Are you ready for the Oscars? Cozying up on the couch in your sweats and slippers with a nice little bottle of California Pinot Gris on ice on the coffee table does not constitute being 'ready' for the annual Academy Award's televised bonanza these days. Sorry!
Not only should you have already cleaned house, rounded up a dozen or so of your best film-buff pals, printed out the ballots, sharpened pencils, pulled together some impressive movie-inspired prizes/hard-cash winner's pool, the proof is in the pudding that to pull off a fashionable Oscar night soiree you ought to have had your pot of home-made beef bourginon slowly simmering on low at least since breakfast.
Yes, the pressure is on to pull off the slow food culinary group dining extravaganza and be dressed up to the nines by the time the first Vera Wang frock brushes the red carpet around five.
Thanks to the Oscar-nominated foodie flick Julie and Julia (Meryl Streep - best actress contender for anyone entirely marooned from the marvels of movie-land), it has transpired amongst those who like to call themselves a credible home cook, that a random pick from Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is the genuine big dish this March for Oscar night dining.
Spotted this sign outside of Petaluma Whole Foods on a Julia-esque expedition of my own this Oscar-eve. Failing to stumble upon a pre-season farmer's market or Parisian purveyor of all things fresh, Whole Foods had it going on in the Academy Award California-craziness department.
Though I was tempted to 'ask for details', I decided to ditch the idea after fleeting thoughts of hosting any cinematic-appreciation shenanigans this year were rapidly quashed by the (sensible) inner cynic.
Any inspirational ideas to cook a live lobster, de-bone a duck or do anything with liver or other organs should be shelved for an alternate Sunday. The couch, slippers, a bottle of nicely chilled Pinot Gris. Bets on for Colin Firth, Meryl and a battle of the exes in Avatar Vs The Hurt Locker. Now that's the ticket!
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