UNESCO Exit, Energy Department Proposal To Boost Coal, Movie Lover’s Cookbook

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• Why The US Is Leaving UNESCO

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  The United States announced this week that it plans to pull out of the United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO. A reporter looks at why, and the implications of such a departure.

• Energy Department Proposal Would Boost Coal, Nuclear Prices

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  A proposal from the U.S. Department of Energy would raise prices on energy coming from facilities with a 90-day supply of backup fuel on hand, mainly coal and nuclear plants. An energy policy expert joins us to offer his take on the rule and how it would affect households in Wisconsin.

• Food Friday: Eat What You Watch

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  A good movie has good characters. A great movie has good characters AND good food. This Food Friday, we talk to a chef and filmmaker about his new cookbook Eat What You Watch, which is filled with recipes for dishes featured in iconic movies, including the Harry Potter films, When Harry Met Sally, and Elf.

  Have you ever made food that was featured in a movie, or did it make you want to rush out and get a meal that you just saw on screen? What movie has had that effect on you?

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• Great (And Not-So-Great) Recipes From Your Favorite Movies

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  Whether it’s the rich chocolate cake in “Matilda,” butterbeer in “Harry Potter,” or spaghetti and syrup in “Elf,” sometimes the food makes the movie.

  “I think that food can be just as much of a character, particularly in food movies, as the characters themselves,” said Andrew Rea.

  Rea is a chef, filmmaker, YouTuber and author of, “Eat What You Watch: A Cookbook for Movie Lovers.”

  One of his earliest food memories is from the movie “Jurassic Park.” You know the scene. A little girl’s eyes widen as the bright green jello on her spoon starts to shake.

  “That’s how you knew the dinosaurs were coming,” Rea said. ” … I don’t know if food is totally essential to a good movie, but it’s present in so many iconic movie scenes. And for some reason, when you see it in a movie, you want it more than you might normally.”

  Rea recreates some of these iconic food moments on his YouTube channel, Binging with Babish (named after Oliver Babish from “The West Wing”), and wrote them down in his recipe book.

  The book has 41 recipes. Though some are out-of-the-box, they’re all tasty, he said. Except for one.

  “So many people asked me to recreate the pasta from ‘Elf’ even though it’s clearly disgusting,” he said.

  Crumbled Pop-Tarts. Chocolate sauce. Marshmallows. Maple syrup. Pasta.

  “It’s disgusting. It’s abhorrent. But people are curious about it, it’s one of the most famous scenes from that movie,” he said. “The worst part is, I’ve eaten it three times.”

  As his YouTube channel has gained popularity, people have sent in requests to make their favorite pop culture foods, like the whimsically-named burgers from TV show “Bob’s Burgers,” or Jake’s perfect sandwich from “Adventure Time.”

  Often, the recipes take a considerable amount of research. Other times, the recipe is nearly spelled out in the movie.

  Rea set out to make an authentic, World War II-era strudel from the movie “Inglourious Basterds.”

  “I eventually settled on one where you had to stretch the dough to the size of the table,” he said.

  Food can be a way for people to connect with their favorite movies. When the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park opened seven years ago in Orlando, some fans cried as they tasted butterbeer — a famous drink from the movie and book series — for the first time.

  Rea has a recipe for the frothy, sweet, slightly alcoholic drink in his book. It includes cream soda, egg whites, and butterscotch Schnapps.

  “(Food is) something that’s most potentially tangible about the things you love. It’s something you could potentially try yourself,” Rea said. “It’s a way of emerging yourself in what you’re watching, and that’s the draw.”