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Academy Awards Bash
Celebrate!: Cookbook
Sheila Lukins with Peter Kaminsky
Copyright © 2003 by Sheila Lukins (Workman Publishing)
“There may be more dinner parties in America (and maybe the world) for the
Academy Awards than for any other event. Gathered around the television,
you
ooh at the beautiful and daring gowns (and of course trash the ones
that never
should have made it off the sketchpad), ahh the gorgeous guys,
and argue the
fine points of every nominee in every major category.
Like most TV-oriented gatherings, the food should be as manageable as
finger
food or served in small bowls. For years, my tradition – in fact a
lot of
people’s tradition – was to order in Chinese food. If you’d rather
order in, go
right ahead,
but then you’ll miss the oohs and ahhs these
Chinese-inspired recipes will
elicit
from your fans.”
Buffet for Eight
Starlet Summer Rolls with
Sweet Chile Sauce and Spiced Chile Sauce
Shrimp and Vegetable Fried Rice
Spicy Sesame Noodles
A Honey of a Spare Rib (recipe below)
Bali Chicken (recipe below)
Star Slaw (recipe below)
Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy (recipe below)
Outrageous Brownie Sundaes
with
Double Vanilla-Bean Ice Cream
(recipes below)
“This is a meal meant to be eaten in from of the TV, so it’s organized as a
buffet.
I started with some familiar Chinese restaurant dishes and added
the influences
of Vietnam, Thailand, and Bali...
After this big feast and with all the awards excitement, a gooey sundae is
just
the thing to accompany a lot of good gossip and gown-gazing.
Set out blur and white Asian bowls for your guests, with bright red lacquered
chopsticks – and forks for those who prefer them. The serving dishes should
vary
in size, shape and color. Look for half moons, small cups, fish shapes,
and deep
bowls. Intermingle small Chinese figurines among the dishes. Buy
a batch of
fortune cookies and fill a pretty little lacquer basket with them.
Create large flower arrangements of dark blue or purple irises. A blue-and-
white
bowl filled with little hyacinths would also be beautiful. Once you
set it up,
take
it easy and enjoy the show: Only the nominees are supposed
to be nervous!"
The Music
Hooray for Hollywood
movie tune compilation
The Wine
Off-dry German Riesling
Côtes de Castillon
A
Honey of a Spare Rib
“The secret to great Chinese
Spare Ribs – salty and smoky – lies in two
ingredients that are fairly widely available today. Hoisin sauce is one.
It is sweet, pungent, tangy, and irresistible. The other,
five spice powder,
usually consists of more than five spices, but five is a
lucky number for
health in traditional Chinese belief. The powder combines
anise, cin-
namon, cloves, Szechwan pepper, and sometimes fennel, ground ginger,
and licorice roots. These make for sublime ribs
for a great party dish.
Don’t forget to have plenty of napkins on hand.”
For the Sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
6 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
[make
your own, if you’d like]
Salt, to taste
For the spareribs
2 sides pork spareribs (2 to 2 1/2 pounds each) or
4 sides baby back ribs (about 1 pound each)
6 scallions, including 3 inches green, thinly
sliced on the
diagonal, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Lay the ribs in a shallow baking pan, meat side up. Slather them with
two-thirds of the sauce. Bake, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for
30 minutes.
Uncover and bake, basting every 15 minutes with the pan
juices and the remaining
sauce, until the ribs are cooked through, 45
minutes more.
4. Cut the ribs apart and serve them on a platter, garnished with scallions.
These are delicious hot, warm, or even at room temperature.
Note:
The ribs can be prepared a day in advance and reheated,
covered loosely in foil, in a 350-degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Bali Chicken
“Bali spices and herbs influence this moist marinated
chicken.
It’s delicious with the
fried rice alongside.”
2 chickens (3 to 3 1/2 pounds each),
each cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon [or lime] juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup small fresh mint leaves
(optional), for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
1. Remove all excess fat from the chicken and rinse the pieces
well under
cold water. Pat dry and place them in a large bowl.
2. Combine the soy sauce, lemon [or lime] juice, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, and
salt in a small bowl. Rub this well into the chicken pieces and let them rest,
covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or as long as overnight.
3. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before coking. Arrange
the pieces in a large baking dish and pour the wine into the dish.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Bake the chicken, basting it occasionally, for 45 minutes. Raise the heat
to 375 degrees F and bake for another 15 minutes, continuing to baste.
The chicken will be cooked through and fragrant.
6. Serve the chicken sprinkled with the mint leaves and the cilantro with
the pan juices on the side.
Star Slaw
“A crisp slaw adds flourish to any menu, especially when it’s dressed
with whispers of sesame oil and orange. This one deserves the Oscar
for best supporting salad.”
8 ounces snow peas, thinly slivered lengthwise
1 large head green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds),
tough outer
leaves removed, halved, cored, and
finely shredded
1 head radicchio, cored and finely shredded
1/2 cup diced red onion (1/4-inch dice)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high
heat. Add
the snow peas and cook for just 45 seconds. Drain, and rinse under
cold water
to stop the cooking. Drain again.
2. Toss the cabbage and radicchio in a large bowl. Add the red onion and
the snow peas and toss to combine.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
Whisking constantly, drizzle in both oils. Continue to whisk until
thickened.
Stir in the orange zest and adjust the seasonings.
4. Add the dressing and the chopped mint to the cabbage and radicchio;
toss thoroughly. Let rest at least 1 hour before serving.
Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy
“Do as the Chinese do for special occasions and look for tender young bok
choy with leaves no longer than 4 inches. If you can’t find baby bok choy,
then go with the grown-up version, but slice the leaves crosswise into 2-inch
widths before cooking. The trick with stir-frying is to use intense heat and
cook quickly, so that the greens remain bright and the stalks are tender.”
2 pounds baby bok choy
6 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons hot chili oil
1 piece (4 inches) fresh ginger,
very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
16 scallions, including 3 inches green,
thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Trim the bottom 1/2 inch off the bok choy, separating the
leaves.
Rinse, pat dry, and set aside.
2. Place 3 tablespoons of the sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of the hot chili
oil
in each of two nonstick skillets and set them over low heat. Add
half the ginger
and garlic to each skillet. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes
to mellow
the flavors. Divide the scallions and bok choy between the
skillets. Raise
the heat to medium-high and cook, shaking the pans,
until just tender, 2
to 3 minutes.
3. Add half the soy sauce and cilantro to each skillet and toss with the
bok choy. Remove from the heat, season to taste with pepper, and
serve immediately.
Outrageous Brownie Sundaes
“This dessert is as over-the-top as some of the jewelry on the most ambitious
starlets. Rich homemade vanilla ice cream, rich chocolate brownies with
chocolate chunks, and dark chocolate sauce – when you’ve gone this far,
go ahead
and dollop it with whipped cream. And, in the interest of being
classically
correct, top it off with a firehouse-red maraschino cherry.”
8
Chocolate Chunk Brownies,
each 3 inches square
2 batches Double Vanilla-Bean Ice
Cream (recipe follows)
1 cup Silky Chocolate Sauce
Sweetened whipped cream
8 maraschino cherries with stems
1. Carefully cut each brownie in half horizontally, using a
serrated knife, creating two layers. Then place the bottom half of each brownie
in
each
of eight small dessert bowls.
2. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of each brownie, and drizzle each with
a tablespoon of the chocolate sauce. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
3. Cover with the remaining brownie halves, pressing them down slightly.
Top each with another scoop of ice cream, a tablespoon of chocolate
sauce, and a
dollop of whipped cream. Crown with a cherry.
Double Vanilla-Bean Ice Cream
“In this recipe, the vanilla seeds are scraped out of their pod and added
to
the ice-cream mix. They give the dessert a distinct, rich flavor – this
is
what real vanilla ice cream should taste like.”
3 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 vanilla beans, split In half lengthwise
4 large egg yolks
1. Combine the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a heavy
saucepan. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean pods with the top of a sharp
knife, and add the seeds and the pods to the cream mixture. Place the
pan over
medium heat and cook until the mixture is hot but not boiling
and the sugar has
dissolved, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from
the heat.
2. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Whisking con-
stantly,
slowly pour 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the eggs.
Continue to whisk
until smooth.
3. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking constantly
until well
combined. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir the
mixture constantly
until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon,
6 to 8 minutes. The
mixture should never boil.
4. Strain the mixture into a bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Discard vanilla beans.
5. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover, and freeze.
Note:
This recipe may be easily doubled.
Academy Awards Bash, Part 1
Featured Archive Recipes:
Cantonese Spareribs
Vong's Peanut-Crusted Ribs
Chicken Pad Thai
Chinese Chicken Salad with Spicy
Noodles and Sesame Sauce
Emeril's Bong Bong Chicken
Oriental Chicken Salad
Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs
Emeril's Crunchy Slaw
Asian Greens
Ginger-Almond Vegetable Stir-Fry
Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli
Stir-Fried Vegetables in Oyster Sauce
Brownie Bonanza
Chocolatier's Death by Chocolate Sundaes
Godiva Mocha Java Sundaes
We All Scream for Ice Cream
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