Lights, Camera, Cook For An Oscar Night Feast
According to film reviewers, the 2015 Oscars Best Picture race is the closest in a decade. Whether it's Boyhood or Birdman (the two front runners) or The Imitation Game, American Sniper, Whiplash, The Theory of Everything, Selma, or The Grand Budapest Hotel, you can be sure that the Oscars will provide audiences with glamour and plenty of nail-biting moments. While you are sitting at the edge of your seats waiting for the announcement of the winner of the Best Picture category why not try these recipes inspired by the 2015 Oscar Nominated Best Pictures.
Boyhood:
Richard Linklater's Boyhood follows Mason Evans, Jr. (played by Ellar Coltraine) while he literally grow up before our eyes on screen. There are many great moments in this film that remind me of my own childhood, whether it be the music or activities like bowling and baseball games, such as the Houston Astros baseball game that Mason and Samantha's Dad, Mason Sr, (played by Ethan Hawke) take the kids to. Our Pretzel Wrapped Brats with Cider Braised Onions is a perfect combination of two classic baseball foods, hot dogs and pretzels!
Birdman:
In Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Riggan Thomson (Played by Michael Keaton) is a washed-up actor famous for playing a superhero character called Birdman. Thomson decides to reinvent his career by writing, directing and staring in a Broadway adaptation of a short story. With a movie set in New York City based around creating a Broadway play, it's hard not to include a recipe for Stage Deli's Cheese Blintzes. These blintzes are a New York classic.
The Imitation Game:
Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) helped solved the Enigma code during the Second World War. Clearly brilliant, but often unable to decide what food to order, he was obsessed with his work and didn't make friends very easily. Turing said he doesn't like sandwiches, but he was known to order soup so here is a Barley Lentil Vegetable Soup recipe, which would hopefully be to his liking.
American Sniper:
In the film American Sniper, Bradley Cooper plays real-life Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. For the role, Cooper reportedly had to fill up on 8000 calories a day and he had to eat every 55 minutes in order to look the part. The film begins with Chris Kyle growing up in Texas where, at one point, he takes a job as a rodeo cowboy before he enlists. This Texas BBQ Beef Brisket may not be 8000 calories, even if you eat the whole thing, and it most likely won't prepare you to be a Navy SEAL, but I can promise you it will taste delicious.
Whiplash:
Not only is the acting superb in Whiplash, especially by Best Actor Nominee J.K. Simmons, the drumming in Whiplash is amazing! If only I could chop that fast in the kitchen, dinner would be ready in minutes. This quick recipe for Minute Roast With Pan Drippings will definitely get you to the couch on time to for the opening monologue by Neil Patrick Harris.
The Theory of Everything:
Stephen Hawking (played by Eddie Redmayne) has incredible ideas and moments of inspiration that had to be represented in a visually stunning manner for this film to work. In an early scene of the film, a succession of visual metaphors is used to portray a moment of Hawkings inspiration, which include a swirling cup of coffee to represent light and dark matter. Serve up a delicious Coffee Cotini in honor of this moment.
Selma:
Selma is a historical drama focused on the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting-rights marches. The story of the Selma to Montgomery marches had mostly only been told in textbooks and newsreel footage, so filmmaker Ava DuVernay had to be sure to develop the perfect visual and emotional balance in order to create the right environment for the movie. The filming was done in both Selma, Alabama and in-and-around Atlanta, and the flavour of the American south runs deep throughout the film. Sour Mash Whiskey Glazed Whole Roasted Turkey will guide your senses all the way to the American south.
The Grand Budapest Hotel:
In his classic directorial fashion, director Wes Anderson uses unique ornate visual style to portray thought provoking ideas in the film The Grand Budapest Hotel. The prologue of the film begins in the fictional war-torn Republic of Zubrowka, but soon takes us back to the glory days of the Grand Budapest Hotel in 1932. One of the best moment of the film has to be when the inmates escape from prison using tiny sledgehammers and pickaxes smuggled to them hidden in colourful dessert. Although I don't think you will be hiding any tools in these Almond Macaroons, they will be a nice final course to your Oscar Feast.
