Saltburn
In this 2023 film, a student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten. Source
In this movie, the dining scenes, are something worth rewatching to see how they play out the film’s classism and often nod to the dark ending in subtle ways.
The Scene: Oliver’s first dinner, with Catton family and company.. Pamela—a fragile family friend—eats up most of the dialogue. Her father said she’d “end up in the bottom of the Thames,” she tells them. Oliver eats gingerly, offering Pamela encouraging remarks. There is a single spear of asparagus on her plate. Pamela does not touch it. White wine is sipped. Oliver’s dinner conversation—“rights” and “ahs”—shows his ability to keep someone speaking, remaining innocuous while gleaning information to use later. One of these diners will be the first to go.
Fun Fact: Oliver’s first dinner, with Catton family and company. Pamela—a fragile family friend—eats up most of the dialogue. Her father said she’d “end up in the bottom of the Thames,” she tells them. Oliver eats gingerly, offering Pamela encouraging remarks. There is a single spear of asparagus on her plate. Pamela does not touch it. White wine is sipped. Oliver’s dinner conversation—“rights” and “ahs”—shows his ability to keep someone speaking, remaining innocuous while gleaning information to use later. One of these diners will be the first to go. Source
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Today we will be making:
For the first-of-the-season asparagus, keep it simple with butter, lemon and sweet herbs with a rose reduction.
Butter-Poached Asparagus With Rosé Reduction
Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size cubes
1 bunch (10 to 14 stalks) asparagus, ends trimmed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup rosé wine
Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons of water in a large skillet over medium-high heat until simmering. Reduce the heat to low
Add the butter cubes one at a time, whisking constantly, until the mixture is homogeneous
Add the asparagus and season with salt. Cook, on low heat, occasionally spooning the butter over the asparagus, until the asparagus is fork tender, about 13 to 15 minutes. (The butter sauce may separate for a moment here; it'll come back together when you make the wine sauce.)
Using tongs, remove the asparagus from the pan and transfer to a serving platter
Add the thyme and wine to the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the liquid has slightly reduced and is slightly darker, about 6 minutes. (The butter may start to brown a little—that’s ok!) Remove the thyme from the pan, and salt the sauce as needed
Serve the asparagus topped with a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Serve immediately, with any extra sauce and lemon wedges on the side
Why This Recipe Works
Why simply poach your asparagus in water or stock alone, when you can imbue them with rich, buttery flavor? The technique used here involves a beurre monté, a water and butter emulsion; this gives the proteins in the butter a little buffer from the heat of the pan, so that it doesn’t over-brown or burn while the asparagus cooks. T
Pro Tips
When you hear the phrase “poached vegetable,” you probably think of a variation of blanching: a method that involves boiling vegetables in water, then quickly shocking them in ice water so they don’t overcook. This technique helps vegetables retain their verdant color, while cooking them *just* enough so that their hard exteriors give way to a tender crunch instead. But while blanching yields perfectly crisp snap peas or asparagus, it lends very little to flavor
he sauce may break for a moment, but do not fear—it will re-emulsify when you bring it back to the heat with a splash of rosé, which adds gentle minerality, and slight sweetness
Naturally, this dish is best served with a crisp, cool glass of rosé (or any refreshing drink of choice) and a summery main dish, like grilled fish or burgers
“Is everything OK Ollie?”
“Uh, of course yeah, it’s just that.. runny eggs. I get a bit sick from them.”
The Scene: The egg scene emphasizes how out of place Oliver is. It is clear that Oliver has less money than Felix, and in this way, is not familiar with Saltburn's customs of dressing for dinner and throwing extravagant parties. However, the egg scene shows that even something as mundane as eggs is out of Oliver's wheelhouse. For example, he asks for eggs over easy, and though they come to him looking more sunny side up, either way, the eggs have a runny yolk and he rejects them.. Source
Fun Fact: The chef's hat, also known as the toque, has pleats that in the 1800s were said to represent the number of recipes a chef knew for a particular food item, such as eggs. For example, a chef with 100 pleats may have known 100 ways to prepare eggs, such as frying, poaching, scrambling, or making an omelette. The pleats could also indicate a chef's expertise with a specific ingredient. Today, while chef's hats typically have fewer pleats, the symbolism of the pleats representing a chef's skill level still holds true, and more pleats can indicate a higher position in a kitchen.
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
Easy Egg Custard
Baked egg custard is the little black dress of the dessert recipes set—it’s simple, elegant, and can be dressed up with fresh berries, chocolate sauce, or whipped cream. It’s also astoundingly good all on its own.
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Freshly grated or ground nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F
Place six 4-ounce ovenproof cups (you can use ramekins or coffee cups marked as oven-safe) in a deep baking pan just large enough to hold them
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking gently to combine
Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into the cups (if the strainer clogs, use a spoon to scrape it clean), then sprinkle lightly with the nutmeg
Pour hot (not boiling) water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake until the custard is just set (it can still be a little loose), 30 to 35 minutes
Let the custard cool in the water bath for about 2 hours before serving
Why This Recipe Works
Egg custard does not taste like egg (So Oliver shouldn’t send it back this time). It is a custard flavor, like a sweet creamy vanilla
This recipe for individual custard cups keeps things very simple: no pie crust, no nonsense
Pro Tips
Be sure to start this recipe a couple of hours before serving so the custard can cool down
It can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days and it’s even better the afternoon after you've made it.
We like to pour the custard mixture into ramekins, but coffee cups marked as oven-safe will also do. You’ll set the cups in a baking dish in order to cook them gently in a hot water bath. When they’re done, the custards should be mostly set, but still have a little wobble in the centers
“I have a complete and utter horror of ugliness”
The Scene: Elspeth converses with Oliver in the Saltburn gardens. In this scene, as Oliver surreptitiously gathers information from Elspeth while laying the groundwork for his infiltration of the Catton family, Elspeth’s character is on full display. Regal, feminine, bohemian, eccentric and cold-blooded.
Fun Fact: “Linus [Sandgren] and Rosamund Pike talked about [the film] being a vampire movie,” Fennell admits. “It’s never clear if the Cattons are the vampires or if Oliver is. The Cattons are, but you keep thinking about everyone. The people that I tangentially know who live like this gear up for night. The daytime is boring.”
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
Elspeth’s Cocktail
Ingredients
1 oz butterfly pea flower gin
¾ oz crème de violette
½ oz dry vermouth
¼ oz lemon juice
3 dashes lavender bitters
Directions
In a cocktail shaker add the butterfly pea flower gin, crème de violette, dry vermouth, lemon juice, and lavender bitters. Add ice, then cover and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass and serve!
Why This Recipe Works
Taking inspiration from the Aviation cocktail, Elspeth’s style and gentility, and the English gardens that adorn Saltburn, this floral tipple is the perfect movie inspired cocktail to make for your next Saltburn movie night
Pro Tips
Serve in a coupe glass to match the scene from the movie
