Perfect illusion in Hollywood style

Posted on January 24, 2013 Updated on January 24, 2013

Lights! Camera! And the Oscar goes to…

 

Create your own glamour on Oscar night with a vintage Hollywood bash at home. An evening that takes guests back to an era. To the glamorous thirties? Fifties? It’s your choise! In addition to sleek decorations and a decadent meal-eaten in front of the TV, of course-that suggest trivia and prizes that will keep guests on their toes from arrivals to after-parties coverage on TV. So invite your own rat pack people over and let the fun begin!

Setting the scene in black and white? According to the golden era? In art nouveau style, with silver, sparkling jewels, feathers, with a huge poster of Ginger and Fred in the living room..or..as you wish!

Send invites in film canisters with an awards ballot tucked inside. Copy the nomination list of the top categories from the newspaper or download it from oscar.com. Ask guests to show up a half-hour before airtime with completed ballots, and to dress a bit glamorously.

The Décor: white and black, gold accented with Old Hollywood ambience. Use a gold runner or a black tablecloth on the buffet table, tie the napkins with gold ribbon. Move the biggest TV into the living room, provide plenty of seatings. Clear off coffee tablets and side tables to make room for plates and glasses.

Flowers: You need vases of varying heights to fill in with white tulips and fresias.

Music: Le Miserable (this year hit musical) or best song nominees from years past.

And the winner is…Oscar ballots: place a tray for completed ballots near the front door. after guests arrive, pass out pens and have each guests pick another guests”s ballot to score during the show.

Trivia contest: during commercials, test guests tinseltown knowledge with trivia questions. For instance What does Oscar stand on? (a film reel) what film and sequel both won a best picture Oscar? (The godfather and the Godfather part II:) What was the first X-rated film to win the best picture? (Midnight cowboy)

Prizes: A bottle of champagne or a DVD

The menu

Olga bread

Ingredients: 1 baguette, 200 gr crème fraiche, 100 gr sour crème, 1-2 tbs horseradish, lemon juice, pepper, 50 gr black caviar, smoked forel or salmon, red caviar

Cut the baguette into nice slices, toast them slightly. Mix crème fraiche with the sour cream and horseradish, squeeze lemon juice and ground pepper. Smear the baguettes with the cream, place on the top the salmon, garnish with caviar and ciboulette..

Duck liver terrine

Ingredients for the duck liver parfait: 200 gr butter, 1 shalotte, 1 apple, 10 gr ginger, 1 orange, 3 tb portwine, 3 tbs redwine, 100 ml duck fond, 1 rosemary sprig, 2 thyme sprigs, 250 gr duck liver, 1 egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg, 2 spoons of pistache, portwine jello, white gelatine, 80 ml portwine, 30 ml cassis

Cut away and discard any large sinews from the livers, then set the livers aside. Heat about a third of the butter in a large frying pan, then gently fry the shallots and garlic for 3-4 mins until soft. Turn up the heat, add the livers, then fry until just browned on all sides. Add the brandy and port, boil down as quickly as possible – if the sauce catches light for an instant, then all the better. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool completely.

Season the livers generously, then tip the contents of the pan into a food processor with the remaining butter, and blitz until smooth. Push the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, taste for seasoning, then tip into a serving dish, banging the dish down on the tabletop to smooth out the surface. Place in the fridge to set.

Once the mixture has set, make the topping. Gently melt the butter in a small pan or in a bowl in the microwave, then leave for a min to settle and separate. Pour the yellow butter that has risen to the top into another bowl and discard the milky liquid. Leave the yellow butter to cool slightly, then mix in the thyme and peppercorns. Pour the mixture over the parfait and leave to set in the fridge. Serve with plenty of toast, sliced gherkins and chutney. Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.

Salmon and fresh cheese Timbale

Ingredients: 8 slices smoked salmon, 225 g thick cream cheese, 100 ml sour cream (or 2 tbsp lemon juice tbsp mayonnaise), 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 100 g crabmeat (or 100g chopped prawns), 2 teaspoons chopped dill, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon brandy (optional)

Ingredients: for the dressing: 2 tbs white vinegar, half tbs mustard, salt, sugar, pepper, 2 tbs of olive

Grease 8 (100ml) ramekins with a little oil then line with a piece of plastic wrap, making sure to leave enough overhang. Place a slice of salmon in each ramekin. Beat the cream cheese with the sour cream, stir in crab or prawn, add dill, mustard and season to taste. Spoon into moulds, fold over overhanging salmon then fold over the plastic wrap to cover. Chill at least 3 hours. It can be made 24 hours ahead!

Plum and peach in bacon ham coat

Ingredients: 8 dry plums unpitted, 8 almond seeds, 8 dry peaches, 8 sage leaves, 16 smoked bacons, such as Pancetta.

Preheat the oven for 200 grades. Place sage leaves on smoked bacons, roll over almonds, plums and peaches with bacon slices. Bind edges with a tooth stick and place on the baking tray and bake them for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Champagne sorbet

Ingredients: 2 lemons, rind, 2 egg whites, 500 ml champagne,

Cook together sugar, lemon and juice in a saucepan for 5 minutes, let it cool, pour over champagne .

Whisk egg whites until stiff, stir in the champagne carefully. Place sorbet into fridge for 4 hours. Serve in silver ice cream bowls. Stylish and handy..