Saturday, May 22, 2010

Last Holiday

A remake of the 1950 film Last Holiday starring Alec Guinness as George Bird, 2006’s Last Holiday, starring Queen Latifah in the starring role of Georgia Bird, features some amazingly beautiful and mouth-watering dishes, from simple-to-prepare dishes like shrimp cocktail to a more complicated cassoulet. Even the names are delicious: Poulet Tchoupitoulas, Creole Roasted Duck Hash en Croute, Rissotto Barolo with Truffles, Rouget Citrus Beurre Blanc with Capers, Roast Quail with Brioche Stuffing, and Braised Lamb Shank with Blood Orange Relish, not to mention an amazing Crawfish Gumbo chez Georgia’s Joint and the Hotel Papp’s Stuffed Boiled Fish and an incredible bouillabaisse.

The film also includes some of the best food lines ever written:

--“The poor baby turnips. Nobody likes them, you know? Of course, life is easy if you are a truffle or a shiitake mushroom. But the turnip is to be loved because she’s a self-made woman of vegetables. All the others you can only destroy with cooking. But the turnip, she gets better. So, you see, it’s not how you start but how you finish.”
--“No butter, no cream, no wheat, no dairy, no fat! Eh, merde! Why do they bother to eat?”
--“The secret of life is butter!”


Food, of course, is a metaphor for how to live: if you want to taste life in full, don’t ask the “chef” to make any “substitutions” in the way he or she prepares your meal. As Georgia remarks, “You wait and you wait for something big to happen…and then you find out you’re gonna die.” So, turn your “Book of Possibilities” into a “Book of Realities,” pursue your dreams now, and live without regrets. It’s a common message in Hollywood films, but Last Holiday gives it a very tasty twist.


Fun Fact:
Food Network chefs traveled with the film crew and prepared all the dishes served in the movie. From them, Queen Latifah learned a number of cooking techniques so that she would be convincing as a professional chef. On their website, the Food Network also posted recipes for some of the dishes that appeared in the movie, such as Lobster Salad in Potato Leek Nests and Bananas Foster.

Released January 13, 2006
Directed by Wayne Wang
Written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman

Starring Queen Latifah as Georgia Byrd, LL Cool J as Sean Matthews, Timothy Hutton as Matthew Kragen, Gerard Dépardieu as Chef Didier, Giancarlo Esposito as Senator Dillings, Alicia Witt as Ms. Burns, Susan Kellermann as Gunther, Matt Ross as Adamian, and Ranjit Chowdhry as Dr. Gupta; cameo by Emeril Lagasse as himself

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I have to say i'm surprised about the lack of comments. I am watching Last Holiday again right now. It's my favorite Queen Latifah movie. I actually watch it often because her acting is quite amazing. One of the dishes she cooks is Creole roasted duck hash en Croute. It looks and sounds so delicious. I'm a decent cook so I want to make it. I don't see the recipe yet but I'll find it. Anyhow, if you haven't seen this movie yet...see it, you won't regret it. All of the characters are fantastic with the exception of Timothy Hutton. I suppose he plays his character well...i just find him boring. The scenes with Queen Latifah and Gerard Depardieu are the best. And I love LL Cool J in this role...he is both sexy and adorable.

Unknown said...

My favorite too! I ended up here because I suddenly remembered the Poulet Tchoupitoulas and was hoping to find the recipe.

mmc9862 said...

:-). I went looking for the recipes too. This is also one of my favorite movies. Love the actors, scenary, and the cooking!!

Unknown said...

Just love this movie lots! Would love to watch it while testing out all the recipes. That’s an event I’d look forward to.

jess said...

Such a great movie! Would love to cook the recipes!

chantal said...

I saw the movie yesterday on Netflix.... love it... didn't know it was a remake... wonderful tale just before Christmas.... and as a Chef, my palate is happy :)

Unknown said...

I want to find how they prepared a lot of the dishes. They looked so good!

Unknown said...

I've made the Poulet Tchoupitoulas complete with the bread pudding and greens...it's AMAZING! Here's the recipe:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/poulet-tchoupitoulas-3646294

If someone comes across a recipe for the creole-roasted duck hash en croute please share it!