With the Academy Awards just a few days away, we’re gearing up to throw the best viewing party ever. And what better way to celebrate this year’s nominees than by serving up an array of delicious home-cooked dishes in their honor? Our friends over at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg—New York’s first original independent movie house with in-seat table-service—created an extensive menu inspired by the buzzed-about films that they’ve shown over the last year, and shared their recipes exclusively with us to try at home.
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“This year’s Oscar-nominated movies are all very diverse, which made creating entrées and hors d’oeuvres inspired by them a lot more fun,” says Nitehawk’s in-house chef, Michael Franey. Whether it’s Mason’s queso from Boyhood or Andrew’s dad’s go-to popcorn and Raisinettes combo from Whiplash, Nitehawk hunted down the prototypical fare we saw (and ogled over) on the big screen and created flavor-packed versions of their own. Scroll down to see their edible lineup, and make sure to tune in to the 87th annual Academy Awards on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. EST on ABC.
Boyhood
Want Another Queso? — scallions, pickled jalapeno, cilantro, tortilla chips
Serving size: 2-3
Nitehawk Queso
Ingredients:
1 lb. Velveeta
1/4 cup pickled jalapeño, chopped fine (recipe follows)
1/4 cup canned diced tomato
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a heat safe container and heat very slowly over a pot of simmering water until smooth.
Pickled Jalapeño
Ingredients:
1/4 cup store-bought pickled jalapeños, sliced into 1/4 inch wheels with seeds
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup salt
1 tbsp coriander seeds
Instructions:
Put jalapeños, onion, and carrot into glass jar that has been thoroughly washed and sanitized.
Bring vinegar to a boil with salt and coriander seed. Gently pour over jalapeños, weighing down jalapeños if they float, making sure they are all completely submerged in pickling liquid. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before placing in a refrigerator.The Imitation Game
Ultra — steak, mushroom, ale pie, carrots, peas, puff pastry
Serving size: 2
Steak and Ale Pie
Ingredients:
2 oz. oil
2 Flat Iron steaks, cleaned and cut into 1/2 cubes
1 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced carrot
2 cups quartered mushrooms
12 oz. brown ale
1 cup peas
4 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Store-bought Puff Pastry
Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water)
Instructions:
In a large pot, heat half of the oil until almost smoking. In batches sear the cubed steak on all sides; remove from the pan. Once all of the steak has been seared, add in the remaining oil, onion, garlic and carrots; cook until translucent. Add in mushrooms and cook through. Return steak to the pot once the mushrooms are cooked and deglaze with beer. Bring this to a boil and reduce the liquid by half. Add in peas and beef stock, and simmer until the steak is fork tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle this into oven safe dishes, top with puff pastry and brush with an egg wash. Bake at 400°F for 30-45 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown.
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Birdman
Good Bird — hot and crispy chicken wings, dill yogurt sauce, carrot slaw
Serving size: 5 wings, but you can multiply the recipe
Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
5 chicken wings
2 bottles green Tabasco
2 cups flour
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp salt
4 cups canola oil
Heavy-bottomed, 3-quart pot
Instructions:
Marinate wings in green Tabasco for a minimum of one hour. Mix flour with seasonings. Heat oil over medium heat to 350°F. Remove wings from marinade. Dredge in flour until well-coated, let rest on a baking rack. In batches, fry wings for 6-8 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Carrot Slaw
Ingredients:
2 lbs. carrot, peeled and shredded (in a food processor or with a grater)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp apple cider vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Blend carrots in a food processor and mix-in other ingredients.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a blender combine vinegar with mustards. Slowly drizzle in oil until emulsified, season with salt and pepper.
Labneh
Ingredients:
1 cup greek yogurt
2 tsp chopped dill
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 oz. water
1 tsp Kosher salt
Instructions:
Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl, chill for at least an hour to let flavors develop.
The Theory of Everything
The Universe in a (Wal)Nutshell — Nutella-filled brown butter crepes topped with candied walnuts
Serving size: 3
Brown Butter Crepes
Ingredients:
14 oz. flour
9 oz. confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp salt
2 2/3 cup milk
4 oz. butter, browned over medium heat, cooled to room temperature
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
Butter for cooking
Nutella-Mascarpone filling (recipe follows)
Candied walnuts (recipe follows)
Instructions:
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Gently whisk in milk, browned butter, and eggs being careful not to over mix. Let rest for at least 20 minutes. In a lightly buttered 8″ non-stick pan, cook crepes 1 oz. at a time, browning on one side then flipping. Stack with parchment paper in between crepes so they don’t stick together. Once all have cooked, spread 2 tbsp of the Nutella Mascarpone filling onto each crepe and fold into a triangle. Gently reheat in a 250°F oven until crepes are hot and Nutella has melted. Top with candied walnuts.
Nutella Mascarpone
Ingredients:
8 oz. Nutella
8 oz. mascarpone
Instructions:
Combine both in a bowl for a stand mixer with the whip attachment. Whip until fully combined and lightened in texture. Reserve at room temperature until crepes have cooked.
Candied Walnuts
Ingredients:
4 oz. butter
2 oz. sugar
1 lb. walnuts, toasted
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
In a non-stick pan, melt butter with sugar and cook until light brown in color. Add in walnuts and salt and toss to combine. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper and bake in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Break apart when cool.
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Whiplash
“The Usual” — buttered salted popcorn, chocolate covered raisins
Serving size: 3-4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 cup popcorn kernels
1 oz. melted butter
1 large box of Raisinettes
1 tsp salt
Instructions:
In a large pot with a lid, heat oil over high heat until smoking. Add in popcorn kernels and replace the lid. Shake vigorously until popcorn starts to pop. When popping slows to almost a stop, remove from heat and place into a large bowl. Toss with melted butter, Raisinettes, and salt to taste.
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