Dinner & A Movie Night: Amelie

This was actually last Wednesday's Dinner & a Movie. Husband is having trouble getting his Netflix queue lined up right to get his movie choice here in time. Unfortunately, he's kind of picky about his movies, and won't just pick one off the shelf.

I have no such reservations, so when last week's movie went astray, I grabbed Amelie and whipped up a French Bistro style meal with creme brulee for dessert, of course!

Amelie is a great, quirky little love story/comedy. Yes, it has subtitles but this is one of those films worth reading.

The recipe was inspired by Martha and her French Bistro Menu. Ideally, you'll have a mandoline and a creme brulee torch, but should your kitchen not be equipped with these extravagances, a broiler and a sharp knife will work.

Prep Notes: The creme brulee's can be made up to 3 days in advance and for best results, should be made at least the night before and allowed to chill in the freezer. I'd slice the potatoes next because they can sit in salted water up to 4 hours before you cook them. The steak needs to marinate for an hour, so that comes next and the salad is quick, so I did mine while waiting on the steak.

Amelie French Bistro Style Dinner
Marinated steak and shallots
Matchstick fries
Pear and mache salad
Creme brulee

Marinated Steak and Shallots
While shallots are oh-so-French, onions will work in a pinch.

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup malt vinegar (Martha used sherry vinegar)
  
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• a nice, thick steak
• 5 shallots (or one hefty onion)
  
• Salt & Pepper

Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard and Worcestershire in a glass bowl (vinegar can ruin metalic bowls). Coat steak in marinade and let sit for an hour, turning once at 30 minutes.

While the steak is marinating, chop up the shallots and caramelize them by placing them in a pan with some olive oil. Keep the heat low and let them get all golden and sweet. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Transfer them to a plate. Salt & pepper the steak and cook it up in the pan over med-high heat to your preferred doneness. Let sit for a few minutes before slicing into thin strips against the grain of the meat.

Serve over the shallots.



Matchstick Fries
These very thin fries are wonderfully crisp right from the oven

• 2 potatoes
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Wash the potatoes and use a mandoline or a very sharp knife to cut them into 1/8 inch strips. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times to ensure even cooking, until golden and crunchy.



Pear and Mache Salad
Mache (also called lamb's lettuce or corn salad) is a popular European winter green. You can omit it or add your favorite green if you can't find mache.

• 2 or 3 handfuls of mache
  
• 2 or 3 handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 bosc pear, pealed and diced
• fresh mozzarella
  
• really good olive oil
• lemon
• salt & pepper

Toss the mache, spinach, pear and mozzarella together. Dress with a little olive oil and lemon. Salt & pepper to taste.


Creme Brulee
One of Amelie's favorite things is breaking the crust of creme brulee, so if you were to make nothing else for Dinner and a Movie: Amelie, you'd still do alright with this yummy dessert.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• dash of vanilla
  
• 1/4 cup plus 4 Tbs. sugar

Preheat an oven to 300°F. Have a pot of boiling water ready.

Put cream in saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Warm the cream until bubbles form around the edges of the pan and steam begins to rise from the surface.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, salt and the 1/4 cup sugar until smooth and blended. Gradually add the cream to the egg mixture, whisking until blended. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Divide the custard among four ramekins and place the ramekins in a baking pan. Put pan into oven and carefully add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custard is just set around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes.

Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Just before serving, sprinkle 1 Tbs. of the sugar evenly over each custard. Using a kitchen torch, melt the sugar according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't have a kitchen torch, they can be placed under the broiler until the sugars have gone crunchy. Make sure to keep an eye on it so they don't burn! Serve immediately.