SAVEUR magazine takes a look at all the great recipes to come out of famous films from Eat Pray Love and Babette's Feast to Big Night and Julie & Julia.
Eat Pray Love: Cacio e Pepe Pasta Sauce
As Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert says, “Italians take every ingredient they know and make a feast of it.” According to her, “there are few ways to create happiness more efficiently than by cooking for yourself and others.” In honor of the movie staring Julia Roberts, we chose perhaps one of the most famous simple Roman pasta sauces, made with black pepper and aged Pecorino Romano. It is sure to restore your appetite for life! Buon appetito. See this Recipe
Chocolat: Chocolate Truffles
Romance, political uprising, and lust are all part of what Chocolat portrays on the screen. This recipe for rich, dark chocolate truffles gives you a small taste of life’s little passions. See this Recipe
Soul Food: Mac 'n' Cheese
Meals help keep families together. That message is evident in the movie Soul Food, where Big Mama creates mountains of goodness that her entire family enjoys on Sunday evenings–dishes that even one of the greatest Southern cooks, Edna Lewis, would praise. Taylor Takes a Taste celebrates both of these Southern cooks with his version of macaroni and cheese. See this Recipe
Tampopo: Special Ramen
Deliriously joyous and seductive, Tampopo is a rush to find the perfect noodle, blending sex, food, and comedy; what more could one want? Here is Nibbledish’s ramen inspiration. See this Recipe
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Like Water for Chocolate: Veal Chops with Rose Petal Sauce
The movie Like Water for Chocolate has been called “seductively delicious.” While it may not make you jump enraptured from the dinner table into the arms of an awaiting bandit, this movie-inspired recipe for veal chops with rose petal plum sauce from Eddybles will certainly leave you smiling with delight.
Big Night: Timpano
Inspired by the movie Big Night, Proud Italian Cook decided to make this famous dish herself. The rich and filling dish may consist of 10 to 20 layers, and some Southern Italian towns hold competitions to decide which cook makes the best one. As it was in the movie, the dish is the star of any meal. See this Recipe
No Reservations: Scallops with Saffron Sauce
An American remake of the movie Mostly Martha, this film, set in New York City, delivers one of the most important lines found in any food movie: “It’s the recipes that you create yourself that are the best.” Here, Start Cooking re-creates No Reservations’s signature dish of scallops in saffron sauce–and it’s surprisingly quick and easy.
Tortilla Soup: Sopa de Tortilla
In the movie Tortilla Soup, the father cooks elaborate meals that his adult daughters reluctantly attend. However, in their search for fulfillment his children discover that sometimes their own family gave them the completion they sought. Often made with leftovers, this recipe for Sopa de Tortilla from Seasoned Fork finds the perfectly spicy equilibrium that we all seek.
Ratatouille: Ratatouille
Traditionally, ratatouille is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that, while tasting marvelous, often look somewhat muddy as the colors bleed together. Not so in the movie Ratatouille, where the dish is presented in Technicolor glory. Smitten Kitchen has created a ratatouille that is as beautiful and tasty as the one in the film. See this Recipe
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Vatel: Oysters with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
This movie’s over-the-top sensuous culinary feast reaches gastronomic heights. My French Kitchen serves up these beautiful oysters with pomegranate vinaigrette as an homage to the Sun King that we can all enjoy at home. See the Recipe
Jamon, Jamon: Figs with Jamon and Goat Cheese
In the movie Jamon, Jamon, love, infidelity, and a duel to the death using legs of ham might cause you never to look at pork in the same way again. But let Nami Nami’s elegant, delicious, and deceptively simple appetizer combining rich figs, creamy goat cheese, and salty ham erase any bad memories. See this Recipe
Eat Drink Man Woman: Taiwanese-Style Clams
The bounty of Eat Drink Man Woman was incredible: more than 100 different recipes were used during the film, many of which required years of kitchen training to prepare. However, this delicious Taiwanese recipe from Rasa Malaysia shows that making gourmet Chinese cooking doesn’t have to be difficult. See this Recipe
Babette's Feast: Quail in Puff Pastry
Almost impossibly expensive and difficult to re-create, the title meal in Babette’s Feast was a grand gesture of gratitude. Molly O’Neill, writing for the New York Times, simplified the movie’s main dish so that a home cook could relish the experience.
Boeuf à la Bourguignonne (Burgundian Beef Stew)
The secret to this classic Burgundian stew—that distinctive, almost velvety sauce—is not in the prestige of the cut of beef or the bottle of wine, it’s all in the cooking: marinated overnight and then simmered long and gently. See the recipe for Boeuf à la Bourguignonne (Burgundian Beef Stew) »
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Willy Wonka: Chocolate Sauce
Sweets for the sweet, and a decadent end to a meal, this rich chocolate sauce is perfect drizzled over cake or ice cream–or, in Willy Wonka’s case, used to captivate his audience. See this Recipe
Dim Sum Funeral: Pork Bao
Celebrations of the stages of life bring us together; in Dim Sum Funeral, estranged siblings reunite over food. Here, former SAVEUR kitchen director Corinne Trang shares her family’s recipe for delicious pork buns. See this Recipe
The Joy Luck Club: Eggplant in Garlic Sauce
The focal point of The Joy Luck Club is the strength of women and family, and this spicy Sichuan dish, which is delicious either hot or cold, will keep your own family coming back to the table. See this Recipe
What's Cooking?: Thanksgiving Turkey
The flick presents four multicultural Los Angeles families who create and consume the quintessential American Thanksgiving meal. As in this brined turkey recipe from Lynne Rossetto Kapser, the movie had depth of flavor and surprisingly pleasant tartness. See the recipe for What’s Cooking?: Thanksgiving Turkey »
Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?: Duck Pate in Pastry
Rich yet delicate and buttery, foie gras is often named by foodies as one of the ultimate delicacies. In the movie Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, each chef creates a spectacular high-caloric dish. Our duck pate in pastry crust recipe is a heart-stopper and could warrant you the title of greatest chef at your own table. See this Recipe
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La Grand Bouffe: Jacques Pepin's Apple Tart
This classic comedy, in which four friends arrange a weekend of indulgence and gastronomic decadence, is a must-see for any film foodie. During the weekend they enjoy an enormous apple tart baked in the shape of a voluptuous woman’s rear. We present master chef and arbiter of true French cooking Jacque Pepin’s own apple tart recipe. See this Recipe
Mostly Martha: Italian Gnocchi
In the movie Mostly Martha, two disparate personalities vie for control of the kitchen. But they agree on the making of gnocchi together, and from there a romance blooms. As Chef Martha says, “Gnocchi have to be prepared with great care, that’s all. With gnocchi you have to take your time.” Good advice to consider while making our recipe for gnocchi with brown butter and sage. We recommend you use real Parmigiano-Reggiano. See this Recipe
