Baking & the Big Screen: Macarons and Gatsby
As I’m trying out some more diverse content for the blog, I decided this is the perfect opportunity to combine two things I love: baking and movies. Since I’m attempting to step out of my comfort zone in both of those areas, this will help hold me accountable!
Every month, I’m going to find a movie that has a connection to some kind of baking, whether it’s literally just a shot in a scene (like this one) or a main focus (a la Julie & Julia) and either the movie or the recipe has to be new to me - or both, but I can’t ever do a combination where I’ve experienced both.
So for the first go-round, I went with my current baking obsession: macarons. And then found out that they were a prominent presence in a singular scene in the Baz Luhrmann retelling of The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Tobey Maguire
Director/Writer: Baz Luhrmann
Released in 2013
Available to rent on Amazon Prime
I need to preface this by saying one thing that probably breaks the rules of being an English major: I truly hate The Great Gatsby. It isn’t that bad of a book, but the amount of times I was forced to read it over the many years of school was appalling. Hardly any book deserves to be focused on in four separate college courses. So naturally I avoided the DiCaprio film like the plague when it came out. Surprisingly, I actually regret that a bit.
Some reviews I found say that that this isn’t a great adaptation, which may explain why I like it. It was a spectacle to watch and it was so much fun to disappear into that it didn’t feel as long as it did. All the acting was brilliant and I couldn’t get over how well modern music worked well with a dated story. It appealed to the same side of me that pounces on any red carpet recap to see all the fancy dresses and jewelry. This somehow was also the first time I’d ever seen Gatsby as a sympathetic character. I guess that’s the power of Leo. I couldn’t help but enjoy the film even though it went against an opinion that I’ve held about that book since I was 17.
Baking wise…..these weren’t my best macarons. I’ve only made them a few times and am still working on that gorgeous looking cookie. They were insanely delicious (I’ve gotten reviews from a few coworkers) and the filling was a peanut butter buttercream I’ve all but perfected. But that cookie….it’s defeating me. For being such a simple cookie (only five ingredients!) it requires a lot of skills and a lot of patience. Odds are that I’m going to keep going and working on these until I kill it. I may have lightened my stance on Gatsby, but I’m still a perfectionist, and I will not be defeated by these cookies.