Reviving the Golden Age of Movies... In Your Own Home

by Neal Kielar, Tastemaker in Residence

It’s said that the golden age of movie making ended in 1963. Who knows why it’s the year cited by film historians. “Lawrence of Arabia” won the best picture Oscar that year (back when the director also won for best picture, in this case David Lean). Top acting awards went to Anne Bancroft for “The Miracle Worker” and Gregory Peck for “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

That was a golden year – one worth celebrating.

Great films are still being made and every year we still doll up to celebrate the Oscars. Maybe because we’re a movie-going kind of people or maybe because it’s an excuse to get together. And eat.       

With the Oscar broadcast being such a marathon – three hours without counting overtime and four hours if you include the red carpet hoopla – it’s tough for all but the hardcore to entertain for the entire evening.

We solved that issue years ago by focusing our gathering on five simple ingredients:

- A diverse collection of family and friends to mix it up for the evening

- Comfortable seating in a spacious room with a big TV (plus a TV in the kitchen)

- A little competition with an Oscar pool complete with ballots and prizes

- Champagne or other sparkling drinks to add a little glamour

- And lots and lots of desserts

A dessert buffet is a great host solution because all the offerings can be presented at once, leaving the hosts free to relax and have fun. That’s assuming that you’ve settled on options that don’t require too much showmanship. Plus, you can present a variety of options to please everyone’s tastes (or several of them). Check out our Spirited Table desserts read more>>
 
It’s not cheating if you stock your dessert buffet with high-quality bakery bought items. In fact, it’s a great time and stress saver. But you also might want to prepare one or two signature desserts on your own. Your guests might want to bring a little something, too, so let them add to the mix.
 
Your presentation should count just as much as the desserts. Bring out your best serving pieces and place goodies on trays and plates of different heights and sizes to create visual drama. Don’t forget to add some Hollywood-worthy glitz with a little gold (we have a fake Oscar statuette for laughs) and maybe some fresh fruit and flowers. (Hold the chocolate fountain; that’s so over.)

Class it up even more by using real plates and flatware rather than disposable. It’s easy enough to clean up when it’s just a stack of plates and extra forks.
 
Keep it tight, sweet and fun and you’ll earn Oscar party buzz from all your guests long after the last award is given.

For Oscar night details go to http://oscar.go.com