Lauren Salkeld, Epicurious
In keeping with Epicurious Oscar tradition, it's once again time for our annual Academy Awards Movie Menus. Get ready to celebrate this year's Best Picture nominees with recipes inspired by each of the nine nominated films. You may want to choose your menu based on your favorite film or the dishes that appeal to you most. Another option is to pick and choose recipes from each movie to create your own one of a kind Oscar feast.
12 Years a Slave: This humble yet delicious feast is similar to what Solomon Northup ate while he was a slave. Red wine is suggested because it was the drink that Northup's captors used to drug him, while the blackberry cobbler points to Northup's attempt to write a letter using blackberry juice.
American Hustle: This Italian-American feast directly connects to plot points in David O. Russell's crime drama. Clams Casino reminds us of the moment Irving Rosenfield bonds with Mayor Polito over spicy clams, while the chicken references the "Piccata of the gods." Be sure to enjoy plenty of Prosecco, and finish the meal with an Italian digestivo.
Captain Phillips: This pan-African dinner features dishes popular in the pirate's native Somalia, where doro wett, ful medames, samosas, basmati rice, and halvah are popular. Coffee and fresh fruit are included as those are the only food and drink seen on the Maersk Alabama.
Dallas Buyers Club: Ron Woodruff's steak house dinner date with Dr. Eve Saks was the inspiration for this simple, satisfying supper. We added the Spicy Cowboy Beans because Woodruff uses the names of Dallas Cowboys to write false prescriptions under Dr. Saks' name.
Gravity: Beyond Russian vodka, there really isn't any food or drink consumed in Alfonso Cuarón's science-fiction thriller. Our menu celebrates Gravity's celestial setting with a buffet of outer-space-themed dishes, including Poppy Cheddar Moon Crackers, Edible Stones (our version of meteors), Heaven-and-Earth Tempura Cakes, and a gravity-defying foam served over fresh berries for dessert.
Her: This pizza night menu was inspired by Samantha and Theodore's carnival date, when she has him close his eyes and order a slice of pizza. The cupcakes are a reference to when Theodore plays Amy's new video game, and scores "perfect mom points" for buying cupcakes and making the other moms jealous. But don't eat too many; you wouldn't want to lose points for feeding the kids too much processed sugar.
Nebraska: Beer is an important part of our Nebraska menu as alcoholic Woody Grant drinks a lot of it, insisting it doesn't count as alcohol. To soak up all the booze, we recommend a feast of dishes popular in the Cornhusker state, including steak, ice cream, popcorn, and pierogi-like pocket sandwiches called "runza sandwiches," which are represented here by the Cupcake-Tin Pork Pies.
Philomena: Throughout this British film, Judi Dench's Philomena shows a lot of enthusiasm for food, including omelets at a hotel breakfast buffet, croutons at a salad bar, a Buck's Fizz on the airplane, and a fruit cake served with tea at the Roscrea convent. The cake recipe calls for a porter like Guinness, which is also significant to the plot as it convinces Martin Sixsmith that Philomena's son did in fact travel to Ireland to find her.
The Wolf of Wall Street: Sushi, lobster, porterhouse steaks, multiple sides, and plenty of Champagne add up to a menu of excess perfectly suited to the Jordan Belfort lifestyle. The zeppole doughnuts are a nod to Aunt Emma's comment about Belfort getting into the doughnuts at his wedding to Naomi.