Oscar Party Food: Recipes Inspired By Best Picture Nominees (Access Hollywood Live)

You can’t have the perfect Oscars party without the perfect food!

Here to help is entertaining expert/author Katie Lee Joel, who stopped by Access Hollywood Live to share recipes inspired by some of the Best Picture nominees – perfect for your Oscars bash!

Here are the recipes featured on today’s show:

‘Les Miserables: French Onion Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 onions, cut in half and sliced

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons grated gruyere cheese

In a large pot, melt butter of medium heat. Stir in onions, bay leaf, and thyme. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until translucent and soft. Add white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer let cook until the wine evaporates. Remove bay leaf and thyme. Stir in broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and stir in salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to combine. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Bake 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

To serve, ladle soup into espresso cups and top with a cheese crouton.

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‘Lincoln’: Mini Apple Pies with Spelt Crust (as American as apple pie…)

For the crust:

3 cups spelt flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut oil

Couple tablespoons ice water

Apple filling:

5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping:

1/2 cup rolled oats

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Mix ingredients. Divide in half and flatten into two disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Roll out dough to a 9-inch circle. Use a round cookie cutter to cut into individual crusts. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Press each pie crust into the muffin tins and let dough come up the edges. Refrigerate while making the apple filling.

In a large bowl, mix apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Divide evenly into muffin tins.

For topping, mix oats, brown sugar, flour, salt, and melted butter. Divide evenly onto each apple pie.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edges of the pies and gently pop loose.

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‘Zero Dark Thirty’: Middle-Eastern Lamb Meatballs

1 pound ground lamb

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure mixture by the tablespoonful and shape into balls. Have damp paper towels to clean hands if mixture gets sticky.

Line another baking sheet with paper towels. Coat a large skillet with olive oil and heat to medium high. Cook meatballs in batches, taking care not over-crowd the pan. Cook meatballs about one to two minutes per side, until browned. Transfer to paper towel-lined pan. Serve with tzatziki dipping sauce.

Tzatziki Dipping Sauce:

1∕2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped, seeded cucumber

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced fresh mint

Pinch of kosher salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until serving time.

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‘Silver Linings Playbook’: Open-Face Mini Philly Cheesesteaks

1 1/2 pounds strip loin

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

10 ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

1 loaf crust French baguette, sliced on an angle ½-inch thick

2 cups shredded provolone

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place strip loin in the freezer for 30 minutes (this will help it slice easier). Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the steak. Season meat with salt and pepper.

Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast in oven, about 10 minutes.

While bread is toasting, heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet or a griddle over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook about 45 seconds on each side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil and reduce heat to medium. Saute onions until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add green peppers and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Top each toast slice with steak, onion mixture, and top with cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

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‘Life of Pi’: Tandoori Chicken Wings

1 cup Greek yogurt

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

3 pounds chicken wings or drummettes

Salt and pepper

Fresh cilantro, minced.

In a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine yogurt, lime juice, and spices. Generously season chicken wings with salt and pepper. Add to marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Arrange chicken wings on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and top with minced cilantro.

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‘Argo’: Mezze Platter

Hummus

Baba Ghannoush

Olives

Crudites

Toasted pita or pita chips

Arrange on a platter and serve.

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‘Amour’: Moet French 75

1 ounce gin

1 ounce orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)

1/4 ounce lemon juice

1 sugar cube

Moet Chandon champagne

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine gin, orange liqueur, and lemon juice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Place sugar cube in a champagne flute. Pour in gin mixture. Top with champagne.