It’s Oscar night this evening (or actually it begins in the afternoon here in L.A.). If it’s over by the time you read this, oh well, c'est la vie. And if you got mixed up about whether to leap forward or fall back for Daylight Saving Time, which took effect this morning, you may just have missed all the hoopla—and perhaps you didn’t care too much to begin with.
I live in Los Angeles, and as showbiz is one of our core industries, with the Oscars taking place about 25 miles from where we live, I should be excited—and I am—but more about the fashion parade on the Red Carpet and listening to host Jimmy Kimmel crack wise at the expense of the gathered glitterati than to see who walks off with a precious trophy and who leaves empty-handed.
For one thing, we’ve only seen four of the 10 Best Picture contenders—Oppenheimer, Poor Things, The Holdovers and Maestro—and almost none of the nominees in other categories. But it does beat watching the real-life battles raging elsewhere in the world. The Oscars are just pure popcorn fun (and guess what I’m making!). But in any case, there’s always the possibility of unexpected drama, inspiring speeches, and the satisfaction of knowing that people who are creative in so many different ways are being honored for their achievements.
We’re not having an Oscar party. But if we were, I’d take a few tips from Jolene Handy, whose latest post is all about “drinky, snacky things” to serve on this day, especially if you’d like a little retro vibe at your gathering—relish trays, homemade Ritz-like Italian crackers delectably topped, little cocktail wienies embedded in dough, trays of drinks with frozen melon ice cubes.
A couple of Jolene’s links are worth checking out as well, including one to an article in Los Angeles Magazine in which chef and restauranteur Wolfgang Puck shares star-studded memories from 30 years of catering the Governor’s Ball, the exclusive party for 1600 guests following the Oscars and from the early days of running his groundbreaking L.A. restaurant, Spago, which opened in 1982.
This year, the Governor’s Ball menu includes a number of Spanish dishes, reflecting the Austrian-born Puck’s love of Spain and its ace soccer (fútbol) team Real Madrid. You can read more about the menu here.
As for me, with the Oscars just a few hours away, I’m taking that idea of the Oscars being “pure popcorn fun” to heart—besides which my husband has requested popcorn. I never make a little. I always make a lot—a large yellow pyrex bowl full—and we eat every bit. It’s as simple as pouring kernels from a large mason jar (I’m not sure how long the popcorn has been there, but it still pops perfectly!) into hot oil (just enough to coat with a little extra) in the bottom of a heavy pot, putting it on medium high heat, covering loosely with a lid, cracked slightly so the steam can get out but the popcorn can’t (that’s the tricky part!), and shaking like crazy until you hear a mad popping frenzy inside! It’s amazing how such a few kernels of corn, basically 3 to 4 tablespoons (I don’t measure but basically loosely cover the oiled bottom of a big 10 1/2 x 6 1/2-inch stock pot with kernels, with a few spaces in between), can rise almost to the top!
At that point, I top with salt and usually a sprinkling of Parmesan, probably just the cheap variety out of the ubiquitous green can, though, come to think about it, I wonder just how delicious a shower of real Parmigiano Reggiano would be…
Anyway, stovetop popcorn is so much superior to the microwave version, which is over-salted and full of additives, and it’s actually pretty easy. You simply have to remove the pan from the stove once you hear the pops slowing down from their furious pace to single explosions. If you end up with a few unpopped or half-popped kernels, better than a burned batch that’s stuck to the bottom of the pan and has perfumed your entire house!
For an excellent primer on how to make popcorn, check out this link from Cookie + Kate.
That’s it because, as late as it is, I’d better publish this so it’s not the day after the Oscars! If it is, did you enjoy the show? Did you watch? And most importantly, what did you eat? By the way, popcorn is good any day of the week! No special occasion needed!
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Happy spring! Once that clock moves forward, who’s worrying about when the equinox actually arrives? Here the daffodils and crocuses are already in bloom!
See you next time.
Ruth
Ruth, just came across this as I was browsing Substack. And now I'm obsessing about popcorn. A guest at the Oscar party made homemade popcorn this year. She had one of those hand-cranked poppers. It smelled so good. But it was way too salty. Wish I could have had yours in those cute containers. Love your writing. Subscribing now....Thank you!
Hooray for Popcorn 🍿 (and Hollywood!)!!! Love this, Ruth and thank you so much for linking! ❤️