A picture-perfect cheeseburger from 'The Menu'
Yes, Chef!
Hi, welcome to Cinema Cuisine Chronicles! I hope you enjoy this newsletter and the delicious food I recreated. I make up and compile these recipes myself. *Disclaimer* I used my imagination to recreate these dishes as closely as possible to the ones from the movies; however, we all know that no food will ever look as perfect as the one on camera, but, in my opinion, these dishes taste as good or even better.
The Menu, a comedy-horror and psychological thriller written in 2022, follows diners who attend an exclusive restaurant on a remote island. Celebrity chef Julian Slowik, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, crafts a disturbed plan for the evening where multiple of the coveted "courses" that he serves the guests include the deaths of diners and chefs. While this is not a true story, the co-writer, Will Tracy, did take a boat trip out to a restaurant on a private island on his honeymoon in Norway, inspiring the film. Where to watch.
RECAP: Last week I spoke with the culinary producer from ‘The Bear’ … Go check it out!
Slowik making the cheeseburger scene from ‘The Menu’
The Menu uses dark humor to critique and satirize everything problematic about the restaurant industry and those who can afford lavish dishes and experiences. The movie tells brutal facts from start to finish. It is honestly a strange viewing experience, tackling a wide range of subjects from sexual harassment and abuse in the kitchen to foodie culture, idolization of chefs, and elitism of the wealthy.
The movie provides pertinent social observations about class structures while presenting a new perspective on the overused discussion about the relationship between art and artists.
What I love about this movie is that it makes the viewer question the blurred boundary separating a brilliant artist from an insane individual. The film immerses you within the art itself and the guests/audience actively consuming it.
A pivotal moment in The Menu is when Chef Slowik meticulously crafts the quintessential cheeseburger at the very end of the movie. It is the last course on the menu and is supplementally added just for Margot, the main character.
It is not just about the grill sizzle or the melty cheese—it's a journey back to Slowik’s culinary roots.
Anya Taylor-Joy's character, Margot, stands out amidst this sea of intentionally disagreeable persons invited exclusively to dine at this restaurant, serving as the perfect survivor of the catastrophe that the menu turns into. The menu was perfectly curated and accounted for each guest except Margot because she came as a last-minute replacement for someone’s plus one.
Slowik, the chef, knew that his whole art piece would lose meaning and symbolism if she also died at the restaurant; therefore, the cheeseburger allowed her to escape the island because the chef made it “to go.”
For Slowik, cooking a cheeseburger transports him back to his first experience working with food as a line cook at a casual burger joint.
He is incredibly grateful to Margot because she helped him remember why he started to love cooking in the first place and the importance of crafting mouthwatering dishes that people genuinely crave instead of ridiculous, controversial fine dining.
The Menu is a must-watch as it is hilarious, gripping, satirical, and hauntingly profound, leaving a lasting satisfaction akin to the first bite of a perfectly crafted cheeseburger.
Colorado Cheeseburger Connections
The name “cheeseburger” was actually trademarked in 1935 and awarded to Louis Ballast, owner of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado. The restaurant was Denver’s first drive-through fast food joint.
Additionally, Tamara Chuang from The Colorado Sun recently reported that the average hamburger in Colorado now costs $15! That means the price has increased by approximately 31% over three years.
Burger Ingredients
12 ounces ground beef
4 slices American cheese
1 yellow onion sliced thinly
Sesame seed bun
4 tbsp salted butter
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
Burger Sauce Ingredients
2 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp sweet pickle juice
garlic powder to taste
smoked paprika to taste
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
Burger Recipe
Form 6-ounce balls with the ground beef then wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan, then place the sesame seed buns down.
Toast the buns until golden brown.
Add another 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan.
Place 2 beef balls onto the pan about 3 inches apart from each other. Using a metal spatula, press the beef balls until about ½ inch larger than the size of the potato buns.
Season the burgers with salt and pepper, then add a few slices of onion to each patty.
Continue cooking the burgers for 2-3 minutes or until well browned on one side, then flip the burgers and top each with 2 slices of American cheese.
Continue cooking the patties for about 2-4 minutes and until the cheese has melted.
Assemble the burger with 2 patties and 2 slices of cheese with plenty of burger sauce on the sesame bun.
Serve immediately with a side of fries and ketchup.
Cinema Cuisine Chronicles is an occasional newsletter and a delectable gateway to the world of iconic food in television and film. My mission is to bring the magic of the silver screen to your dining table, one mouthwatering recipe at a time. Who Am I?
Hi welcome to my newsletter! My name is Julia Decker and I’m a Colorado College Sophomore currently studying English literature, business, and journalism.
Whether you're a seasoned chef or a novice, my newsletter will transport you, making the screen come alive on your plate and the food is always the star.
This newsletter is centered around two of my passions:
I am an avid Letterboxed film reviewer who obsesses over movies,
I am a foodie who loves trying new recipes