For those of us who enjoy good movies, red carpet gowns, and any excuse to have a party, this Sunday’s Oscars are made for us. Invite a few friends over, suggest “tacky elegant” attire, print out a ballot at Oscars.com, and offer a bottle of bubbly as the prize for most correct guesses on winners. Star players on the food and beverage stage (your table) should be things you can make in advance and serve at room temperature, without need of anything more than napkins and small plates.
Sparkling wines and champagnes are the perfect beverage of choice for Oscar parties. Not only associated with glitzy events, bubbly pairs well with just about every food (except super sweet or tart items) and comes in a range of flavors from super dry to sweet. With our desire to serve foods that can be made in advance and served at room temperature, the best pairings will be cheeses and nuts, olives, smoked seafood, egg dishes, and vegetables that have a creamy or citrus component.
Act one
Keeping with the movies theme, a self-serve Popcorn Station, with fresh-popped kernels in a large bowl and several sprinkle-on toppings, make for a good start. Put toppings like grated parmesan or asiago cheese, sweet-spicy and truffle salts, herbed melted butter and finely grated lemon zest, in small bowls with little spoons.
Most definitely put out a cheese platter with crackers and nuts. Creamy cheeses like goat, brie, and a buttery triple-crème, along with a buttery semi-hard cheese that can be sliced in advance, make good choices. Accompany the cheeses with toasted baguette, crackers, and nuts like toasted almonds, cashews, and macadamias. If you’d like to garnish your cheese platters with fruit, try small bunches of green grapes, raspberries, and strawberries to pair best with bubbly.
The main event
Partway through the Oscar telecast, set out the rest of your table. For a minimal preparation menu, you can purchase frozen mini-quiches, smoked salmon and cream cheese rollups, mini crab cakes, pre-made deviled eggs, spiced nuts and olives from the prepared foods section of markets. You can also set out bubbly-friendly sushi, but if it’s going to sit out more than an hour, place the serving dish over a larger, rimmed dish with ice. Another easy pupu is small new potatoes that have been roasted in olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Serve them with toothpicks and sour cream on the side.
Buying prepared foods could add up to more expense than desired, not to mention yield rather boring choices, so I suggest you purchase a few and make a few. The ultimate goal is to have only reheating and plating, not cooking and cleaning, on the day of your party, so you can relax. Besides roasting your own little new potatoes and making your own deviled eggs, here are a few cost-effective yet unique pupus that will win culinary Oscars at your party, or for any occasion.
Chili and lemon olives
You can purchase rather high-priced marinated olives at the market, or make these easily 2 or 3 days in advance, so flavors can meld. Recipe from “Entertaining” by Donna Hay; makes about 8 servings. Double recipe as needed for a larger group.
1 pound firm Kalamata olives
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 red chilies, chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon shredded lemon rind
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Test olives for saltiness: if very salty, place them in a large bowl of cold water for a few minutes, then drain and place them in fresh water every 30 minutes until no longer overly salty. In a dry frying pan over high heat, toast garlic cloves on all sides until well browned. Remove from skin; mash. In a small bowl, combine garlic mash with chilies, lemon juice and rind, rosemary and olive oil. Mix well; pour marinade over olives and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 3 days before serving.
Little sweet potato and sage frittatas
You can find mini-quiches in the frozen appetizer section of many markets, but I find the flavor is often compromised. These crust-less frittatas are meatless, easy to make and stand out from the mass-produced options. Another recipe from “Entertaining” by Donna Hay; makes 12 little frittatas.
1 pound orange sweet potato (kumara), peeled and diced
Olive oil and sea salt as needed
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 oz.) cream
Cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup small sage leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place diced sweet potato, enough olive oil to coat, and a little sea salt in a baking dish; toss to combine. Bake 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft; remove from oven. Meanwhile, in a bowl, place lightly beaten eggs, cream, pepper and parmesan; whisk to combine. Pour into 12 greased shallow patty tins. Sprinkle each with sweet potato and sage leaves. Reduce oven to 315 degrees and bake frittatas for 20 minutes or until golden and firm to touch. Store in a single layer in a covered container until ready to use.
Leek-smoked salmon quiche filling
Another option for an egg pupu is to purchase little pre-made quiche shells and fill them with something more special than the typical store offerings. This recipe stretches a little bit of smoked salmon into an elegant pupu that feeds a group. Recipe from “Party Food” by Barbara Kafka; makes 1 cup filling, enough for 36 mini-quiches.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium leek, trimmed and well cleaned; white and pale yellow parts finely chopped
(about 3/4 cup)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch ground nutmeg
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped by hand
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add chopped leeks; cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, or until very soft but not browned. Remove from heat; allow to cool slightly. In a small mixing bowl, combine egg, cream and seasonings. Stir in leeks. Place about 3/4teaspoon chopped salmon in the base of each partially baked pastry shell. Fill with egg mixture; bake about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly on a wire rack before serving, or refrigerate overnight in a single layer in covered containers. Serve at room temperature.
Tabbouleh on lettuce leaves
This Middle Eastern salad is colorful, fresh and easy. You can prep the ingredients a day before, then assemble 2 to 3 hours before serving. Recipe from “Hors d’Oeuvres” by Norman Kolpas; makes about 4 cups.
1 cup bulgur wheat
3/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup finely chopped scallions
3 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt and fresh ground white pepper Baby Romaine and Bibb lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Put bulgur in a bowl; add enough cold water to cover, and soak for 10 minutes. Drain by picking up handfuls of the grain and squeezing out the water. Put bulgur in a mixing bowl; toss well with the parsley, scallions, and tomatoes. In a small bowl, combine oil, lemon juice and garlic; stir well. Add to bulgur mixture and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. At serving time, mound the tabbouleh in the middle of a large, round platter. Surround with baby lettuce leaves. Spoon some tabbouleh into the center of a few leaves to show guests how to eat it.