While celebrities were picking out outfits and perfecting their speeches for the coveted statuettes, renowned chefs were working on creating a festive menu for the gala dinner of the 96th Academy Awards ceremony. The main stars of the culinary evening were not Christopher Nolan and Ryan Gosling, but Wolfgang Puck and Elliot Grover. How did they surprise the celebrities last night?
The menu was carefully planned in advance and included both classic dishes and original innovations. The main highlight of the evening was seafood: the star-studded table featured crab meat soup, shrimp cocktail, seared tuna, and Rockefeller oysters, prepared according to a popular recipe in the USA using butter, parsley, and aromatic herbs. The menu also included four types of salads: Caesar, beet, and a mixed salad with tomatoes, croutons, and cheese. Special attention was drawn to the 'Oscar' salad, created specifically for the ceremony, with red onions, tomatoes, goat cheese, and pecans in a sugar glaze.
For the first course, giant shrimp, salmon, pork chops, a meat platter, crab cakes, and vegetable risotto were served. The side dishes included mashed potatoes, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and French fries. Of course, there was no shortage of pasta: stars could choose between fettuccine Alfredo and pasta with chicken and Parmesan, or opt for jambalaya—a Creole dish based on rice, smoked sausage, bell peppers, and onions.
The highlight of the 'Oscar' menu was the truffles that adorned the pasta with cheese and chicken pie. This culinary idea belongs to Wolfgang Puck, who has been cooking for the world's most prestigious film award for the 30th time, while Elliot Grover has had this honor only twice.
