Food ‘n’ Flix Pan’s Labyrinth Round-Up!

I had an absolute blast hosting Food ‘n’ Flix last month, and I was continually delighted with the recipes everyone made. There were so many creative and fun entries!

Today I’ll be posting all of them in a recipe round-up for you guys. Be sure to check out the blogs of the contributors if you haven’t seen them before; they are an awesome bunch!

The first recipe I’ll show you is for Golden Root Milk, made by Camilla over at Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Camilla says of the recipe, “I have long been a fan of golden milk, a traditional Ayurvedic recipe made with turmeric mixed with different spices. … This movie inspired me to make my own.”

This drink looks so rich and amazing, and I love how it combines the mandrake root scene with mentions of honeyed milk from the film. Get Camilla’s recipe for Golden Root Milk!

Another blogger that took inspiration from the mandrake root scene is Evelyne of CulturEatz! Evelyne made Andalusian Polea Porridge with Roasted Celery Root, inspired by the austere cooking found during wartime.

“The Andalusian Polea Porridge, sort of a breakfast soup, is a perfect example of a recipe created by the imaginative poor people during the Spanish Civil War. Ingredients were rationed at that time. Polea was made with water, flour, salt, anise, milk and sugar.”

This recipe looks so warming and I can’t help but praise the photos as well. Get Evelyne’s recipe here!

Next up we have a recipe from Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm: Tortilla Espanola. Wendy says, “Many of us, when we hear ‘tortilla’ think of the bread that is a staple in Mexican food but in Spain a tortilla starts with a layer of potatoes and onions covered with beaten egg, more like an omelet.”

Wendy served her Tortilla Espanola with country sausage and Spanish bread for a hearty and thoroughly delicious-looking dinner. Get her recipe here!

Thinking along similar lines, Debra over at Eliot’s Eats whipped up Spanish Tortilla with Mushrooms and Kale! Debra says, “As always, I watched this feature with a pen in hand to list the food references. Although I have a catalog of food from Pan’s Labryinth, I felt that listing them would trivialize the film’s themes.  I also could not allow myself to be inspired by the Pale Man’s table. … Instead, I present a simple Spanish tortilla.”

I highly suggest you read Debra’s entry; her observations about the film’s food are amazing and her thought process in designing her dish was fantastic. Get the recipe here!

Next up is Pan de Horno made by Amy over at Amy’s Cooking Adventures. Amy was inspired by the film’s depictions of strict rationing. “The sadistic Captain, lock[s] up and ration[s] supplies (while he feasts each night) … In one scene, his soldiers are giving out small loaves of bread, announcing, ‘One loaf per family!’”

This bread looks crusty and simply delicious. See Amy’s recipe post here!

Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen made these incredible looking Sautéed Grapes with Thyme and Manchego on Grilled Bread. Deb took inspiration from the Pale Man scene as well, writing, “Ofelia … is warned not to eat any food she encounters, but she cannot resist eating two large grapes … I wanted to make a tapas dish with grapes and pair it with my favorite Spanish cheese which happens to be Manchego.”

This dish looks like a perfect light meal with both sweet and savory elements. Get Deb’s recipe here!

Fellow Pan’s Labyrinth fangirl Carrie, of Witchy Kitchen, contributed Roasted Red Pepper and Pomegranate Patatas Bravas. “My dish is a version of the Spanish classic Patatas Bravas, inspired by the potatoes we see the servant Mercedes slicing multiple times in the movie (and the subsequent cleaning of Chekhov’s knife on her skirt). Instead of the traditional tomato sauce, I made a spicy red pepper sauce, as we see red peppers at one point during the film.”

This dish perfectly captures the feel of Pan’s Labryinth, and I adore the addition of pomegranate. Get Carrie’s recipe here!

The next recipe is from Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen, who made Creamy Beet Rice Pudding with Pomegranate Seeds. Shaheen details her creation of the recipe: “The recipe idea itself came about after a conversation with my work colleague.  She came back from town with what was supposed to be her lunch. … ‘I wanted a change from beetroot salad and I wanted something warm, so I have rice pudding from…’.  I started thinking –  Beetroot and rice pudding. ….  I was inspired further to add the Pomegranate Seeds as I had also just watched Pan’s Labyrinth.”

This rice pudding looks utterly stunning with its vivid pink color, and the combination of beets and rice pudding is truly unique. Get Shaheen’s recipe here!

This next one is an absolute doozy, created by Sam over at Adapting Dinner. The dish is Frog Guts Pudding, and she describes it as such: “Pan’s Labyrinth has tons of food, but that was not what inspired me. I was instead inspired by the guts of the frog that Ofelia has to get the key from. I decided to make a steamed pudding to capture the wetness of the guts, cover it in caramel for the salvia and top it with dried blueberries for the bugs.”

This dish gave me a belly laugh that lasted a good while! I love how utterly creative this idea is, and the execution is perfect. Get the recipe to recreate this disgustingly amazing dish here!

Ali from Fix Me a Little Lunch contributed the next recipe: Star Anise Panna Cotta. Ali says, “At first, I thought I might aim for a bright sauce for my panna cotta, but then decided to go a bit darker, landing on a star anise caramel for the sauce, which complements the star anise panna cotta nicely.”

This dessert looks utterly decadent. I want nothing more than to sit down in front of it with a cup of tea and a spoon! Get the recipe here.

Another beautiful molded dessert recipe came from Heather over at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. She created Burnt Coffee Flan based on a scene in which Vidal complains about the quality of his coffee. Of her recipe she says, “I pulled part of my inspiration from [the Pale Man’s] table, since flan is a molded dessert … I wanted to make sure to pull the darkness of Pan’s Labyrinth into the recipe … by using the reference … about the coffee tasting burnt. I infused the flan’s burnt sugar sauce (otherwise known as caramel) with coffee, as well as the custard itself.”

I adore the presentation of this flan with its incredibly dark and rich sauce. It captures the feel of the movie beautifully. Get the recipe here!

Continuing on the dessert front, Courtney of Fictional Fare contributed this gorgeous Chocolate Cherry Tart. Courtney says, “I was of course inspired by the scene with the Pale Man. Even though that scene gives me anxiety, the food on the table is stunning. … One dish that stood out to me the most was a tart or pie studded with bright red cherries. … I knew immediately I wanted to recreate this delectable dessert.”

Courtney absolutely succeeded in creating a dessert that would fit right in on the Pale Man’s table. Get her recipe here.

Another amazing Pale Man inspired dessert came from Terri at Our Good Life. Terri created a beautiful molded Jello with Pistachios and Chia Seeds. “The glistening jello salad by the Pale Man caught my eye and I decided to create something around that,” writes Terri.

The color on this jello is beyond stunning, and I love the addition of chia seeds for a truly unique texture. Get the recipe here!

Colleen over at Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice created these amazing looking Frozen Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookie Sandwiches. Colleen explains her recipe thusly: “Ofelia royally messes things up by eating forbidden grapes. I figure we all would stand a chance of doing the same if confronted with something as tempting as peanut butter and grape jelly ice cream-stuffed cookie sandwiches.”

I admit I am definitely tempted! Get the recipe for these adorable cookie sandwiches here!

Lastly, my own contribution was a Sherry-Soaked Blackcurrant Cake. Get that recipe here!

Thank you so much to everyone that participated! You made hosting my first month at Food ‘n’ Flix a real joy.

Be sure to hop over to Food ‘n’ Flix and check out their doubled up themes this month. Wendy (who made the Tortilla Espanola at the top of this post) is hosting The Martian as March’s flick, and the Food ‘n’ Flix site itself is hosting an X-Men themed month for Fandom Foodies!