Recipes inspired by movies

Movie: The Sound of Music

Scene: In one of the most memorable songs from this magnificent movie, Maria (Julie Andrews) sings about some of her favorite things, including crisp apple strudel.

Easy apple strudel

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and shredded
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the prepared apples in a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, golden raisins and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Place the puff pastry on the baking sheet. Roll lightly with a rolling pin, stretching out a bit.
4. Arrange the apple filling down the middle of the pastry lengthwise.
5. Fold the pastry lengthwise around the mixture and seal the edges of the pastry by using a bit of water on your fingers and rubbing the pastry edges together.
6. Whisk egg and milk together and brush onto top of pastry. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Movie: Bridget Jones's Diary

Scene: Bridget (played by Renée Zellweger) attempts to make a soup for her friends and her new crush, but in her inexperience, leaves the twine from the packaging in the pot and turns everything in it a ghastly shade of blue!

Bacon, potato and leek soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces bacon, chopped
• 3 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 medium white potatoes
• 4-5 cups of chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Dash of cayenne
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 cup white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove crisp bacon from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping the fat in the pot.
2. Add the leeks and cook until a little bit soft, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, cook a minute longer.
4. Add the potatoes and stock, scraping up most of the brown bits from the bottom.
5. Stir in the Dijon mustard and cayenne. Add enough broth to cover the potatoes by about an inch.
6. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft and falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
7. Using an immersion blender, purée until smooth.
8. Put back on low heat, stir in the cheese until melted.
9. Add crisp bacon back into pot and stir in milk and cream.
10. Adjust seasonings with more salt, pepper, cheese and if it is too thick, thin out with more milk or stock.
11. Garnish with again, more cheese, chives and diced bacon.

Movie: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Scene: Toula (Nia Vardalos) is surrounded by a huge Greek family, including her mother, who is woefully unfamiliar with the bundt cake. Not only does she have a hard time pronouncing the word, but she also believes it should be used as a holder for a flowerpot.

Brown sugar bundt cake

Serves 12

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk

Brown sugar glaze:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray (or butter) and flour pan generously.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time.
5. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl.
6. On low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in three additions and milk in two additions, being careful not do over mix.
7. Spoon into bundt pan and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.
8. Place pan in the oven and bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, about 50-60 minutes.
9. Place bundt on a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert and let cool completely on a wire rack.
10. To make the glaze, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, milk and salt and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
11. Continue to boil, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
12. Add the vanilla and let the glaze cool and thicken slightly. Pour glaze over cooled cake.

Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Scene: Spoiled Violet Beauregarde got to sample the three-course-meal bubble gum and ended up turning into a blueberry bubble herself. While I wouldn't necessarily enjoy a roast-beef-flavored gum, the idea of replicating the flavor of blueberry pie a la mode is terrific!

Blueberry hand pies

Makes 4

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sweet butter pie dough:

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoons cold buttermilk (or milk with a bit of lemon juice)

Directions:

1. To prepare the dough, in a small bowl, combine vanilla and buttermilk, stir to combine and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar and salt and whisk to combine.
3. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add the buttermilk mixture a bit at a time and stir in until dough comes together.
5. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape into a flat disk.
6. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
7. To make the pies, first preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a large baking sheet.
8. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine berries, granulated sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Mix well.
9. Microwave for 5 minutes and stir, then microwave in 1-minute increments until all the berries burst and the mixture begins to thicken.
10. Turn the chilled dough out onto a floured work surface and divide in two. Rewrap one half and place it back in fridge to stay cold.
11. Roll the pie dough out until it reaches a thickness of about 1/8-inch.
12. Using round pastry cutter, cut out about 4 to 5-inch rounds.
13. Place rounds onto the baking sheet and back into the fridge if necessary. If not, place about 2-3 tablespoons of the blueberry mixture into center of each round.
14. Using a pastry brush dipped in a small amount of egg, brush the edge of half of each round.
15. Fold dry edge onto egg-brushed half, forming semicircle shape and press edges together with a fork to seal in an aesthetically-pleasing manner.
16. Brush the top of each pie with the egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
17. Use a small knife to make a 1-inch slit in the top of the pie for steam to escape.
18. Repeat with remaining pastry dough.
19. Place the pies in the oven and bake until tops are beginning to turn golden brown, about 20 minutes.
20. Let cool on sheets for 7-10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
21. Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably smothered in vanilla ice cream.

More Academy Awards fun

Reactions to this year's nominations
5 Shocking snubs
The complete nomination list