It all started with a fictional turkey burger.
Andrew Rea’s YouTube video series “Binging
with Babish” was born in 2016 when he
attempted to recreate the “fussy little burger”
described in elaborate detail by Rob Lowe’s
character Chris Traeger on a third-season
episode of “Parks and Recreation.” Hungry
viewers were soon clamoring for more recipes
based on foods that appear or get mentioned
in movies or TV episodes, and Rea had a new
career on his hands.
Now he has a new cookbook: “Binging with
Babish: 100 Recipes Recreated from Your
Favorite Movies and TV Shows” (Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt). And while the premise might
sound more silly than serious, the book — like
the video series — is actually full of real meals
and desserts that transcend their sometimes
ridiculous fictional origins.