In this month's Food 'n Flix pick, This Beautiful Fantastic, Bella's tidy little solitary world changes when her somewhat grumpy older neighbor Alfie starts hounding her about the "eco-apocalypse" of a garden that she's created between their houses.
We find her fascinated by a creative, and quite adorable, young man named Billy who bumbles in to the library where she shelves books (played by Jeremy Irvine, who also played young Sam in our Food 'n Flix pick from last month, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again). He seems to be a bit of a loner like she is, but in a completely opposite way. Billy is the chaos to Bella's order.
And then there's Vernon, Alfie's cook and apparently, house cleaner. Fed up with the way he's being treated, he punishes Alfie by leaving him and cooking for Bella instead (to release her from her "food prison", aka a small pantry of perfectly lined up cans of peas, potatoes, rice pudding, fruit cocktail).
When a representative of her landlord shows up at her door threatening eviction if she doesn't remedy the garden situation, Bella is forced to step outside of her comfort zone and tackle the great outdoors. In the process, she makes friends with this unlikely band of misfits...and gains the family that she's never had.
There's actually a ton of food in the film. There's also a ton of flowers. I'd love to create an entire menu centered around This Beautiful Fantastic...to be eaten on a blanket under a garden canopy, next to a pond...one day. But today I chose one little nibble of inspiration to share. It comes from a scene in Bella's garden, where she lies forlornly, speaking with Alfie.
Wild strawberries. This is the perfect time of year to find wild strawberries here in the midwest. But if you can't find wild ones, any sweet ripe strawberries will work. This classic English dessert which is believed to have originated in the late 1800's and served at a cricket match at Eton College. It's never stated what part of England This Beautiful Fantastic is set in, but I'm pretty sure they enjoy it in all parts these days. "What's that?"
"It's a wild strawberry. Life, nature...it's just waiting to burst out anywhere it can, seeking light, getting on with it. It's very simple."
"It must have been buried under a ton of rubbish."
"Well, isn't that always the way?"
It's a simple mess of macerated strawberries, fluffy homemade whipped cream, and broken-up meringues that is sure to add a bit of beautiful fantastic chaos to anybody's order.
I first saw this movie a few month's back on Hulu, and knew immediately that I wanted to invite the other Food 'n Flix club bloggers to head into the kitchen and watch it with me. I have since purchased a copy (in case it ever leaves Hulu). Submissions are due by end of the day on June 28th if you'd like to join in (instructions on my announcement post here). I hope you'll drop by again at the end of the month to check out This Beautiful Fantastic roundup, and see what everybody was inspired to create!
Join us next month as we head into the kitchen with our host Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla with her pick, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (find it on Netflix!).
For inspiration, check out the Food 'n Flix website (click on any of the roundups listed to see what participants have been inspired to make by the movie choice), all of my past Food 'n Flix posts, or my Food 'n Flix Pinterest board!
Yield: serves 4 to 6
A Beautiful Fantastic Eton Mess
prep time: 10 Mcook time: total time: 10 M
Macerated wild strawberries and broken meringues are folded into fluffy whipped cream to form a beautiful fantastic mess of a treat.
ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds ripe strawberries, wild if you can get them
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespooons brandy
- 1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
- 4 ounces ounces of vanilla meringues
instructions:
How to cook A Beautiful Fantastic Eton Mess
- Hull and roughly chop the strawberries. Combine strawberries, sugar, brandy, and vanilla in a bowl and toss gently. Set aside for now.
- Pour the cream into a large bowl and whip to medium peaks.
- Place the meringues in a large baggie and use your hands to crush them, leaving some in large chunks (and some will turn to powder). Pour everything from the baggie into the bowl with the whipped cream. Add about 3/4 of the strawberry mixture. Gently gold everything together.
- To serve, heap into glasses or bowls and scoop the reserved strawberries and juices over the top. Best if eaten right away, or you can refrigerate for a couple of hours.
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