Watch, Eat, Be Merry
Recipes that put me in the holiday spirit 🎄
This week, I’ve put together a list of my favorite holiday movies and paired each one with a recipe inspired by some unforgettable scenes we all know and love. What are some of your favorite holiday movies? 🎄
Home Alone: Cheese Pizza
Home Alone is fundamentally a movie about pizza. Sure, sure. A bratty kid from a large, affluent family gets left behind — not once, but twice! But it was the “Did anyone order me a plain cheese?” scene that catapulted Kevin to throw a tantrum, which got him sent to his room where he wished his family would disappear in the first place. Then, there’s the famous pizza delivery scene — “Keep the change you filthy animal.” This may be the most iconic pizza scene, in the most iconic pizza movie of all time! Then, of course, in Home Alone 2, there is a perfect shot of Kevin eating a large cheese pizza in the back of a limo, holding a champagne flute of Coca-Cola in NYC. Kevin, how does it feel to live my dream?
Growing up, you associate pizza with all things fun in life and that really sticks with you through adulthood. I still get a little giddy when someone suggests, “Should we just order a pizza?” Like Kevin, I too love a plain cheese pizza and this Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza recipe from King Arthur fits the bill nicely.
The Grinch: Matcha Amaretti Cookies
The Grinch will simply never get old to me! When his heart grows three sizes…not gonna lie, if I’m in a certain mood, it could bring a tear to my eye. 🥲 I couldn’t think of a better cookie pairing than these Matcha Amaretti Cookies from Jesse Szewczyk’s book, Cookies. The bright green cookies covered in snowy powdered sugar are just perfect! I added a single heart sprinkle right in the middle for the final touch.
The Holiday: Earl Grey and Apricot Scones
I had to get creative with this movie, as the only food-related scene I could remember was when Cameron Diaz filled her basket up to the brim with British snacks and the slightly problematic line, “I want to eat carbs without wanting to kill myself.” A wholesome chilly evening in an English cottage with a bottle of wine and some baked goods? Honestly, you go girl. I thought these Earl Grey and Apricot Scones from Molly Baz’ Cook the Books were appropriate.
The Family Stone: Strata
Strata is a dish I had never heard of outside of The Family Stone. In the famous scene, Meredith is having a bad time at her boyfriend’s parent’s house (to say the least) and yet, she still finds it in her heart to try to impress the family with “a Morton family tradition” — the strata. Things go awry as she balances the raw egg dish on its way to the oven just as two family members (who were overheard talking shit about Meredith behind her back only moments ago) burst through the door, causing her to drop the strata all over herself and the floor. Oof.
From what I can tell, strata is essentially a savory bread pudding that is often served for brunch. The official movie recipe can be found here, but I made Melissa Clark’s Savory Bread Pudding with Asparagus, Pesto and Gruyére from her book, Dinner in French, which felt in the same spirit.
The Santa Clause: Hot Chocolate
So, how do you replicate a hot chocolate that took “1200 years to get right”? This Binging with Babish video does the hard work for us. Below is his recipe for the Ultimate Hot Chocolate.
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of Valrhona cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of Ghiradelli cocoa powder
Pinch of instant espresso
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2.5 oz dark chocolate
Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together the sugar, both cocoa powders, instant espresso powder and kosher salt.
Heat the milk: In a medium saucepan, combine milk and heavy cream over low heat. Heat until it just begins to simmer, but not boil.
Combine ingredients: Add the dry ingredients and dark chocolate into the hot milk, whisking until combined. (In the video, he shakes it in an insulated thermos, but that seems too dangerous.)
Pour into the nearest mug and top with whatever your heart desires! I went with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. I think Judy the Elf would approve.
The two different brands of cocoa powder seems annoying (and it is) but Babish claims that it makes a difference, so here we are. I’m not sure, but I can confirm this is a damn good hot chocolate.
Happy Holidays! Thanks for reading, sweeties. 🍎