food in movies

this month's food in movies was my pick, and i decided to go with a longtime favorite of mine, ratatouille. when i thought of this movie, there were two dishes that caught my curiosity - both by remy the rat. the first was of course his creamy potato soup, and last, but certainly not least, was his ratatouille. because remy's ratatouille was so outstanding as to wow the likes of anton ego, the world-renown food critic, it had to be the dish i'd make.

[my mandoline aka the real mvp]

i knew this dish would be a test of my skills, but thanks to a great recipe breakdown, it was pretty straightforward. plus, having a mandoline really keeps this from being more work than reward. 

[gorgeous colorful slices]

then, the real production came...assembling the dish. this, of all the steps, took the longest (surprise, surprise). i wondered if i'd be able to get it to look as neat as remy's, but then, i looked down and it was finished. and it looked even better than i imagined! 

[T making chicken parm to go with our dish]

then we added some thyme from our herb garden, covered it with parchment paper, and put it in the oven. the scents were absolutely divine, but i have to say, i was still nervous to see how it would come out. 

[removing the parchment paper]

and, as you can see, it was beautiful. i don't think i've ever been so happy or impressed with how a recipe looked. i honestly couldn't stop marveling over it or pinching myself that i'd (with the help of T) made that. i felt like a real cook.

["not everyone can cook, but a great cook can come from anywhere" - auguste gusteau]

the dish, and the movie were everything i wanted and then some. i couldn't get over how flavorful it was considering how simple it was to make. i'd been so worried thinking it wouldn't have much to it and it felt too simple. but now i can see why it made the impression it did on ego (even T went back for more). 

ratatouille, you have officially made it to my recipe book, and i will most definitely be making you again.