Pirates of the Caribbean
The Curse of the Black Pearl
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 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 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!
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
London Fog
Here is the recipe I used for the London Fog Cocktail. It has an informative video that goes with it. The recipe calls for Bergamot extract, but I found an Earl Grey tea that was already infused with bergamot so that saved me money and an extra step.
Compact Parking Only
For the “Pirate Stew”, I served a blended red lentil stew. With these movie nights, it’s important for me to make them affordable by using things I already have whenever I can. I already had this lentil stew so that’s what I used. The point of this dish is to show Captain Jack practically standing on water, like the scene. You can use any soup or stew you have or like to accomplish this. If you want to try the red lentil stew I made, here is the recipe!
Nice Juicy Bone
For this iconic scene where the prisoners are trying to get the keys from the guard dog by trading a bone, I wanted to feature a dish that had a visible bone. I settled on chicken lollipops. This is the recipe I used. I didn’t add the BBQ Sauce, but it looks delicious with it too!
Tortuga
Ingredients- Serves a small pitcher to share.
½ cup of spiced rum
1 cup of pineapple juice
¼ cup of blue curacao
1 cup of coconut water
6 dashes of Angostura bitters
¼ cup of lime juice
Club Soda
Instructions:
Add all ingredients, except for the club soda, to a jar with a lid. Shake to combine and store in your refrigerator until it’s time to serve.
When it’s time to serve the cocktail, fill your pitcher with ice, add your premixed cocktail, and top with club soda.
Pirate Hospitality
For this scene, Elizabeth is famished and is devouring the feast Barbossa had prepared. This includes a turkey leg, bread, wine, and a green apple she suspects is poisoned. I have a great restaurant near me that smokes turkey legs, so I bought this dish. I recommend buying from a local BBQ joint because the quality isn’t comparable to making it at home. If you don’t have that option and want to make it at home, here is a recipe you can follow.
You only have a few minutes to prepare this dish so I recommend having the tray set up before you start the film. Have the glasses, apple, bread, and parchment paper set up. Then you just need to microwave the turkey leg before adding it to the tray, and pour the wine.
Parsnips, Parsley, Parley
This dish is based on one of the funniest, most underrated scenes in my opinion. Captain Jack, who is often referred to as the worst pirate, forgets the word, Parley. He bumbles through many similar words, including Parsnips and Parsley.
I decided to serve roasted parsnips for this reason. Parsnips are incredibly delicious. They have almost a floral taste, in my opinion. They are very similar to carrots, not in taste, but in texture.
Start by peeling and cutting your washed parsnips. Lightly sprinkle olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Massage it into the parsnips. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes or until they start getting crispy.
While they are in the oven, make your honey mustard sauce. In a small bowl, add equal parts honey and stone ground Dijon mustard. Mix well. When your parsnips are done roasting, toss them in the sauce.
Plate your parsnips and store them in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve. Also, pre-chop your parsley and store it in the refrigerator. When it’s time to serve, microwave your parsnips and sprinkle your chopped parsley on top before serving.
Walk The Plank
Here is the recipe I used by Tipsy Bartender.
The only change I made is using white rum instead of vodka, because well… Jack loves RUM!
To make the “walk the plank” effect, you’ll need chopsticks or some type of sticks to balance your shot glasses on top of your drink. When Jack walks the plank, slam your fists on the table, and the shot glass will fall into your glass.
- I recommend putting a towel down for this one because, as you can see from my video, it gets messy.
Skulduggery
This is an easy one to set up before you start the film. As a kid, I found this scene so funny that I wanted to include it in this culinary movie night. I decorated the tray with a skull as the popcorn bowl and an umbrella to match the decoy pirates. I served sea salted popcorn I got from the store because this scene takes place on and under the sea.
The Day They Finally Install A Railing
This is a funny callback scene when Elizabeth fell into the ocean. They really need to install a railing! It’s the last dish I serve at the end of the film, so I wanted it to be a sweet treat. I went with a fallen chocolate rum cake because Captain Jack falls into the ocean and he loves RUM! Here is the recipe I followed.
I made a few changes, though. I made them smaller cakes by baking them in a silicone muffin mold instead. Smaller cakes make it more manageable to eat since this movie night features a lot of food and drink. Instead of adding the whipped cream on top, I sprinkled powdered sugar instead, so the fallen aspect of the cake came through more. Also, to make it a rum cake, I poked some small holes all over the cake after it was cooled, and poured some rum on top and let it soak in.
