, cut vertically along the breast bone... ...and then at a perpindicular angle along the bottom side of the breast to remove the meat. Slice at an angle, somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of an inch slices. Your turkey should be SUPER juicy and succulent. To assemble your sandwich(es), place about 3/4 of a lb of turkey (don't waste any bits, you can add thinner shreds too!) onto a slice of white bread, and top with whatever you'd like from the deli sides menu. Just take your time, no one likes to finish too quickly... While there might have been too much pepper in Harry's paprikash, this Katz-esque pastrami on rye should have just the right amount of spice. And if you read this recipe and think HEY, THAT'S NOT REAL PASTRAMI, SHE CHEATED-- to that I can only say, you're right, you're right, I know you're right. But it's still damn good. To preface-- pastrami is typically made from the beef belly, but is also sometimes made from brisket... as is corned beef! And since both cuts are brined in essentially the same way prior to cooking, you can use a corned beef brisket without going through the hassle of slow brining beef for pastrami for five days. The next big difference between corned beef and pastrami is the seasoning/cooking method-- and I've taken care of that below! Remove your beef brisket from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Ideally, you should see some generous marbelling throughout the meat-- these are the threads of fat that will make your "pastrami" moist as it cooks. Fill the bottom of your Instapot/pressure cooker with a cup of water, and set the rack inside. Place the brisket on top of the rack, fat cap side up so that the fat melts into the meat. Cook on high pressure, about 50 minutes. All a natural release of about 15 more minutes before you release the pressure valve and remove the meat from the cooker. At this point it should be fork tender. Place your beef onto a sheet of aluminum foil and generously coat with your spice mixture (pepper down to mustard powder in the ingredients list). If you have some leftover, that's ok. You just want the surface of the meat to be completely covered. Wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. Remove your pastrami package from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature (between 30 minutes to an hour). Preheat your oven to 275. Once the meat has warmed a bit, open the aluminum foil and place the opened package of beef into the oven-- bake for about 45 minutes to allow the exterior spices to form a crust. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes so that the pastrami juices have time to redistribute. When you're ready to eat, slice about 1/4 inch thick. Generously layer onto your rye bread. Top with whatever sides the Sally's in your life are too picky to try. Gulden's mustard is a go-to for Katz's aficionados. And maybe some crisp kraut-- after all, sometimes it is so nice when you can sit with someone and not have to talk while you're busy crunch crunch crunching away and thinking about how hieroglyphics are just an ancient comic strip about a character named Sphinxy. A plate full of "on the side" deli toppings/condiments/add ons perfect for the women who are high maintenance but think they're low maintenance. But really they just want it the way they want it. Tom-a-to, tom-ah-to. Scroll down for a guide on how to best leverage these toppings, NYC Katz style. GUIDE FOR ON THE SIDES: In the movie, both Harry and Sally appear to be eating their sandwiches plain-- as is standard for many who frequent Katz given the quality of the meat. HOWEVER, there are certain Katz menu staples that might be of interest should you wish to explore some deli toppings and sides. Here are some of my favorite "official" combinations featuring the extras I've included: THE REUBEN KATZ MEOW TIMES SQUARE DELI TURKEY BREAST All that said, my personal favorite is The Reuben, subbing out coleslaw for the sauerkraut and adding in spicy mustard. I'm wacky that way. On to the On the Sides assembly! FOR THE COLESLAW: Mix first 9 ingredients together-- this will be your deli sauce. Next, finally slice your cabbage, grate your carrot, and finely chop your bell pepper and onion. In a medium sized bowl, toss your veggies and slaw sauce until fully incorporated and allow to sit, chilled, for 1 hour. FOR THE RUSSIAN DRESSING: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix. The end. FOR THE REMAINING ON THE SIDES: Slice a beefsteak tomato, shred lettuce, and layer onto a plate with your swiss cheese, sauerkraut and pickles. Keep at a distance from your sammies until ready to consume, should you deign to consume at all. It was VERY difficult to choose a dessert for this menu. Everyone else goes for the coconut cake with chocolate sauce on the side. But I was also so ready to partake of a pecaaaaan piiiiiiie. In the end however, I took the advice of my friend Brad (who loves this movie) and went with the apple pie. Let's break it down. Sally Albright : I'd like the chef's salad please with the oil and vinegar on the side and the apple pie a la mode. Waitress : [writing the order down] Chef and apple a la mode. Sally Albright : But I'd like the pie heated, and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it. If not, then no ice cream, just whipped cream but only if it's real. If it's out of a can, then nothing. Waitress : Not even the pie? Sally Albright : No, just the pie, but then not heated. Anna's thoughts: strawberry ice cream with apple pie is just insane. So I went with (real) whipped cream. However, whipped cream on a heated slice of apple pie is also bonkers. So in this case I have to agree with Sally that it is, after all, important to keep it on the side. FOR THE CRUST: Cut butter into cubes and place, with shortening into the freezer to chill completely. Next, add the flour and sugar to a large bowl and stir briefly to combine. Once the butter/shortening has chilled, add to the bowl of dry ingredients. Cut in the fats using a pastry cutter or (if you're old-school like me) two knives-- see method below. If you need to break up the chunks a bit more, feel free to get in there with your hands a bit. You should be left with chunks of butter flour roughly the size of large peas. Tablespoon by tablespoon, add ice water to the bowl and mix with a fork. At this point your dough should be coming together nicely. Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball-- it should come together with little to no flour dust, and yet there should still be visible chunks of butter visible. Wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. FOR THE FILLING: Peel your apples and slice into 1/4 inch slices. If they begin to turn brown during the process, feel free to spritz some lemon juice over them. In a large bowl, mix apples with 2/3 cup sugar, flour, salt, and spices. Toss to fully coat the apples, and set aside. You can now preheat your oven to 425, and finish your crust! Once your dough has refrigerated for 30 minutes, cut the ball into two pieces-- one should be slightly bigger than the other (the bottom part of your pie will be bigger than the top since it needs to run up the sides of your pie pan. Place the first, larger ball in between two large sheets of wax paper, and using a rolling pin roll this out to at least 1 inch larger than your 9 inch pie pan (you should still see those bits of butter in the dough). Peel back the top piece of wax paper, and flip the dough circle into your pie pan-- gently peel the bottom piece of wax paper away from the dough and press to fit the interior of your pan. It's ok if you still have some excess at the edge! Pour your apple mix into your now pie crusted pie pan, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and dollop the remaining butter on top. Set aside while you roll out your top crust. Repeat the rolling process with your second, smaller piece of dough, using two fresh pieces of wax paper. Peel away the top layer of wax paper, and flip your top crust on top of your apple mixture. Remove any significant excess border (you won't want more than 1/2 inch). Fold the edge under and crimp the edge with your fingers-- see below. With a sharp knife, cut a few slits close to the center of your pie-- this will allow steam to release as the apple pie cooks. Brush your crust with milk to help it brown, and cover the edges with a crust protector (or alternatively a banded circle of aluminum foil) to prevent them from burning. Bake at 425 for 45-50 mins, closely monitoring the pie to ensure the crust doesn't burn and the interior doesn't boil over-- both are signs the pie is over cooking. You're going for a nice, flaky golden brown. Now for the whipped cream: simply add your three ingredients to a bowl and beat (either with a hand mixer or an electric mixer) for 3 to 4 minutes until stiff peaks form. Serve immediately with HEATED apple pie, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Tomato Juice with a Splash, Just a Splash, of Bloody Mary Mix (and a little something extra)
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Orgasmic Roast Turkey on White for Sally
Ingredients
Instructions
Pastrami on Rye for Harry
Ingredients
Instructions
"On the Side" Sides
Ingredients
Instructions
Pastrami with melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Recommended on grilled rye.
Pastrami or turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes, and Russian dressing.
Grilled turkey breast, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes with mustard (or honey mustard).
Plain with lettuce and tomato.
Apple Pie Not At All A La Mode
Ingredients
Instructions
Epilogue
Stand by… 2021 is gonna be better. And full of Mallomoars, the best cookie on earth.
Also check it– my friend Jim drew Baby Fish Mouth for me <3. My peeps are such nerds.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!