Omelette Norvégienne #MoviesandMunchies

I am sharing this recipe after watching the May Movies & Munchies selection: The Taste of Things. Debra of Eliot's Eats is hosting.

On the Screen

A word of warning: do not watch this movie on an empty stomach. Okay, you have been warned. The Taste of Things begins with more than 3o minutes of cooking. Eugénie, played by Juliette Binoche, cooks, cooks, and cooks some more. The scene is gorgeous with very little dialogue and no music. All you hear is the sound of stock bubbling, butter sizzling, and spoons sliding against pots. And the rest of the movie is just as much a culinary tour de force akin to Babette's Feast or Like Water for Chocolate.

The movie was written and directed by Trần Anh Hùng, a Vietnamese French filmmaker whose The Scent of Green Papaya was one of my favorites when it came out in 1993.

The Taste of Things stars Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel as Eugénie and Dodin Bouffant, respectively. Dodin is known throughout France as 'the Napoleon of the culinary arts.' And she is his cook. They spend their days cooking and their nights making love. But the love story is subtle while the love affair with food takes center stage. Dodin asks Eugénie to marry him, but she refuses as their commitment to each other doesn't need the official ceremony of a wedding.

I won't say anything else - or spoil the plot. Just go watch the movie. And bring a snack and plenty of tissues.

On the Plate

Given that the main characters are cooks, there is so much food. So. Much. I noted lettuces, radishes, and more in the garden. An omelette is his favorite breakfast. When he is testing Pauline's aptitude for cooking, he asks her to identify the ingredients in the Bourginette sauce; she lists off short ribs, smoked bacon, red bell peppers, juniper, clove, mushroom, fennel, tomato, cumin, and paprika. He tells her she missed the cognac and currant jelly.

I had serious envy of the special pan in which she poached the turbot in milk. We also see Eugénie create a veal loin with braised lettuce. And Dodin labors over his Pot-au-Feu.

There is also a scene with a bunch of gourmands, including Dodin, indulge in the barbaric ritual of eating Ortolan. If you are unfamiliar, the songbirds are kept in the dark, stuffed on grains, then drowned in brandy. They are cooked whole and consumed in their entirety - except for the beak - with a napkin over the gourmands' heads.

There was so much from which to choose, but I opted for an Omelette Norvégienne, otherwise known as a Baked Alaska. While I have made many, many Baked Alaskas, I have never set them on fire as they did in the movie. Of course, I had to try it.

The cake at the bottom can be whatever you like. The ice cream, again, can be whatever you like. But the most important thing is the meringue. After all these years, I finally found the perfect meringue that doesn't weep, that holds its dramatic peaks, and it is fittingly referred to in my house as 'the actual good meringue.'

The Actual Good Meringue

• 4 egg whites

• 1 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

• Also needed: saucepan, hand-blender, kitchen torch

  
  

Place water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Swirl to dissolve the sugar completely. Keep at a low simmer while you work with the egg whites.

Separate the yolks and the whites, placing the whites in a clean mixing bowl and reserving the yolks for a different purpose. With a hand-blender, beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Bring the syrup to a rolling boil, then carefully pour the syrup into the whites. Beat to incorporate, then sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

After you spoon the meringue over the cake and ice cream, torch the meringue. Then flambé it!

Set it On Fire

• 1/3 cup any liqueur that's at least 80 proof (that's 40% alcohol)

Pour your liqueur into a small saucepan. Cover and heat until it begins to steam. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aflame with a long lighter or match. Spoon or pour the flaming liqueur over the cake. The flames will go out once the alcohol has burned off. Serve immediately.

That's a wrap on my The Taste of Things offering. The group will be back next month to watch Nonnas. Stay tuned!