Oscar Noms: What to serve at your viewing party

By Legacy User

3 minutes to read

  • Green pea hummus

    Frozen green peas lend pureed canned chickpeas their bright green color. Adjust the heat, if you like, adding more jalapeno to make a spicier spread.

    Recipe: Green pea hummus

  • Goat cheese and caramelized onion empanadas

    You can make the empanadas ahead and freeze them (unbaked) on a rimmed baking sheet. When they are frozen, pile them into a plastic bag. Give frozen empanadas a few extra minutes in the oven.

    Recipe: Goat cheese and caramelized onion empanadas

  • Shrimp with Romesco sauce

    Romesco is made like mayonnaise, but instead of beginning with an egg, the base is bread, almonds, and roasted tomato and garlic.

    Recipe: Shrimp with Romesco sauce

  • Tomato and blue cheese tart

    This savory tart begins with commercial puff pastry and relies on ripe good tomatoes. Use all red tomatoes or a variety of colored heirloom fruits.

    Recipe: Tomato and blue cheese tart

  • Poor man’s caviar

    In my kitchen, lots of eggplant means poor man’s caviar, an eggplant-based spread named for the tiny dots in the vegetable.

    Recipe: Poor man’s caviar

  • Individual baked hot chocolates

    This is on the menu at Moxie, the Restaurant, located in Beachwood, Ohio, which has featured American cuisine for 14 years. It was developed by Heidi Friedlander, the restaurant’s original pastry chef.

    Recipe: Individual baked hot chocolates

  • Bay scallop ceviche

    Bistro du Midi chef and partner Robert Sisca serves this ceviche in scallop shells. Or serve on bibb lettuce leaves or in small glass or porcelain cups.

    Recipe: Bay scallop ceviche

  • Roasted potato planks

    Forlorn potatoes need a good scrub. Slice them lengthwise into thick planks, and roast them in a hot oven into long, crisp chips. You’ll hardly believe you made them yourself.

    Recipe: Roasted potato planks

  • Eggs with caviar

    Take half a dozen, cook them in barely simmering water until the yolks are bright yellow, peel, and garnish. Red caviar (no need for the real stuff here) is a smashing adornment, but so is a sprinkle of parsley and salt. The world’s most perfect food turns into party fare.

    Recipe: Eggs with caviar

  • Strawberry verrines

    The idea behind a verrine is to arrange different layers of food inside a small glass. In this recipe, start with a layer of store-bought ladyfingers cut into small pieces. Add a layer of fresh strawberries lightly tossed in sugar with chopped green pistachios – for color and texture. Pour in vanilla-flavored custard and finish with a layer of strawberries and pistachios. The result is pretty and rewarding.

    Recipe: Strawberry verrines

  • Pork meatballs with sweet-and-sour cider glaze

    Chiara Bistro owner Steve LaCount likes the versatility of these pork meatballs. “You can change the herbs and spices and have a totally different version,’’ says the Westwood chef.

    Recipe: Pork meatballs with sweet-and-sour cider glaze

  • Egg salad mini clubs

    Turn hard-boiled eggs and a little mayo into salad, slice cucumber, and assemble mini clubs for nibbling.

    Recipe: Egg salad mini clubs

  • Crab and avocado verrine

    Most Americans know what a parfait is, but take that same idea and make the layers avocado salad, crabmeat, and pink grapefruit, and you get an entirely new dish called a verrine (pronounced vair-EEN) from the French word for glass (verre).

    Recipe: Crab and avocado verrine

  • Potted shrimp

    Potted shrimp is a British dish once used for preservation. Butter was ladled over cooked shrimp, sealing the crock, and protecting the seafood in much the same way as a French confit protects cooked duck. This version uses less butter and a little cream cheese and can be made a day in advance.

    Recipe: Potted shrimp

  • Herb and peppercorn goat cheese

    Slices of soft goat cheese coated with fresh herbs make a wonderful nibble to keep in your repertoire when unexpected guests call to say they’re in town. Serve them as an hors d’oeuvre with wine, or set a round of the cheese beside a salad of lightly dressed greens as an appetizer.

    Recipe: Herb and peppercorn goat cheese

  • Mussels in white wine with saffron

    A steaming serving of aromatic mussels is the sort of dish you can make at the last minute and have a splendid meal.

    Recipe: Mussels in white wine with saffron

  • Spinach and feta dip

    Similar to retro spinach dips, this version is made with chopped frozen spinach, Greek yogurt, and crumbled feta.

    Recipe: Spinach and feta dip

  • Onion tart

    The secret to the sweet onion flavor is taking the time to caramelize the onions — about 1 hour — but it’s worth the effort.

    Recipe: Onion tart

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