Did anybody else get hungry watching “Ratatouille?” There’s something about the pull of an animated cheese pizza or the sheen of an illustrated cake’s icing that can just make your mouth water, even if it is a cartoon. Handwoven by professionals, millions of pixels come together in cartoons to create dishes so delectable you dream of eating them— and now you can.

 

Remy’s Ratatouille

Even the harshest Parisian food critic would devour this succulent dish. Layered with marinated tomatoes, eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini, the acidity and richness of the vegetables in this meal pair oh-so-well with a fresh sprig of parsley and maybe a nice glass of wine (not featured in the children’s movie). This dish may not have been cooked by a rat, but the flavors still emulate those of the fictional, five-star French restaurant in the 2007 Disney film.

Recipe from ohmydish.com

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 roma tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Thyme and seasoning to taste

Instructions

1. Thinly slice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and tomato to equal thickness.
2. Roast sliced and deseeded bell peppers at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 25 minutes, until slightly browned.
3. Heat the oil to a medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and garlic. Sauté along with canned tomatoes for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the skin and chop the roasted bell peppers. Add peppers and balsamic vinegar to the tomato sauce and allow to simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Blend tomato sauce in a blender until smooth. Pour the majority of the sauce into an oven safe dish.
6. Assemble thinly sliced vegetables on top of sauce, slightly layering alternating types.
7. Pour remaining sauce over vegetables. Place in oven and cook at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately an hour.
8. Plate ratatouille, adding a fresh sprig of parsley on top.

Tiana’s Beignets

The juxtaposition of a pillowy inside with a crispy outside has made beignets a New Orleans classic. Yet, Princess Tiana from “Princess and the Frog” adds her own touch to somehow make them even more delicious. Inspired by Tiana, we added a drizzle of honey to our beignets for that almost-animated shine.

Recipe from Disney

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp. vegetable shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 packet yeast
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Desired amount of powdered sugar and honey to top

Instructions

1. Follow instructions on yeast packet to activate yeast.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add shortening, egg, heavy cream, boiling water, sugar, salt, nutmeg, flour and yeast. Mix together.
3. Cover mixed dough with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Roll dough to 1⁄4 inch thickness and cut into two-inch squares.
4. Fry dough in oil heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until beignets are golden brown.
5. Dust beignets with honey and powdered sugar and serve while they are still warm.

Maruto’s Ramen

This ramen may not be from our local favorite Ichiarku Ramen, but this remake of Uzumaki Naruto’s favorite dish tastes almost as good as it looks in the anime. This pork chashu ramen has all of Naruto’s favorite toppings: pork belly, bamboo shoots, egg and the signature pink and white swirl of a narutomaki, or tiny Japanese fish cake. The combination of flavors is so mouth-watering you’ll want to grab a pair of chopsticks and slurp those noodles down in true Naruto fashion. While you may not find some of these ingredients at Publix, this recipe definitely makes the stop to your local Asian grocery store worth it.

Recipe from workandskillet.com

Ingredients

• 5 cups broth of choice
• 2 packets of ramen
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. oil of choice
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 egg
• 1 inch fresh ginger root
• 1/2 lb. pork belly
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• Desired amount of menma and narutomaki toppings

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine mirin, water, soy sauce and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Heat your oil of choice over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork belly, searing approximately 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
4. Flip pork belly so that it lies fat-side down in the pan, pour soy sauce mixture over pork belly.
5. Add chopped garlic and ginger to the pan. Cover and let cook in heated oven for 60-90 minutes or until pork belly is heated to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping throughout cooking.
6. While the pork is cooking, bring broth to a boil. Cook ramen according to packet instructions, replacing water with broth. Boil egg to desired doneness.
7. Place broth in a deep bowl, followed by the noodles. Add sliced pork belly, egg, narutomaki, bamboo shoots and any other desired toppings.

Goofy Goober Sundae

For all the “goofy goobers” out there, this sundae from the iconic Nick cartoon is a must-try. Even off-screen, the vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate fudge hair, banana arms, chocolate candy eyes and a licorice smile practically looks animated! Just don’t eat too many or, like SpongeBob and Patrick, you just may wake up with a nasty ice cream hangover.

Ingredients

• 3 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 3 maraschino cherries
• 1 1/2 bananas
• 1 1/2 tbsp. chocolate fudge
• 1 red licorice lace
• 3 M&M’s

Instructions

1. Scoop ice cream into a sundae bowl.
2. Top with melted chocolate fudge.
3. For the arms and hat, cut bananas in half and use a toothpick or skewer to top each with a cherry. Stick the lower portion of the skewer into the ice cream to hold in place.
4. Assemble the M&Ms as the eyes and nose and the licorice as a smile.

words_nicolette bullard. photo_teagan polizzi. design_isa marquez.

This article was published in Distraction’s spring 2022 print issue.