The 95th Academy Awards (aka. The Oscars) is set to air for March 12, and there’s no better way to celebrate the winners than with your own mini food and wine bash. Plus we’ve got the full Governer’s Ball Food menu and it sounds incredible!
The glamour of the Oscars calls for a next-level watch party menu that pairs California wines with fancy finger foods and small plates. Best of all, guests can enjoy the party spread from the best seat in the house — your sofa.
California wine and the Academy Awards make an especially fitting match. Not only is the state home to Hollywood and the world’s most famous movie studios, some of the industry’s top luminaries — Oscar winners themselves — are also California vintners. This includes legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola (Francis Ford CoppolaWinery) and director-producer John Lasseter (Lasseter Family Wines), known for his work with Disney and Pixar. Musician John Legend — an “EGOT” because he has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award — is also the man behind LVE Collection wines, a collaboration with Napa Valley’s Raymond Vineyards.
Here are a few of CSL’s fave red-carpet bites (and one recipe) for elegant watch-party appetizers, paired with an array of Golden State sips.
Best Supporting High-Low Food Fusion: Dungeness Crab and Avocado Tostadas
Unlike the bean- and cheese-laden tostadas served in many restaurants, these are featherlight and heart healthy. The salad-like topping helps stretch the costly crabmeat, and you’ll save money by buying a cooked crab and extracting the meat yourself. Packaged tostada shells come in a variety of sizes; use any size you like.
Ingredients:
- 2⁄3 cup (130 g) finely diced tomato
- 1⁄3 cup (40 g) finely minced green onion, white and
- pale green part only
- 1⁄4 cup (10 g) chopped fresh cilantro, plus whole leaves for garnish
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 serrano chile, finely minced
- 2 large, ripe avocados
- 2 limes, 1 halved, 1 quartered
- Kosher or sea salt
- 8 corn tostada shells, about 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter
- 1 head pale, crisp romaine lettuce, about 6 ounces (185 g), halved lengthwise, then very thinly sliced crosswise
- 1⁄2 pound (250 g) Dungeness crabmeat
- 1⁄3 cup (75 g) crema (Mexican-style sour cream)
- Mexican-style hot sauce or Tabasco sauce, for serving (optional)
Serves 4
In a large bowl, combine the tomato, green onion, chopped cilantro, garlic, and as much of the minced chile as you like. Halve and pit the avocados, then scoop the flesh from the skin and add to the bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1∕2 lime over the avocado. Using a fork, mash the avocado coarsely, incorporating the other ingredients in the bowl as you work. Season with salt and add more juice from the other 1∕2 lime as needed to achieve a guacamole with good flavor.
Top the tostada shells with the guacamole, dividing it evenly and spreading it to the edges. Top each tostada with the romaine and then with the crab, dividing them evenly. Drizzle each tostada with 2 teaspoons crema. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve immediately with the lime wedges and with the hot sauce, if desired.
Best Newcomer: Asian Brisket Bao
These lightly steamed buns filled with rich beef brisket, crunchy coleslaw, and topped with green onion make for the perfect snack or light lunch. Pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
Best Finale: Chocolate Grazing Board
There is no real right or wrong way to make a chocolate board. Plan to have 2-4 ounces of chocolate per guest, as well as a variety of fresh and dried fruits, nuts and dips. For the chocolate selection we recommend choosing a variety: 70% dark chocolate, a lighter milk chocolate and a white chocolate. Pair with California Cabernet Sauvignon or a California red blend.
Recipe courtesy Wine Institute.
THE 2023 ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS) GOVERNERS BALL MENU 2023
100 pounds of pineapple, 100 pounds of Confit Duck, 40 pounds of Kohlrabi and 300 pounds of Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna could only mean one thing- these are the some of the insane numbers of ingredients the more than 120 chefs at Wolfgang Puck Catering will be using to prepare the food for the 2023 Governers Ball. If you’ve ever wondered what the celebrities will be noshing on, here it is in all it’s mouth-watering glory:
Tray Passed
• Confit Golden Beet, Cashew Crème, Gastrique, Mint (vegan)
• NY Steak Crostini, Yuzu Kosho Pesto, Shishito Pepper, Wasabi
• Everything Bagel Macaron, Smoked Salmon, Sorrel
• Soy Marinated Deviled Egg, Ramen Spice, Chicken Glass, Scallion
• Taro Root Taco, Charred Pineapple “Al Pastor,” Shallot, Cilantro (vegan)
• Puri Pillow, Sumac Hummus (vegan)
• Black Pepper Shortbread, Goat Cheese, Rhubarb
• Endive, Ma Maison Chicken Salad, Celery Leaf
• Miniature Wagyu Burger, Sharp Cheddar, Remoulade
• Assorted WP Signature Pizzas
• Spicy Tuna Tartare, Sesame Miso Cones
Stationary Snacks
• House Made “Street Corn” Tortilla Chips
• Caramel Chili Flavored Popcorn (vegan)
Passed Small Plates
served cold
• Poached Pear, Burrata, Pear Butter, Arugula
• Hearts of Palm, Young Coconut, Cucumber, Avocado, Tapioca Chip (vegan)
• Beet Napoleon Salad, Goat Cheese, Soft Herbs, Citrus Shallot Vinaigrette
served hot
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Cacio e Pepe Macaroni and Cheese
• CUT Style Slider and Fries
• Wagyu Beef, Celery Apple, Planet Carrot, Chile Ponzu
• Cod Bouillabaisse, Pommes Olive, Sauce Rouille
• English Pea Agnolotti, Peas
• House Made “Ranch Dusted” Taco, Jackfruit Carnitas, Salsa Verde (vegan)
Passed Small Plate Sweets
• Butterscotch Terrarium
• Basque Cheesecake, Elderflower Macerated Berries
• Modern Marjolaine Cake
• Chocolate Caramel Flan, Sesame Streusel
• CUT London Classic Trifle
Small Plate Stations
FISH AND CHIPS
• Classic Crispy Fried Cod, French Fries
Tartar Sauce, Malt Vinegar Chips, Saffron Chips, Malt Vinegar,
Ketchup, Garlic Aioli
CARVING
• Beef Wellington
CHICKEN AND WAFFLES
• Light and Crispy Asian Style Fried Chicken and Pandan Leaf Coconut Waffle prepared to order
Gochujang Spiced Maple Syrup, Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup, Toasted Coconut, Furikake,
Assorted Hot Sauces
CRISPY RICE BAR
• Crispy Heirloom Rice Cakes prepared to order
• Miso Hamachi Tartare, Spicy Tuna Tartare, Braised Mushroom Tartare (vegan)
• Whole Loins of Ahi Tuna, Salmon and Hamachi, carved to order
• Fresh Fruit Sushi and Sashimi, Coconut Rice (vegan)
• Truffle Ponzu, Unagi Glaze, Smoked Soy, Miso Aioli, Sushi Soy, Yuzu Kosho, Chili Aioli,
Pickled Ginger, Wasabi-Avocado Salsa, Tobiko, Kelp Noodle Salad, Shiso Leaves, Pickled Wasabi
GRAZING TABLE
• Imported and Domestic Cow, Goat and Sheep’s Milk Cheeses
• Chunks of Aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• Dried Fruits, Marcona Almonds
• Grapes, Honey, Honeycomb and Artisan Jams
• Assorted Charcuterie
• Marinated Olives with Rosemary and Orange Zest
• Epi Baguettes, Grissini and Olive Breads
STUFFED BAO BUNS
• Confit Duck
• Soy Braised Mushroom (vegan)
• Char Siu Sauce, Spicy Hoisin, Sambal Chili, Pickled Cucumber Salad
• Duck Fried Rice
WOOD FIRE PIZZA OVEN
• Classic Duck Pizza
• Lamb Chorizo Pizza
• Mushroom Pizza
• Spicy Chicken Pizza
• Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza
Sweets
• Croquembouche with Oscar Silhouette,
Cream Puffs filled with Mango and Passion Fruit
• Dark Chocolate Coffee Eclairs, Crispy Dark Chocolate, Gold Dust
• Ube and Calamansi Entremet Cake
• Raspberry and Lemon Sable Breton Tart
• Salted Caramel Mocha Oscar Chocolate Eclairs
• Bourbon Apple Tarte Tatin Millefeuille
• Raspberry Lychee Rosewater Macaron
• Forbidden Rice Cup with Compressed Tropical Fruit (vegan)
• Currant Cheesecake Religieuse with Graham Cracker Crust
• Pistachio and Cherry St Honore Tart
• Old Fashioned Baba Au Rhum
• Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Praline Paris Brest
• Chestnut and Cassis Canelé Cake (vegan)
• Smoking Chocolate Cigars, Liquid Nitrogen Edible Cigars, Chocolate Smoked Don Julio Tequila
ASSORTED CHOCOLATE BON BONS
• Kaffir Lime (vegan)
• Buddha Hand
• Finger Lime
• Kumquat (vegan)
OSCAR GOLD SPRAYING STATION
Featuring Komuntu 80% chocolate, a fair and sustainable chocolate
created for the 100th anniversary of Valrhona (vegan)
DARK CHOCOLATE BARK
• Flower Petal Chocolate Bark (vegan)
• Dark Chocolate, Rosewater Petals, Raspberry (vegan)
• Dark Chocolate, Lavender, Bee Pollen (vegan)
• Dark Chocolate Jasmine, Candied Orange Peels (vegan)
SOUTH BALCONY SWEETS
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Raspberry Brownies
• Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (vegan)
• S’Mores Cookies
• Peach Pie “Purse” (vegan)
• Bananas Foster Mallomar
ICE CREAM WAFFLE CONES Made to Order
• Vanilla Cookie Dough Ice Cream
• Chocolate, Chocolate Ice Cream
• Mango Passionfruit Sorbet (vegan)
• Raspberry Sorbet (vegan)
Read the Spring 2023 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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