Knives Out
Culinary Movie Night Guide
Difficulty Level: Easy
Table of Contents
Equipment
Here is a list (with links) of all the equipment and decorations I used for my Knives Out 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!
My House, My Rules, My Coffee!!
Rose & Thrombey
The Good Stuff
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
My House, My Rules, My Coffee!!
For this first iconic scene, I knew I had to purchase THE mug. On the plate, there are also croissants and mixed berries. I served strawberries and blueberries because they’re fruits I already had. If you want to be more authentic to the scene, it looks like the plate has raspberries and blackberries.
This was an easy one to prepare to serve, so I quickly threw it together before starting the film.
Harlan’s Birthday Cake
For this scene, my goal was to purchase a small rectangular cake. The cake in the movie looks to be a rectangular sheet cake, but I was okay with any type of sweet as long as it was rectangular.
My store had this berries and cream tart that worked out beautifully. To tie in the birthday scene from the movie, I also purchased sparkler candles. They were sold in the birthday supply area of my generic grocery store.
In hindsight, I should have used the whole pack so the sparkler effect was greater, but I live in an apartment and was scared about creating too much smoke. LOL.
This was another easy dish to set up right before starting the movie. I just plated the tart, and stuck the candles into each corner. I also made sure I had my lighter sitting next to the plate so I could quickly light the candles when it’s time.
Rose & Thrombey
For this scene, I wanted to incorporate two things. The champagne they were drinking during the celebration (or champers as Fran would call it) and the signature rose stationery Harlan uses.
I used this Silicone Rose Ice Mold to freeze strawberry juice. This created the rose colored ice that I placed in the center of the glass. I then poured a little bit of champagne on top.
Make sure you make the ice the day before so it has time to freeze. Then it’s super quick to serve.
One Last Go
The board game ‘Go’ is a recurring motif throughout the film, so I wanted to spotlight the game through a dish. I immediately thought of onigiri. Plain rice balls for the white pieces and nori-covered rice balls for the black pieces. I also served sriracha mayo and soy sauce for dipping.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the nori by cutting the sheet into small squares. You will also need plastic wrap to help you shape the rice balls into tight spheres. When the rice is fully cooked, let it cool for a few minutes. You want to work with warm rice, but not scalding to the point it’s painful to touch.
If you are working with your hands, make sure to wet them first because the rice is very sticky. Wet hands will help keep the rice from sticking to you. I suggest using a utensil to scoop.
Below are examples of how I shaped the rice balls:
I stored the rice balls in my refrigerator. Closer to when I was about to start the movie, I set up the Go board and placed the rice balls into formation. I wanted to match the current play in the movie, so this is the reference I used.
I used a wooden cutting board and electrical tape to make the lines. I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING ELECTRICAL TAPE. It left a terrible residue that was tedious to scrub off after. I would go with a painter’s tape or something easier to remove.
The Good Stuff
For this drink, I wanted to honor Daniel Craig’s work as James Bond in Casino Royale and serve his signature cocktail, a Vesper Martini, shaken, not stirred.
I served the martini in large vials since this is for the medication mix-up scene. I also served syringes in the bottles.
I recommend premixing this drink to save time and then storing it in your refrigerator. When it’s time to serve, give it a good shake and pour it into the vials.
Nana’s Salmon Spread
This scene always makes me giggle. Nana is just vibbin. I made the salmon spread ahead of time. You can even make it the day before. I made sure to keep some of the salmon as a topper and put the rest into the spread. When it was time to serve, I quickly added a scoop of the spread to crackers and topped them with the salmon I set aside.
Eat Sh*t
Another hilarious scene! I dreamed of serving a decadent cookie butter cocktail, but if you want to have less alcohol or make the movie night easier, you can simply serve Biscoff cookies. They are, after all, the stars of the scene.
Baked Beans & Sawwwsage
Oh, that Boston accent! LOL!
The bar in the movie serves the baked beans and sausage surrounded by four pieces of bread. I used sourdough because I already had it at home, but it looks more like pumpernickel in the movie. I toasted them for a few minutes before serving. I suggest doing this after serving the cookies.
To serve, I reheated the premade beans and sausage in the microwave and then placed each piece around the bowl.
Who’s Atari
Who has Atari? In ‘Go’, an Atari position (Japanese for “hitting the target”) means an opponent’s stone or group has only one liberty (breathing space) left, making it immediately vulnerable to capture on the next move, similar to “check” in chess but more severe as it often leads to immediate capture. Players use Atari to threaten, corner, and force opponents into bad situations.
The beer bottles in the film are forming an Atari, with three green labels surrounding one red label. This reflects what is currently happening in the film. Ransom is cornering Marta, but as we learn more, who is really the one being cornered?
I served four beers with painted caps to reflect the three green and one red. I also formed an Atari. We didn’t drink all the beer. It was just to show Atari.
Donut Inception
I had to close this movie night with the most iconic soliloquy. “A doughnut hole in the doughnut’s hole. But we must look a little closer. And when we do, we see that the doughnut hole has a hole in its center – it is not a doughnut hole at all but a smaller doughnut with its own hole, and our doughnut is not whole at all!”
I served a normal-sized donut on the bottom, then a smaller donut on top of that donut, and then a little piece of a donut on top of that one to depict Blanc’s insanity. I set this plate up before starting the movie, so it was easy to serve quickly.
