"Julie and Julia" brought French cooking to the forefront of moviegoers' minds, but it's far from the first film in which food plays a pivotal role. Here, we honor 24 classic eating and drinking scenes, along with our recipes, so you can re-create the magic at home.
Who doesn't remember the classic scene in "Lady and the Tramp" when the two dogs share a plate of spaghetti and meatballs under the moonlight? Relive the romance with our quintessential recipe -- and don't forget to save the last meatball for your sweetheart.
In "Julie and Julia," Julie Powell (Amy Adams) attempts to make Julia Child's recipe for boeuf bourguignon, but she falls asleep and burns it to a crisp. That's reason enough for her to call in sick the next day and remake this wonderful dish. Try our recipe, adapted from Julia's original.
In a hilarious scene from "Annie Hall," Annie (Diane Keaton) and Alvy (Woody Allen) wrangle lobsters on the kitchen floor before eventually getting them into the pot. Martha offers an easier way to store your crustaceans, as well as a tasty recipe.
Husband and wife Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) spend as much time downing martinis as they do solving mysteries in the 1934 detective comedy, "The Thin Man." We recommend slowly savoring our martini recipe while watching this incomparable whodunit.
In a monotone ramble that seemingly never ends, Forrest Gump's friend Bubba (Mykelti Williamson) reminds us of all the ways to cook shrimp: barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan-fried shrimp, stir-fried shrimp. ... We've got recipes for these and more.
Champagne supports the romantic tension in "Casablanca," where the bubbly flows at Rick Blaine's (Humphrey Bogart) Moroccan nightclub in the form of Veuve Cliquot 1926, French 75s (champagne, lemon juice, sugar, and gin), and, of course, Champagne cocktails. Here's our version of this sophisticated libation.
As a prisoner who refuses to submit to the system in "Cool Hand Luke," the ever-gorgeous Paul Newman dares to eat 50 hard-boiled eggs in an hour. Our recipe calls for a cool dozen.
In the second movie of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, a tired and hungry Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) wishes for "taters." When asked what they are, Samwise explains: "Po-tay-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew." Here's our recipe for simple mashed "taters."
A bad batch of fried green tomatoes leads to our favorite food-fight scene between Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth Jamison (Mary-Louise Parker), who together run the Whistle Stop Cafe in this '90s classic. We don't know where Idgie's recipe went wrong, but you'll love our easy take on this Southern tomato dish.
In Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman," we watch an aging chef (Sihung Lung) express his emotions through elaborate Sunday family dinners -- and learn that relationships are as essential to life as eating and drinking. Prepare your own form of family love with recipes from "Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home."
The morning after his wife (played by Meryl Streep) leaves him, Dustin Hoffman (as Ted Kramer) gives an Oscar-winning performance of a man scorned, as he tries to prepare French toast for his son (Justin Henry) in "Kramer vs. Kramer." Ted's response to eggshells in the batter: "It makes it crunchier that way. You like it crunchy, don't you?" Uh, no. Instead, whip up our classic French toast recipe.
In this homage to traditional Italian food, two immigrant brothers struggle to keep their restaurant afloat with a feast fit for Louis Prima. But in the end, it's a plate of simply cooked eggs that reunites the men after their failed "Big Night." You can honor the good egg with our basic omelet recipe.
We applaud Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) as a woman who knows what she wants in "When Harry Met Sally...": "I'd like the chef's salad, please, with the oil and vinegar on the side and the apple pie a la mode. But I'd like the pie heated, and I don't want the ice cream on top. I want it on the side. And I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it. If not, then no ice cream -- just whipped cream, but only if it's real. If it's out of a can, then nothing." Phew! Try our deep-dish apple pie, straight or with the cream.
Most people would be horrified to find a rat in their kitchen. But in "Ratatouille," Remy the rat is the secret to chef Linguini's delicious dishes. He even impresses the food critic Anton Ego with what will become his signature dish, ratatouille. Here's our version.
Dinner was a big thing for the mobsters doing time in "Goodfellas." Paulie (Paul Sorvino) slices the garlic with a razor, Vinnie (Charles Scorsese) makes a tomato sauce with three meats (and three onions), Johnny (Frank Pellegrino) fries the steak, and the hacks deliver lobsters on ice. For those on the outside, we suggest our recipe for pasta and easy Italian meat sauce.
In "Waitress," Jenna (Keri Russell) invents a new pie every day and names each after a frustrating circumstance in her life. We're partial to the "I Hate My Husband Pie" -- not for the name, mind you, but the ingredients: a bittersweet chocolate pudding drowned in caramel. Here's our recipe for a similar pie.
In "Chocolat," Vianne (Juliette Binoche) finds herself in unfriendly territory when she opens a chocolate shop in a conservative town in rural France. But she eventually wins over the villagers with her recipes, including a sensual and spicy hot chocolate drink. Warm up with our version, flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and cayenne.
In an attempt to impress her friends by cooking an elaborate birthday dinner, Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) accidentally leaves a piece of blue twine in her leek soup, tinting it a vivid shade of ... periwinkle! Try our version of potato-leek soup -- color au naturel.
The fictional Big Kahuna Burger takes center stage in a quirky scene from "Pulp Fiction," in which Vincent Vega (John Travolta) informs fellow hitman Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) that the French call a Quarter Pounder with cheese a "Royale with cheese." We'll stick with our all-American cheeseburger recipe, thank you.
In "Heart Burn," the movie version of Nora Ephron's novel about her marriage to journalist Carl Bernstein, main characters Rachel (Meryl Streep) and Mark (Jack Nicholson) share a memorable first meal together of spaghetti carbonara -- served in bed at 4 in the morning of their first date. Try our version at any time of day -- or night.
In a coming-of-age story centered on the real-life Mystic Pizza parlor, Daisy Arujo (Julia Roberts) tries to figure out her future ("I'm gonna be slingin' pizza for the rest of my life") as well as the mysterious ingredients inside owner Leona's (Conchata Ferrell) ever-popular recipe. Find out Martha's secret for delicious pizza.
Food, tradition, and mysticism surround the love story of Tita (Lumi Cavazos) and Pedro (Marco Leonardi) in "Like Water for Chocolate," in which Tita must make the wedding cake for Pedro's marriage to her sister. When Tita's tears of sorrow fall into the batter, the cake is imbued with her emotion, causing anyone who eats it to feel the pain of lost love. Our beautiful wedding cakes offer a happier ending.
In "Babette's Feast," a lottery winner (Stephane Audran) spends her entire winnings on one spectacular meal that includes blini with caviar, truffle- and foie gras-stuffed quail, turtle soup, and baba au rhum. Try our take on her indulgent starter course with our recipe for Buckwheat Crepe Blinis.
"Tampopo," known as the first noodle western, is an amusing Japanese film that celebrates the joys of food. At the center of the film is Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto), who learns to perfect the art of making noodle soup, while several subplots skewer the myriad ways food can enhance or rule our lives. Test your noodle-making abilities with our recipe for shoyu ramen.
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What about Tortilla Soup? One of the best movies to showcase hispanic food ever. Hector Elizondo plays the patriarch of the family and an incredible chef. His food brings his family together every Sunday! Or It's Complicated with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin?! This movie inspired me to make Croque Monsieur, chocolate cake, chocolate croissants and honey lavender ice cream!!!!