The Devil Wears Prada
Culinary Movie Night Guide
Difficulty Level: Medium
Table of Contents
Equipment
Here is a list (with links) of all the equipment and decorations I used for my ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Culinary Movie Night. I would be incredibly grateful if you used my links. I will make a little commission, and that would really help with the cost of the website and related expenses. You can find my full Amazon List here!
Here is the file I printed for the hurricane staws and devil shoes I taped to the serving tray. I also taped fake pearls to the tray. You can purchase them here. Pearls
Tips
- Personalizing the Menu– When planning your menu for your movie night, don’t feel pressured to serve exactly what I chose to serve. Feel free to remove/add/replace dishes so it makes sense for you and your guests. I’ve included an editable menu in this guide to make it your own!
- Managing Your Time– These movie nights can take a lot of time to prepare, especially if you plan on doing everything yourself. If you are planning a culinary movie night with a group, I suggest doing a potluck style. Have each person contribute a dish or two, and it’ll be very manageable. If you are planning on preparing everything yourself, here are some things I’ve learned while doing these often:
- Make A To-Do List– I can’t stress this enough! It’s very easy to forget simple things like opening a bottle of prosecco before you start the movie so you aren’t fumbling with the seal before serving. I have done this so many times! Your to-do list should include absolutely everything you need to do leading up to pressing play.
- Start Early– I learned this after a few very long days of trying to cook, prepare, and host all on the same day. Anything that can be done in advance should be done during the days leading up to the movie night. Some examples include pre-mixing cocktails, making desserts and other foods like soup that hold up well in the refrigerator, and pre-making any handmade decorations. Hosting is stressful enough without having to make a multi-course meal in one day, so get as much done as possible before.
- No Pausing– The question I get asked the most is “Do you pause the movie to bring out the next dish?”. It’s important to me that I don’t disrupt the flow of the movie, so I do not pause. It’s also important to me to enjoy the movie with my guests. Setting up everything I need before the movie helps me bring out each dish efficiently. The setup usually includes plating each dish and storing it in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is quickly microwave it before serving. I set out any garnish or decoration on my kitchen counter so it’s easily accessible. I even pour the cocktails into their cups and store them in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is add ice and any finishing touches before serving. Always think about how you can do the bare minimum during the film. I always include the setup in my to-do list as well, so I don’t forget about any aspect of the preparation.
- Optional– If your budget permits, I recommend ordering food that you may not be confident in cooking or food that may take a lot of time to cook. I do this occasionally, and it helps cut down the preparation time and supports local businesses. Win Win!
- Decorations- Have fun and decorate your space and serving tray! Add elements from the theme of the movie, but make a budget and stick to it! I usually use things I already own because these movie nights are DIY, and I don’t need to spend a fortune to make it fun. If I do buy decorations for the movie night, I try to find cheap or reusable things. If you are curious about some of the things I’ve used during the movie nights, here is a link to my Amazon List. All these items are things I bought with my own money and enjoyed using.
- Manage Stress- Culinary Movie Nights are fun and a great way to show your friends and family you love them. Sometimes, things you envision in your head will not come out perfectly. When this happens to me, it can be discouraging and stressful, but the people I do these for have NEVER expressed anything but appreciation. Go easy on yourself and remember that your guests are just happy to be there and to experience something you put so much thought and time into making.
Menu
I have created a free, editable, and printable menu for all the dishes I served for this Culinary Movie Night! Feel free to change it to what will work for you and your guests.
Cues
These are the cues I used during the movie night so I knew when I had to get the next dish ready to serve.
Please note: Each cue describes a scene that happens a few minutes before I have to serve the dish. It does not describe the scene the dish is based on. Some people get confused with that, so I thought I should specify. Because the cues only give you a few minutes to prepare the dish, it’s very important to have everything cooked and set up before the film starts. Review the “Tips” section above for ways to make this seamless.
I often get asked why I don’t use time stamps to keep track of when to serve the next dish and the simple answer is, I don’t find those helpful. If I used timestamps, I would have to have a separate timer going or keep disrupting the movie to check the timestamp. It makes much more sense to have cues to indicate when the next scene is about to happen. This allows me to enjoy watching the film with my guests.
Below is the link to the cues I used. This document is editable, so you can make updates if you decide to take out or change dishes.
Recipes
Gird Your Loins!
For this opening scene, we see Andy eating an onion bagel. Once she gets the job, one of her first tasks is to get Miranda’s coffee. I thought it would be a good combo, so I served them at the same time. They are the first dish I served, so I made them fresh right before starting the movie.
Onion Bagel– I used mini bagels so we didn’t get too full on the first dish. Here is the onion schmear recipe I made to go on the lightly toasted bagel.
Miranda’s Coffee Order– No foam, skimmed latte with an extra shot and room for milk. Searing HOT!
Cellulite Chowder
Andy’s Corn Chowder! Here is the Corn Chowder Recipe I used. I made this ahead of time and kept it on a stove warmer so I could quickly ladle the chowder into the little bowls.
I served the chowder with a roll and green onions and bacon bits as a topping. Make sure to have the green onions and bacon bits already made so you can easily sprinkle them on top. It should only take about two minutes to serve if you have everything ready to go.
$8 of Jarlsberg
I honestly can’t stand Andy’s Boyfried, so I tried not to include him in any scenes, but I can’t deny he makes a good grilled cheese. LOL!
To make the grilled cheese, I used sourdough sandwich bread and, of course, Jarlsberg cheese. Assemble your sandwich by slicing the cheese and placing it between the bread. Then heat equal amounts of butter and olive oil in your frying pan. When the butter has melted, place your sandwich on the pan. Flip shortly after so both sides of the bread can be coated with the butter and oil.
Cook on both sides until there is a nice brown crust on the bread. Then remove from the heat and place the sandwich on a baking dish. I made this sandwich right before making the steak, and I used the same pan for the steak. I wanted the steak and grilled cheese served fresh, so I made them as the last dishes before starting the film.
To keep them both fresh and hot, I heated my oven to 175 degrees F and stored them both in the oven on separate baking sheets. The temp is low enough that it’ll just keep the dishes warm and crispy on the outside.
The sandwich has to be served right after the corn chowder, so make your way right back to the kitchen. Take the sandwich out of the oven, slice it in half, and plate it to serve.
The Devil’s Eggs
Now, if we’re being movie accurate, Miranda actually eats scrambled eggs. But, for the sake of cuteness, I want to serve deviled eggs with little pepper horns on top.
The pepper I used, because they have the perfect shape, is Red Thai Chili Peppers. Beware of the spice, though! Thai spice is no joke! I suggest picking them off to eat the deviled eggs if you have never tried these peppers. Even my husband, who is very used to spicy food, admitted they were really hot.
These are served right after the Grilled Cheese, so get right back to the kitchen to serve them. I already had them made, plated, and stored in my refrigerator, so serving these were extremly qucik.
Category Drizzle
This scene is just so hilarious to me because I’m from South Florida, so the underreaction to a hurricane from Miranda is very accurate for locals. We don’t even start panicking unless it’s a Cat 4 or 5.
For this scene, I served a classic New Orleans Hurricane.
To add an extra hurricane element, I taped the hurricane symbol to the straw. You can find the one I used in the file I attached in the Equipment section above.
To make the serving process fast, make sure to have the cocktail premixed. Also, make sure to have your straws ready and the garnish ready. You can even have your glasses filled with ice and stored in your freezer. Having everything ready will make serving extremly fast because you just have to pour your premixed cocktail into the glass of ice and add the garnish and straw on top. It should take no more than two minutes.
Party Punch
I kept this punch recipe very simple. The punch included:
2 oz of white rum
2 oz of pineapple juice
2 oz of Orange Juice
Strawberry garnish on top
To make serving this drink quick, I suggest premixing the ingredients and having your strawberry garnish ready. That way, you just have to pour the premix into your glasses and place the garnish on top.
Miranda’s Steak
Miranda’s steak is so iconic, and it breaks my heart she didn’t eat it! But we did! LOL!
I served a T-bone Steak with mashed potatoes, parsley, and carbonated water (Miranda’s drink of choice).
T-Bone Steak– The secret to a perfect sear on a steak is to make sure it’s completely dry by extracting the moisture from the steak. To do this, sprinkle a generous amount of salt onto both sides of your steak and let it sit out (on a wired baking rack or chopping board) for at least 30 minutes. What you’ll notice is that the salt will extract the moisture from the steak. After the 30 minutes, pat the steak dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture and salt.
Now you’re ready to sear the steak. I did this after making the grilled cheese and I used the same pan. Melt butter in the pan, and when the pan is hot, place your steak in the pan. Cook both sides of the steak until you get a nice sear. Make sure to hold the fatty side of the steak to the pan as well so that part cooks too.
When the steak is seared nicely on both sides, place your steak onto a baking dish and store it in your oven with the grilled cheese. The oven should be preheated to 175 degrees F so the grilled cheese and steak stay warm until it’s time to serve. I recommend making the steak right before it’s time to start the movie, so it’s not in the oven for hours.
Mashed Potato Recipe– I made these earlier and stored them in my refrigerator. Then, when I was completing last-minute prep details before starting the film, I plated the mashed potatoes, so I wouldn’t have to deal with that during the film. I also plated the chopped parsley and had the serving tray ready to go.
When it’s time to serve, I quickly reheated the plate of mashed potatoes in the microwave. Then, I took the steak out of the oven and placed it on the serving plate. Sprinkled it with parsley and served!
Lactose Tolerant
Poor Emily! I decided to jazz up her cheese cubes a bit so it’s not as sad.
This is an easy one to serve. I made these ahead of time. You could even make them the day before. To prepare this dish before I started the movie, I filled my serving bowl with the cheese and added the toothpicks. Keep the bowl in the refrigerator and then you just have to grab and serve. Only takes a few seconds.
Emily in Pain
I swear, Emily in Paris had to be inspired by this Emily! Pain in French is bread, so I thought this double meaning was a funny take. LOL!
To represent the scene in the hospital where Emily is eating chocolate pudding and bread, I decided to serve both combined as a Chocolate Bread Pudding.
Here is the Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe I used.
I baked this dish earlier, plated the serving for movie night, and stored it in the refrigerator. I also stored the chocolate syrup in a mason jar so I could easily reheat. When it was time to serve, I reheated the bread pudding and syrup in the microwave and then poured the syrup on top before serving.
It was SOOOOO GOOD!
