November 2007 – Oscars in Order With Recipes! (2024)

Why In the Heat of the Night was 1967’s best picture is kind of a puzzlement. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a crackerjack of a movie: Great murder mystery with great acting from all, especially Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier (they have some killer staring contests in this movie), great photography from Haskell Wexler (you can see people’s pores). But this was a stellar year for movies. 1967’s the year of Bonnie and Clyde (one of my very favorites!) and The Graduate. Watershed films both. I just don’t think Heat measures up.

There’s is a really cool leitmotif in this film though: Soda pop. I have never seen so many scenes in a movie where there is a soda pop machine. Or bottled pop (I’m showin’ my midwesterness here) I wish they still had regular (i.e. co*ke, Pepsi) pop in glass bottles not just those fancy Jones Sodas or the Boylan sodas you can get at Trader Joe’s. Pop just tastes better in a glass bottle.

In the Heat of the Night is set in a small town in Mississippi, so for dinner we had a bit of Southern comfort food.

Barbecued Salmon

This is just a super easy way to cook salmon.

Preheat a grill pan until it’s sizzling. Season Salmon filets with salt and pepper. Heat up barbecue sauce in a small saucepan. Place filets on grill pan skin side up. Baste with bbq sauce. Turn salmon over and baste some more. Turn salmon over several times so it doesn’t stick to the pan. The salmon should be cooked in 7-9 minutes.

For good Mississippi recipes I turned to a great Louisiana Chef, Emeril, for inspiration.

I served this with Emeril’s smothered Greens. Wow this was amazing.

Southern Cooked Greens:
1/2 pound sliced bacon, chopped
3 cups chopped yellow onions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 cups water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
6 pounds assorted greens, such as mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, kale, and spinach, well washed and tough stems removed

Fry the bacon in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until slightly crisp. Add the onions and season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted and golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the water and vinegar and mix well. Begin adding the greens, about a third at a time, pressing the greens down as they begin to wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the greens are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve hot.

And Emeril’s Hush Puppies

Buttermilk Hushpuppies:
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons hot red pepper sauce
1/4 cup minced onions
1/4 cup minced red bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced jalapenos
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or more, to taste
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
6 cups vegetable oil, for frying
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, hot sauce, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl and mix well to break up any lumps. Stir in the eggs, buttermilk, and water, and blend well.
Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat to 360 degrees F.
In batches, drop the batter by tablespoons into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, turning with a long-handled spoon, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with the Creole seasoning and serve hot.
Yield: 18 hushpuppies

And Emeril’s Mississippi Mud Cake. This is the easiest cake to bake from scratch I’ve ever made. My 10 year old helped out with this one. Thanks, Natalie!

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces mini marshmallowsFor the frosting:
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 (16 ounce) box confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch cake pan.Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into a medium mixing bowl.

Place the butter in a small saucepan and, when melted, add the cocoa and water and bring to a boil. Add the boiling cocoa mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the hot cake.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and, when melted, add the cocoa powder and buttermilk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and stir until very smooth. Pour the hot icing over the marshmallows on the hot cake and sprinkle with the nuts. Let cool to lukewarm before serving. Cake is best served warm or at room temperature.

A Man For All Seasons is one of those oh-so serious dramas that make you feel good about yourself for watching. Because it’s like a big old history lesson. And being in history class. And watching history come alive. Sort of. The man for all seasons in question was Thomas More who battled with Henry VIII about Henry’s first divorce and loses his life for sticking to his convictions. It took four hundred years, but Thomas More was canonized by the Catholic Church: Thomas More is the patron saint of politicians. Scary thought that politicians have a patron saint. I guess they need one.

Thomas is played by the sensational Paul Scofield, who really gave one of the best performances I’ve seen in film. He’s riveting. Another true treasure of this film is Robert Shaw’s portrayal of Henry the VIII. Shaw nearly steals every scene he’s in (he should! he’s the king!). Unfortunately Paul Scofield does not make a lot of movies: the first movie I saw Paul Scofield in was one of my all time favorite, Quiz Show as the Van Doren patriarch. He was wonderful in that, too.

A Man For All Seasons is an ok movie in a pretty blah year (other lackluster nominees: Who’s Afraid of Viriginia Woolf, Alfie, The Sand Pebbles, and The Russians are Coming). A great non-nominee? Blow-up. Antonioni’s masterpiece.

For the dinner thing I had several options: we could do an English cuisine meal or a meal that would have been served in Henry VIII’s time…

this is from this website: Eat Like a King

A big monarch with an even bigger appetite.
The meals of King Henry VIII of England were among the most fantastic dishes ever created. He consumed meals of bizarre meats like dolphin and songbird, and enjoyed intricate puddings moulded from sugar. Tudor food was based on astrology as much as taste, and included elaborate gelatines made of deer antler, even alcoholic spirits flavoured with pure gold. From their great palaces, the Tudor monarchs were served extravagant meals that combined the outrageous with the everyday – from pies of songbirds and gelatines stained with children’s urine, to mouth-watering saddle’s of lamb and the most delicious spit-roasted meats in all Europe.

Or we could do a four season meal. I chose the four season meal. Where was I going to find dolphin or songbird in the midwest?

Winter Salad

small head escarole, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 Belgian endive, leaves separated
1 celery stalk, cut on the diagonal into thin slices
1 small Granny Smith apple, halved cored and thinly sliced1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish

Combine greens, celery, and apples in a large bowl. Whisk together both vinegars and the shallot. Slowly whisk in the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss the salad ingredients with some of the vinaigrette. Garnish with shaved Parmigiano.

Spring Chicken & Asparagus Soup

For the soup:

Saute a chopped onion and two minced cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup of meted butter for about 25 minutes.

Add 3 cups chicken stock & bring to a boil

Add 1 lb chopped up asparagus, one carrot chopped up, handful of parsley and simmer for 50 min to an hour. When vegetables are cool puree in a blender until smooth. Reheat puree with reserved tips for about 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

For the chicken:

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh parsley
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with some parsley, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions and carrots, in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Summer Ratatouille–from Rachael Ray

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips
5 baby eggplant, quartered lengthwise
6 baby zucchini, quartered lengthwise
5 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise and seeded
2 shallots, peeled and sliced lengthwise
Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat
Coarse salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Working on a cookie sheet, combine vegetables. Drizzle liberally with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat vegetables evenly. Roast until just tender, 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

Autumn Pear & Ginger Tarte Tatin–from Epicurious.com

1sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed

1/2cup sugar
1/4cup water
1teaspoon light corn syrup
2tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped into small bowl
1tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
5medium-size firm Anjou pears (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, halved, cored, each half cut into 4 wedges

Whipped cream

Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 10-inch square. Trim edges, making 10-inch-diameter round; pierce round all over with fork. Slide onto rimless baking sheet. Cover and chill pastry while preparing pears or up to 1 day. Fill large skillet with ice and water; set aside. Stir sugar, 1/4 cup water, and corn syrup in heavy 10-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until syrup is dark amber color, occasionally swirling and brushing down sides of skillet with wet pastry brush, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter, then vanilla-bean seeds and ginger (caramel will bubble up). Arrange pears, cut side down and overlapping, in circle in skillet, placing a few around edge, if necessary. Place skillet over medium heat. Cook until pears are tender and syrup thickens enough to coat spoon, about 23 minutes. Place hot skillet atop ice in large skillet to cool pear mixture quickly. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place puff pastry round atop pear mixture in skillet; tuck in edges around pears. Bake tart until pastry is puffed and golden, about 35 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Rewarm tart in oven 8 minutes. Place platter atop skillet. Using oven mitts, hold skillet and platter together and turn over, releasing tart. Serve tart with whipped cream.

Raindrops on roses….

The Sound of Music is one of those movies that, when I can come across it on TV I’ll watch it no matter what. I ashamedly, unabashedly love this movie. I know it’s sacchrinely sweet and treacly and way too big and kinda stupid. But it’s wonderful. Filmed on location in Austria, it’s as big an epic as Lawrence of Arabiat But at least it’s got wonderful music, a nice romance, feisty nuns, excursions to Salzburg and just a touch of Nazi. It’s Lawrence of Arabia for girls.

Whiskers on kittens…

Interestingly, in an arcane way , there are two best picture winners that have scenes where clothes are made out of the curtains. I wonder if Maria Von Trapp stole her idea from Scarlett O’Hara? She could have, you know.

Bright Copper Kettles and Warm Woolen Mittens…

A few years ago I dragged my family to a sing-a-long version of Sound of Music at the Music Box theater in Chicago ( as mentioned before, great place). The Sing a long Version was kind of like a tame Rocky Horror; although one funny party I remember: someone saved their firework popper for the scene where the 17 year old Nazi holds a gun on the Von Trapps. It was brilliantly funny at the time, trust me.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String…

I just ordered Inside Oscar 2 from Amazon.com. Hopefully, it’ll be here soon.
When the Dog bites….

Eleanor Parker is marvelous as the bitchy Baroness…

When the Bee Stings…

Julie Andrews surely should have won her second best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Maria. She is the movie. She brings so much life to the character. And besides, does anybody remember the movie Darling with Julie Christie?

When I’m feeling sad…

The Sound of Music is my go-to DVD when we’re testing the sound system on our Bose speakers. That amazing opening helicopter shot up the alps also has some great sound. The birds chip on all the channels. It’s very cool. But, then I have to remind Jim to turn it off quickly or I’ll be there for three hours.

Cream colored ponies…

On of the things that makes Sound of Music so great is it’s screenplay. But it’s greatness is not truly not surprising because it was written by that workhouse screenwriter, Ernest Lehman (take a gander at some of his credits: Sabrina, West Side Story, North by Northwest, Sweet Smell of Success).

And crisp Apple Strudel…

Ok, I’m kinda going out of order a bit to follow the lyrics, but when was the last time one of the movies gave me meal ideas within lyrics? Hmm? West Side Story & My Fair Lady I’m lookin at you! Settle down, Oliver!, I’m already fairly sure we’re having your sausages and mustard.

This is a marvelously easy recipe. And marvelously delicious.

2 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.In a medium bowl, toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice until the apples are thoroughly coated. Add the raisins, 1/4 cup sugar, and the 2 tablespoons cold cubed butter and toss well. Set aside.

Lightly dust the counter or work surface with flour. Lay the puff pastry on top and dust the rolling pin with additional flour. Gently roll the puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness.
Spread the apple and raisin mixture over the bottom half of the puff pastry square leaving about 1-inch of space along the side edges. Fold the top half of the puff pastry over and pinch to seal the edges together.

Brush the entire strudel with the melted butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon and remaining sugar. Using a serrated knife, make 3 diagonal slits across the top of the strudel.

Place the strudel on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Yum.

Door bells…

Halloween was this past Wednesday. Yay! Roxane went as Neely O’ Hara from Valley of the Dolls. Natalie was a devil.

And Sleigh bells…

I can’t believe that even before Halloween I saw several stores with Christmas decorations. I hate that.

Wild Geese that Fly with the moon on their wing….

Oscar Hammerstein was truly a lyricist for the birds. Witness the above lyric. And Showboat’s Fish got Swim Birds gotta fly… Oklahoma’s Curly rhapsodizing about that “Lazy Hawk Making Circles in the Sky” And, from Carousel, after you walk through that storm with your head up a high there will be that sweet silver song of a lark. But I flove Oscar Hammerstein. Did you know that he was Stephen Sondheim’s mentor?

And Schnitzel with noodles.

The hardest part about weinerschnitzel is finding the wiener I needed. Because weiner is veal. I’m a little ooked out about veal, it being baby cow and all, but it is quite delicious. And easy to make. I used (my go to gal) Rachael Ray’s recipe: I substituted goldfish pretzel crackers for the cracker meal–it seemed more Bavarian that way.

4 large (6 to 7 ounce) veal cutlets
Waxed paper
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
2 eggs
A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup cracker meal, found near bread crumbs or at fish counter in market
Butter, for frying
Whole nutmeg
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Cover work surface with a sheet of waxed paper. Arrange cutlets with a few inches between them on paper. Top work surface with a second sheet of waxed paper. Pound cutlets out to 1/4-inch thick using the bottom of small heavy skillet or a rubber mallet.Heat a large skillet over moderate heat.

Set veal aside and set up 3 disposable pie tins and a plate in a row. Place flour in 1 disposable tin and season with salt and pepper. In the second disposable tin, beat eggs with a drizzle of oil and season with salt. In the third disposable tin, pour out about 1 cup of cracker meal.

Bread veal in flour. Coat the veal evenly with egg on both sides. Gently press veal into cracker meal and rest coated cutlets on a plate. Add a drizzle of oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to the skillet.

When butter foams, add 2 pieces of veal and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown all over. Remove to a warm plate and grate a little nutmeg over hot schnitzel. Repeat with remaining 2 veal cutlets. Garnish veal with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.