Every once in a while, a movie scene stirs your soul. It digs in deep and doesn’t let go. And after the movie is long over, that scene lingers in your mind. The opening scene of Inglourious Basterds is one such scene for me. Christoph Waltz is mesmerizing in the role of Nazi leader Hans Landa, and he captivates the audience so subtly, yet so masterfully through food it’s as if the glass of milk (or strudel, later in the movie) should be on the payroll.
In two distinct scenes, Hans Landa uses food as a stall tactic and a means to generate discomfort. In the opening scene, he visits a dairy farm he suspects is hiding a Jewish family. Apparently in no hurry, he asks for a glass of milk and drinks every last drop before continuing. Once the questioning begins, a half-empty glass of milk sits on the table while the Jewish family hides under the baseboards at Landa’s feet.
Speaking in English, Landa convinces the dairy farmer to reveal the hiding location of the Jewish family, who does not understand English. Converting back to French, he thanks his “host” for the milk, and unbeknownst to the family beneath him, summons fellow soldiers to shoot rounds into the floor and exterminate them.
One young girl, Shoshana, manages to escape, only to find herself dining in Landa’s presence years later. Watch the scene below in its entirety – it will make you cringe from the moment he orders strudel for Shoshana with a glass of milk (giving away that he knows her true identity) to the close-up scenes of the waiter spooning cream onto their plates and Landa chewing loudly during intense moments of conversation.
I mention these scenes because this month’s Recipe ReDux is focused on food-related movie moments in honor of the upcoming Academy Awards. No matter who goes home with the Oscar, the following collection of recipes from healthy food bloggers will have you seeing old movies in new, drool-worthy ways.
But since I couldn’t do much with a glass of milk and there are already a host of flavored whipped cream recipes out there, I picked another movie moment from which to create this month’s recipe. I didn’t focus on the “healthy” aspect this time because my movie inspiration has nothing to do with healthy food. In fact, fast food, candy bars and…oh look…a deli meat are the stars of this show. While Heavyweights may have never been Oscar-worthy (and received its fair share of bad press for perpetuating obesity-related stereotypes), it is one of the most memorable movies from my childhood. So, enjoy an awesomely bad food fight and a crazy good recipe for S’mores Pizza. I think they’re cheatin’.
S’mores Pizza with Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
12 honey graham crackers, crushed
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup 70% cacao dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
handful coconut flakes (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a food processor, combine crushed graham crackers, butter, sugar and salt until combined and smooth. I used the 4-cup attachment on my immersion blender, and the size worked great for this recipe.
3. Press graham cracker mixture into 9-inch glass pie dish (or work with what you have). Bake approx. 10 minutes or until crust is firm. My crust fell apart when I cut the pizza as I’m still learning to bake at altitude, but the buttery crumbs were worth eating by themselves.
4. Top with chocolate, then marshmallows, then sprinkle with coconut if desired. The exact quantities don’t really matter for this part. Bake 3-5 minutes or until marshmallows and coconut are visibly toasted. Enjoy warm!
i am not much a movie person but when it comes to delicious dessert like this i am all in. this will be so great to serve on a cold day. yum yum yum
today is DEFINITELY a cold day, at least here!! Just read through your bucket list…and am in full support of your moving to Colorado goal. I made the move to Denver in September and couldn’t be happier!
Katie, Thanks for the introduction to Inglourious Basterds. I watched the clip and I am hooked. Your s’mores look yummy. Will have to prepare when I have a house full of hungry boys (post wrestling season!).
You will definitely have to give the full movie a chance – it’s one of those that I could watch over and over again. This recipe would absolutely please a house full of hungry wrestlers
Yum!! Great idea. Love the dark chocolate and coconut combo.
Thanks! I have always loved coconut, always claiming them in the little boxes of chocolates. It finally seems like more people are opening their eyes (and mouths) to coconut these days!
What a fun idea! and you could also make sure your chocolate was melted to perfection!
Wouldn’t have it any other way!
Oh man, my daughter would be all over this recipe! Great to have you back on board with ReDux!
Thanks, Deanna. It’s good to be back! I’m telling you this is one of the easiest things I’ve ever made.
Masterful writing Katie. A joy to read. And then you added a delish looking recipe at the end….so simple of a crowd pleaser…I’ll bookmark for my next party!
Masterful writing Katie. A joy to read. And then you added a delish looking recipe at the end….so simple of a crowd pleaser…I’ll bookmark for my next party!!
Let me know how it turns out. A high quality chocolate is a must!
I loved Inglourious Basterds but I agree that’s a tough one to draw recipe inspiration from! Love what you ended up with – s’mores pie would be a crowd-pleaser in our house.
Yes, it definitely was! But I thought I would be remiss not to include it in this post since those food scenes are so embedded in my mind.
Ah! I hate that scene where he shoots bullets into the floor. I close my eyes! But.. I still love that movie
I’ve never seen heavyweights but smore pizza sounds amazing.
The movie was so well done. Heavyweights is definitely on the other end of the spectrum
Do the ingredients in this recipe get any better?! I need to make this while I watch the next season of Sons of Anarchy! #addicted
I mean, they really don’t!! And purchasing just one bag/box of each ingredient can literally let you make this two, maybe three times!! I haven’t watched Sons of Anarchy….my vice is currently The Walking Dead!