TV Bites: Sunset Blvd.

THE SNACK:
Dr. Bieler's Detoxifying Health Broth




Once upon a time, in the last quarter of the 20th Century, I lived in Los Angeles. One New Year's Eve, a couple of friends of mine all shared the same dream - that we all wished we could be transported to Artie Green's New Year's Eve party in that little apartment on Las Palmas Blvd. It was agreed it was the best New Year's Eve party we could imagine. And I'll stick with that belief, even today.

TV Bites: A Christmas Story

THE SNACK:
Chinese Turkey aka Peking Duck



Being raised Jewish, I never celebrated Christmas in any way, shape, or form. I can only understand it the way a cultural anthropologist might. Dahlia Lithwick wrote an article in Slate a few years ago covering the issue of how Jewish parents deal with Christmas, and especially Christmas TV specials. Like she describes, I didn’t watch Christmas TV specials growing up. They weren’t “illegal” to watch, we just never watched them because we didn’t relate to them. Never really thought about them. It was one of those things we just didn’t take part in.

TV Bites: Get Shorty

THE SNACK:
Jalapeño Jack Cheese Omelette w/"Slightly-Browned" Shallots



Well I made it through the upper respiratory infection and watched a really great documentary on Robert & Richard Sherman that's streamable on Netflix. It's making me think about wanting to do Mary Poppins here.

Meanwhile, since I figured I already referenced Get Shorty in the recent post on Rio Bravo (and to tie it all together, Elmore Leonard wrote the script for High Noon II!), why not just do it as the next TV Bites. So here we are.

TV Bites: North by Northwest

THE SNACK:
Bourbon Cured Steelhead Trout



Well, currently I'm stuck in bed with an upper respiratory infection which means it hurts to talk and I've been on a liquid diet for the last 48 hours. And I'm contagious. But the show must go on and I'm hard at work trying to knock out the special Christmas and New Year's editions of this blog. So, in the meantime.....

I hope you will believe me when I say that I have no grand master list of films I'm choosing, but rather selecting them as the urge strikes. So it's as much of a surprise to me that in the few films I've chosen so far, this is now the third film that was made in 1959 (along with Some Like it Hot and Rio Bravo). Why this year has such a pull on me for this "adventure," I'm not sure. But here we are, number three.

Tickets Available NOW for Charade Class - 1/30/2011!

Time: Sunday, January 30, 2011 · 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: Central Market North, 4001 North Lamar, Austin, TX

For my third Chef du Cinema class, I am featuring the Cary Grant/Audrey Hepburn classic Charade. In this very special class, I will be preparing a meal based on recipes from Audrey Hepburn's personal unpublished recipe book.



THE MENU:
Audrey's Kippered Herring Salad on Roasted Potatoes;
Italian Tossed Salad with Audrey’s Vinaigrette;
Audrey’s Pasta Pomodoro;
Rosemary, Garlic & Sea Salt Focaccia; and
Fresh Vanilla Ice Cream with Maple Swirl (her favorite dessert!)

TV Bites: Waste Land

THE SNACK:
Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles)



I spent a lot of wasted time thinking about a film to do for Thanksgiving. Now Woody Allen especially has a thing for the holiday and almost every movie he makes features people eating turkey (Broadway Danny Rose, Annie Hall, and Hannah & Her Sisters are all examples). But I just did Broadway Danny Rose and didn't feel like diving into another Allen film back to back. I guess there's Pocahontas.... but yeah, no.

TV Bites: Rio Bravo

THE SNACK:
Green Chile Mac & Cheese



I've been aching to feature a Western and there are so many to choose from that I love, but I decided to start with this one first. It has been so influential for decades (see below) and is often considered to be amongst one of the most entertaining films ever made. Some may argue it's not even a true Western, but a Western-Comedy. If you've never seen it, go to it immediately.

The Class: Broadway Danny Rose

THE MENU:
- a four course NY Deli meal -
Homemade Corned Beef (on Rye) w/Cole Slaw & Mustard
Aunt Syd’s Kosher Garlic-Dill Pickles
Potato Latkes with Sour Cream & Apple Sauce
New York Cheesecake



Just came back from teaching class and it was, once again, a ton o' fun. Thanks to all those who came out for the 2nd Chef du Cinema class.

Chef du Cinema Live on KEYE-TV!

So, today I survived my two minutes & 52 seconds of live television. Hopefully will have the video to post directly soon, but meanwhile, here's the link.

TV Bites: Zombieland

THE SNACK:
Chocolate "Twinkies" with Raspberry/Cream Filling



Aooooooo! [cough, cough] Happy Halloween! From day one, my children of the night, I knew one of the films I would do here would be Zombieland, which is one of the most fun times I’ve had in a theater in some time. You just fasten your seat belt (Rule #3) from the moment the movie begins and sit back and enjoy the ride. And, I wanted to try to make Twinkies (more on that below)... How scary is that????

TV Bites: Some Like It Hot

THE SNACK:
Tony Curtis' Stuffed Cabbage (Töltött Káposzta)



I'm sure one could easily write a master's thesis on the subject of how in American society, where male sexuality is so filled with issues and general weirdness, that the top 2 films on AFI's 100 YEARS - 100 LAUGHS list are Some Like it Hot and Tootsie - two films about cross-dressing men.

TV Bites: Coup de Torchon (Clean Slate)

THE SNACK:
Senegalese Grilled Fish Yassa


sorry, but the only trailer is sans subtitles

As promised, this is part two of a French post-noir double-bill. There are many comparisons to make between Shoot the Piano Player and Coup de Torchon. And one of them is that both films are superb and a joy to watch. I hope this is all not too "foreign" for some of you. I promise the next film will be a rollicking roller-coaster of fun and action.

We're Recommended!

Check it out! Rare Magazine has listed Chef du Cinema in their September issue amongst their "Recommended Cooking Classes in Austin!"

TV Bites: Shoot the Piano Player (Tirez sur le pianiste)

THE SNACK:
Un Sandwich de Poulet, Pomme et Brie
(Roast Chicken, Apple & Brie Sandwich)



It's TV Bites time and this time around I'm doing two French movies back to back. But not just two movies directed by two great French directors. Both movies, 21 years apart, were adapted from pulp novels written by American authors. Both movies' locations are transposed to different locations. Both to different eras than when they were written. Both are done with a jazz score. Both are available in Criterion DVD editions. And both movies, I love dearly. Oh yeah, and both movies are rarely, if ever, broadcast on any American cable channel. Any guesses on the 2nd?

Tickets Available NOW for Broadway Danny Rose Class - 11/6!

Time: Saturday, November 6 · 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: Central Market North, 4001 North Lamar, Austin, TX

In my Second Chef du Cinema class, I will discuss the Woody Allen Classic “Broadway Danny Rose”, while preparing an authentic New York style deli meal:

Homemade Corned Beef on Rye with Cole Slaw;
Aunt Syd’s Kosher Garlic Dill Pickles;
Potato Latkes with Sour Cream & Apple Sauce; and
New York Cheesecake.

TV Bites: Mad Max

THE SNACK:
Australian Beef & Mushroom Pies



It's the end of September here in Austin and that means one thing -- FANTASTIC FEST!!! So, I'm going deep for the next week watching films and to tie in with it, I decided to go with one of the great genre action films of all time, a film that redefined and reinvigorated the genre.

TV Bites: Wait Until Dark

THE SNACK:
Audrey Hepburn's Raisin Bran Muffins



So, I bet you all thought I was going feature Roman Holiday for my Hepburn Month. You know Hepburn-Hepburn, Holiday-Roman Holiday, obvious-obvious. But really to be quite honest, I can’t stand Roman Holiday. Just don’t get Gregory Peck at all. But the real genesis for planning this double Hepburn bill was that I was looking at TCM’s schedule for late September and when I saw it listed, I immediately thought, “Gee, I haven’t seen Wait Until Dark in years." I then proceeded to search around to see if Audrey Hepburn had any recipes of her own and, lo and behold, I found a mess of them.

movies I will not do classes on.... part deux

Right from the beginning, I decided there were films that were just too obvious to be included in my adventure. I listed them here. Now check out this new book which was unleashed last month and compare the list of movies they DID do to my list in that post. Sure these guys got a book, but I'm sticking by my premise of avoiding such movies -- Because if it's too easy, then I'm bored. And you don't want me to be bored, now do you?

Cooking Session with Classic Movie Stars....

just a bit of YouTube fluff featuring clips from old movies (featuring both hepburns) showing off their skills (or lack their of) in the kitchen. cute. Thank my new friends at FilmFood for discovering it.

TV Bites: Holiday

THE SNACK:
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies



This is one where I found the recipe first and then chose the movie. There are just so many great Kate Hepburn movies, but the trio of comedies she made with Cary Grant: Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, and The Philadelphia Story, are my favorites. So which to pick? It wasn’t hard. Both Baby & Philadelphia Story I think are more popular, while Holiday is the often overlooked as neglected middle-child. But what I really love about this film, besides Grant & Hepburn, the script, the acrobatics (both physical and verbal - check out this analysis of Grant's backflip), is because from the first time I saw it I’ve wished I could be friends with Edward Everett Horton & Binnie Barnes’ characters. I would love to spend a night playing gin rummy in their flat, to say nothing of going on a transatlantic journey to France with them. It’s that simple....

TV Bites: Cool Hand Luke

THE SNACK:
Huevos Diablo al Newman (Deviled Eggs, Paul Newman Style)



Since I'm not (yet) teaching classes every week, I'm going to toss up here the occasional featurette for film & food lovers. TCM is running Cool Hand Luke this week (8/21 - 10:15 EST, 9:15 CST, 7:15 PST) as part of a Paul Newman night. And if you don't catch it then -- and especially if you've never seen it -- run, don't walk to your nearest video rental store. If you have a Netflix account, you can stream the movie instantly here or rent on Amazon on Demand here.

movies I will not do classes on....

When I first conceived this idea, I decided that there were certain movies -- let's call them "obvious" -- which I just would not do a class on. not that they're bad movies, it's just that they are, you know, "obvious."

Then this morning I spied @ food buzz a link to this woman's blog and her list of her "top 10 food movies." I clicked over and it was like she had organized a list of my "don't do" movies. And so I'm reproducing that list for future reference.  

The Class: Casablanca

THE MEAL: 
Borani Laboo (Beet & Yogurt Dip) with Pita Chips
Sultan’s Tajine (Chicken Tajine w/Preserved Lemons and Sultanas)
Whole Wheat Couscous with Toasted Almonds and Dried Cranberries
Moroccan Mint Tea Sorbet



The inaugural “Chef du Cinema” class was a huge success. I want to thank all the folks who showed up as well as the Central Market Cooking School (especially Meredith, Scott and Louis) for helping to make it all happen and go so smoothly. We were sold out and everyone left satiated and happy.