Sunday, February 26, 2012

HAPPY OSCAR DAY 2012!

The Oscar-themed feasting has begun! For lunch, we had Glazier dogs (unearthly red garlic franks ubiquitous at all sporting events around these parts) as a nod to both Moneyball and NYC street cart dogs (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close). Later this evening, we will enjoy some little Hawaiian meatballs on bamboo skewers as an appetizer in honor of The Descendants:


















Dinner will be a classic Hollywood steakhouse meal a la The Artist: Pan-Seared Porterhouse Steaks with BĂ©arnaise (the sauce adds a French twist as homage to Hugo) and Twice-Baked Potatoes.







Also, I will be making "Audrey's Salad," the original creation of my dear friend Jaymie's partner: Romaine lettuce (though I used the red leaf on hand), prosciutto crisps, vanilla roasted pears (I used Asian pears), blue cheese crumbles, and rustic french dressing.



















































Last but not least, we will have a slice of Minny's chocolate pie from The Help...with no unsavory "special" ingredients (though it cracked and looked like sh*t!).

Minny's Chocolate Pie
(Source: Food and Wine)

1 packaged pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5 minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
3. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

Make Ahead: The chocolate pie can be refrigerated overnight.

No comments: