Roll out the red carpet! The 10th annual Beaufort International Film Festival is in full swing with filmmakers, directors, screenwriters, movie stars and lots of film-loving fans. Food has always been a key ingredient on the big screen. The recipes this week feature a taste of five of our favorite films including Interwoven, a new film from Beaufort’s own filmmaker, VW Scheich.
It’s not too late to purchase your golden ticket! For more information about the Beaufort International Film Festival and to purchase movie and event tickets visit www.beaufortfilmfestival.com. See you at the movies!
p.s. Thank you, Susan DeLoach, official photographer for the Beaufort International Film Festival, for taking these beautiful photos of my movie-inspired culinary creations!
From Julie and Julia
With recipes from Julia Child, the film is filled with delicious food. One of the first enticements is chocolate pie, but many delectables follow: bruschetta, artichokes with hollandaise sauce, soufflés, lobster thermidor, roast chicken stuffed with chicken livers and cream cheese, the famous boeuf bourguignon, raspberry Bavarian cream, and finally, boned duck stuffed and baked in a pastry shell.
Tomato and Basil Bruschetta (above)
1 pound ripe grape tomatoes, sliced
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf crusty French bread, sliced ¾-inch thick
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded
Mix tomatoes and basil together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and broil until golden brown on both sides. Rub one side with garlic clover and brush with olive oil. Drain the tomato-basil mixture of excess liquid and spoon on to each slice of bread. Top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
From The Godfather
Food is one of the most powerful ways the audience gets to know the Corleone family, who like many immigrant families, used food to maintain their traditions. The significance of food is emphasized throughout the film, beginning with the opening scene at the wedding of Connie Corleone — an extravagant event featuring plates of lasagna, antipasto salad and a gigantic white wedding cake that’s carried through the crowd of guests.
Antipasto Salad
For the vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
For the pasta:
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
¼ cup bottled Italian dressing
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and toss with Italian dressing. Set aside to cool.
For the salad:
8 ounces mixed salad greens
8 artichoke hearts, halved
12 grape tomatoes, sliced
Sliced black olives
Sliced peperoncini
Sliced pepperoni
Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
Dried oregano
Capers, drained
Spread salad greens on a large plate and scatter with cheese tortellini, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, peperoncini and pepperoni. Top with sliced mozzarella cheese. Season with dried oregano and garnish with capers. Whisk vinaigrette and drizzle over salad. Serves 6.
From Interwoven
Takashi: “I brought for you, well, actually for him.” Jessie: “Is that chicken and waffles?” Takashi: “Your brother’s favorite, right? In my culture we honor the person’s passing into the next world by remembering how they lived, what they loved, what gave them joy. These are the things we cherish. I would like to perform a ceremony for your brother and offer this food to him to comfort him wherever his spirit may be. And, by comforting him, maybe, you can gain some peace, too.”
Buttermilk Chicken and Waffles
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups buttermilk
2 cup corn flakes cereal, crushed
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Marinate chicken in buttermilk for a least 8 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cereal, cheese, mustard powder, garlic salt, and pepper in a shallow dish or pie plate. Shake excess buttermilk from chicken and dip each piece in the cereal mixture, coating well on both sides. Place chicken on a baking rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spay the rack with cooking spray. Drizzle chicken with melted butter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
For the waffles:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup butter, melted
Maple syrup
Combine flour, soda and salt; set aside. Combine egg yolks, buttermilk and butter; add to flour mixture, stirring briskly until blended. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until stiff peaks form; carefully fold into batter. Bake in preheated oiled waffle iron.
To assemble chicken and waffles:
Place of piece of chicken on top of a waffle and drizzle with generous amounts of maple syrup. Serves 4.
From My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Toula: “So, what happens is my dad and uncles, they fight over who gets to eat the lamb brain. And then my aunt Voula forks the eyeball and chases me around with it, trying to get me to eat it, ’cause it’s gonna make me smart. So, you have two cousins, I have twenty-seven first cousins. Just twenty-seven first cousins alone! And my whole family is big and loud. And everybody is in each other’s lives and business. All the time! Like, you never just have a minute alone, just to think! ‘Cause we’re always together, just eating, eating, eating!”
Spanakopita
4 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (16-ounce) container cottage cheese
2 cups crumbled feta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
5 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ (16-ounce) package frozen phyllo dough, thawed in refrigerator
2 sticks butter, melted
In a large bowl, combine spinach, cheeses, eggs, onion, dill, salt and pepper. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Layer 8 to 10 sheets of phyllo dough in the dish. Brush each sheet liberally with butter while assembling. Spread spinach mixture evenly over phyllo dough. Top with remaining sheets of phyllo, brushing each one with butter. Brush top sheet with butter and pour any remaining butter over the spanakopita. Using a sharp knife, cut through spanakopita into 8 servings. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until top crust golden brown. Serves 8.
From Steel Magnolias
“Oh hell, Clairee, you don’t need a recipe. It’s just a cup of flour, a cup of sugar and a cup of fruit cocktail WITH the syrup, stir and bake in a hot oven ‘til golden brown and bubbly. I serve it with ice cream to cut the sweetness.” – Truvy Jones
Truvy’s Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cake
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 (15.25-ounce) can fruit cocktail in heavy syrup
Pinch of salt
Whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and fruit cocktail with heavy syrup until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. Serves 8.
The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of two cookbooks, Gold Medal Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award, Celebrate Everything! and Dining Under the Carolina Moon. Debbi’s website address is www.cateringbydebbicovington.com. She may be reached at 525-0350 or by email at dbc@cateringbydebbicovington.com.
