Oscar Party Eats: Recipes Inspired By 2014 Nominees

Photo courtesy www.thesource.com.

The Oscars are on Sunday, and to maximize the experience, I wanted to present ideas for pairing your favorite nominees with food and drinks. With so many "Best Picture Oscar Food Pairing" lists out there, I chose my favorite published list, and then filled in where the Best Picture list left off. Here's what you should munch while you watch.

Best Picture pairings, by Epicurious:
In keeping with Epicurious Oscar tradition, it's once again time for the annual Academy Awards Movie Menus, celebrating this year's Best Picture nominees with recipes inspired by each of the nine nominated films. 

Blue Jasmine, August: Osage County, and Before Midnight, by yours truly:

Of course many Oscar nominees are not included in Best Picture list, and to pick up where Epicurious left off, I offer you these suggestions:

Blue Jasmine (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay)

To Drink:

As a Bay Area native, I found the scenes in and around San Francisco particularly nostalgic. In one scene, Jasmine visits the bar Aub Zam Zam, and she sips a gin martini, the bar's signature.

Martini at Aub Zam Zam, San Francisco. Photo courtesy http://thebigdrinksf.blogspot.com.

A classic Gin Martini:

Ingredients:

2 ounces dry gin

1 ounce dry vermouth

Ice

Olives* or a twist of lemon, for garnish

Method:

Place a cocktail glass in the freezer to chill. (Or, if you have a tiny freezer like I do, fill the glass with ice, add water to reach the top, and chill the glass that way.)

In a shaker, combine the gin and vermouth, fill halfway with ice, and stir vigorously until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish with olives or a twist of lemon. (If using a twist, be sure to run the slice over the glass’s rim.)

*Research shows Aub Zam Zam serves martinis dirty, so for thorough authenticity, go with olives here and throw in a splash of that olive brine.

Yes, James Bond wanted his shaken, but ask any bartender: stirred is the way to go here. Now researchers are hypothesizing that our friend James had an alcohol-induced tremor that required him to order his drinks shaken. You don't have that tremor? Look like a pro and order your martinis stirred. 

-     To Eat:
   Pizza party!

Pizza. Photo courtesy TheKitchn.com

   I know, SF isn't a famous pizza city like New York or Chicago, but there is a great scene where Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) regales her sister’s two children with stories about New York City over dinner at Gaspare’s. Also, Ginger and Chili celebrate their engagement with pizza and champagne. Here, the Kitchn presents ideas for making that pizza party a hit. Or, order in and explain the relevance with an air of delusion and entitlement. It will be just as fun.

August: Osage Country (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress)

     To Drink:
The Painkiller

Painkiller Cocktail. Photo courtesy www.islands.com.

     Cancer patient Violet has a serious addiction to prescription pain killers. To cure what ails you without the Rx (or the addiction), try out the Painkiller cocktail.

    Another option is an iced tea, something the Weston family members sip on the porch to cool down in the sweltering heat.

Lemony Thyme Sweet Tea Cocktail. Photo courtesy www.lemonythyme.com.

 I noticed there is thyme in Barbara's glass, which brings us to this Lemony Thyme Sweet Tea Cocktail.

Strapped for time? You're in luck: beer and whiskey will seem just at home here. In one scene, Charlie asks Johnna for another beer and Mattie Fae says, “God damn it, she’s not a waitress!  Get your own beer!”  She chastises him for drinking and watching a game on TV while Beverly is missing; he points out that she’s drinking whiskey but she defends it as simply having a cocktail.

To Eat:

-    Biscuits & Gravy - New cook Johnna makes biscuits so good stubborn Violet is forced to say something nice.

Biscuits. Photo and recipe courtesy www.NewYorkTimes.com.

For the path to light and tender biscuits, check out this New York Times piece by trusted food writer Sam Sifton, with recipes and some fun biscuit history to boot.

-   Catfish - In a fabulously tense scene, Barbara is trying to get her mother to eat while also trying to get her sister to shut up. Barbara builds and builds, and finally shouts “EAT THE FISH, BITCH!” 

Classic Catfish. Photo and recipe courtesy www.SouthernLiving.com.

So yeah, make one of these easy variations, and scream at your nearest family member enjoy! Then tell your family you love them.

Before Midnight (Best Adapted Screenplay)

-     Easy way out: bowl of green apples (inspired by the long car scene back from the airport at the top of the film).

     Part III of this series finds the couple in the Peloponnese, staying with friends. Here are some Greek specialties that come up in the film:

-       Greek Salad 

Greek Salad. Recipe and photo courtesy www.smittenkitchen.com.

"You know what I love about men? They still believe in magic: little fairies around who pick up their
socks, little fairies who unload the dishwasher, little fairies who sunscreen the kids. Little fairies who make the fucking Greek salad." - Celine (Julie Delpy)

-       Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes 

Greek Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes. Photo and recipe courtesy www.Greek.food.com.

You have to love the kitchen scene where Celine makes stuffed peppers with friend Ariadni who fights passionately (knife in hand) with her husband Stefanos, a stark contrast to the communication breakdown and growing resentment between Celine and Jesse.

-       

For the other categories, including many I haven't had the chance to see, here are nominees and predictions courtesy Indiewire.com:

Foreign Language:

The nominees:
“The Broken Circle Breakdown” Belgium
“The Great Beauty” Italy
“The Hunt” Denmark
“The Missing Picture” Cambodia
“Omar” Palestine

Spaghetti Carbonara. Photo and recipe courtesy www.MarioBatali.com.

Will win: “The Great Beauty” (La Grande Bellezza) Italy – This takes place in Rome, so...do as the Romans, and fill your belly with the likes of pasta carbonara (like this one by carbonara master Mario Batali) and ultra-thin Roman-style pizza (this tasty looking specimen courtesy Bon Appetit).
Could win: “The Broken Circle Breakdown” Belgium
Should win: “The Great Beauty” Italy 

Roman Pizza. Photo and recipe courtesy www.BonAppetit.com.

Best Animated Feature:

The nominees:
“The Croods” Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson
“Despicable Me 2” Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri
“Ernest & Celestine” Benjamin Renner and Didier Brunner
“Frozen” Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
“The Wind Rises” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki

Machine-free ice cream. Photo and recipes courtesy www.davidlebovitz.com

Will win:“Frozen” Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho – Everyone's favorite chilly dessert: ice cream! Check out my ice cream guru, David Lebovitz's recipes and tips for making ice cream without a machine...tiny kitchen game changer!
Could win: “The Wind Rises” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
Should win: “The Wind Rises” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
Shoulda been here: N/A

Best Documentary Feature:

The nominees:
“The Act of Killing”Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“Cutie and the Boxer” Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
“Dirty Wars” Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
“The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
“20 Feet from Stardom” Nominees to be determined

Ahdaf Soueif makes Koshari. Photo and recipe courtesy www.theguardian.com.

Will win: “The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer -- Try out Egyptian national dishes Koshari (this recipe and how-to slideshow by Egyptian author Ahdaf Soueif) and Ful Medames (this recipe by heritage and tradition-focused publication Saveur)
Could win: “20 Feet from Stardom” Nominees to be determined
Should win: “The Act of Killing”Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
Shoulda been here: "Stories We Tell"

Ful Medames. Photo and recipe courtesy www.Saveur.com.

Also, resources have revealed what Wolfgang Puck will serve at his Post-Oscars Governors Ball --check out the menu here at nj.com.

Wolfgang Puck's Oscar-ready "caramel gardens," which feature coffee "soil" with chocolate malted trees and fleur de sel. (Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo courtesy www.nj.com.

For a recipe for Chef Puck's bacon-wrapped dates, click here. 

Last but not least, we all want int to the legendary giveaway tent. My friend Mareya Ibrahim will be serving her hollywood-appropriate (aka: waistline-friendly and indulgently delicious, aka: magical) Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. These have low sugar and two veggies, and I challenge you to find them any less delectable than conventional cupcakes. HEAVEN! Get the recipe here. (NB: there's lots more fuss-free, healthy living tips on Mareya's site - don't miss them!)

Recipe and images courtesy www.eatcleaner.com

Happy noshing, everyone! xx J

PS- I hope J Law wins. And wears something fabulous. Which she will. #totalgirlcrush.