"oscars" news and stories

2010 marks the 16th year that famed Austrian chef Wolfgang Puck will be creating the menu for the Governor's Ball, which takes place immediately after the Academy Awards. The gregarious gastronome spoke to Slashfood to reveal some "Puckish" tips for hosting a successful Oscar viewing party.

What is your best tip?
WP: I think you have to decorate the house a little bit, so it looks like it has something to do about movies. If you can buy some new or old movie posters and put them up, I think it's nice. Have the people who come by get dressed up a little bit, so that way they don't come like slobs like it's another party. Then it's good to serve some sparkling wine or champagne or something, which makes it festive.

What about food?
WP: The best thing is to serve a buffet -- to have some good salads, like a chopped vegetable salad, some asparagus, some cooked artichokes, and then some warm dishes, like braised short ribs, especially if you're on the East Coast, where often the beginning of March is still very cold. People love braised short ribs and the great thing is that you can make them way in advance. You can freeze them or you can keep them in the fridge for a few days beforehand and then you just reheat them slowly and serve with some polenta and Parmesan cheese. People are going to think they are in the best restaurant.

I like to make a gratin of potatoes, which is potatoes, milk, a little garlic, salt and pepper and cheese on top. People love it and it's easy to make. Plus, you can make it early on in the day. For desserts I like to have mainly smaller pieces, like cookies with maybe some ice cream; great chocolate-chip cookies, coconut cookies or lemon cookies or pecan bars. I would also have good red and white wine.

If you're throwing an Oscar party this year, don't forget the Moet & Chandon. The Champagne house is the exclusive Champagne of the 81st Academy Awards for the first time.

Of course, Moet isn't a suggestion for any of the five menus Epicurious.com developed for each of the Best Picture nominees, but even if you do one of those, the Champagne will make a nice aperitif.

Happy Awards-watching!

For over ten years now, Wolfgang Puck has been serving the stars at the Governor's Ball - also known as the official "after party" for the Academy Awards, where all the nominees congregate to look glamorous, talk to the press and eat dinner. Not all of the secrets of the Oscar ceremony itself, like what the stage is going to look like, are revealed ahead of time and the menu for the Ball was clearly a bit hush-hush to start. Fortunately, little by little, information leaked out.

The Ball is not going to be a sit-down affair, but an elegant/casual cocktail-type of party, an the overriding theme this year will be "Oscar goes organic." The food, in addition to being organic and/or humanely raised will be small or bite-sized, and will include favorites (and Puck standbys) like sushi, grilled Kobe beef, Spicy Tuna Tartare in a Sesame Miso Cone, Smoked Salmon Oscars with French Farm-Raised Osetra Caviar and Roasted Pumpkin Squash Ravioli with White Truffles. And, of course, there will be plenty of champagne and chocolate Oscar statuettes to go around.

Click past the jump for a preview of the whole menu.

Source

Who doesn’t want to get a shiny, gold Oscar statuette during the Academy Awards?

Unfortunately, without a nomination, your odds of getting one are slim. There’s always next year, right? That is still no reason why you shouldn’t bring home the gold anyway. Order some edible gold leaf and use it to dress up your favorite desserts. The gold is a very, very thin sheet of 22-25 karat gold that is safe to eat. It can also be found as an edible gold dust – not to be confused with non-edible gold sprinkles – that can be sifted onto desserts and other confections. Check your local cake decorating or craft store, or buy some online before the big night.