Oscar Night: Nine Dazzling Menus

We bow to the over-the-top fizzy silliness that is Oscar night by offering up not one but nine menus -- one for each Best Picture nominee -- for whatever festivities you have planned. Cherry-pick from the menus and simply serve whatever sounds good to you, or show loyalty to your pick for Best Picture by serving its respective menu. The recipes we've selected are meant to capture the mood of the films they represent rather than the exact foods eaten in the movie, but surely there are things we've left out. Tell us what you think and what you've got planned for the big night in the comments!

Cheers and Happy Red Carpet! 

The Artist 

This homage to Hollywood's Golden Age calls for some equally classic dishes. A martini and a crispy fried oyster? Oh, that'll do nicely, thank you ever so. 

Wicked Witch Martini by thecrabbycook

Fried Oysters with Saffron Aioli by savorykitchen

 

Midnight in Paris

The menu below represents the great Parisien food-related institutions: a macaron from a pâtisserie and moules (sans) frites from a bistro. Et voilà! 

Meyer Lemon Macarons by DolcettoConfections

Moules Sans Frites by hardlikearmour

 

Hugo 

There's a scrappiness to Hugo, living between the walls of Gare Montparnasse, stealing food and just getting by. But, bread and water would make for a pretty dull party. As the movie is so sweeping and lush, we'll allow a little upgrade: hot chocolate and good, crusty bread with plenty of cultured butter. 

Perfect Hot Chocolate by savvyjulie

Pain a l'Ancienne by thirschfeld

 

Moneyball 

If there is anything more American than baseball + Brad Pitt, it's hot dogs. Enrobed in a swirling strip of bacon, vvvanessa's Yum Dogs are pure Americana, all dressed up for the Academy Awards. Wash it down with a nice lemon-spiked beer, and why not a little ice cream too? 

Yum Dogs by vvvanessa

Summer Radler by amanda

Jeni's Splendid Lemon Ice Cream by Genius Recipes 

 

The Tree of Life

Hypnotic, sun-soaked, and dreamy, "Tree of Life" is anything but appetite-inducing. You feel the Texas heat, and an ice cold (and lovely to boot) lemonade or iced tea is just the thing. Basil-scented sherbet is, appropriately, at once the embodiment of lightness and complexity. 

Lemonade Ice Cubes by merrill

Mint Iced Tea by merrill

Lemon Basil Sherbet by Sandy Smith

 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 

Pizza, cheesecake, (thankfully better-than) street meat. It's the Empire State on a plate.

Broccoli Rabe, Potato and Rosemary Pizza by TasteFood

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Feta Dressing on Grilled Thyme Bread by MyCommunalTable 

Cappuccino Cheesecake by boulangere

 

The Descendants

We will gladly sip piña coladas on Sunday night -- toasting if The Descendants wins, and drowning our sorrows if it loses. 

My Favorite Piña Colada by merrill

Grilled Tomatillo and Pineapple Salsa by merrill

Tuna Burgers with Wasabi Ginger Mayo by merrill

 

The Help 

What's a Southern ladies' lunch without a bacon-wrapped finger food? Throw in some fried chicken for good measure, and of course some mint limeade is just the thing to beat that oppressive heat. Right? It's the heat that's oppressive?  

Devils on Hatchback by helenthenanny

Mint Limeade by vvvanessa 

Classic Southern Buttermilk Bathed Fried Chicken by Chef James 

 

War Horse

A light veggie salad for Joey, and a hearty, could-it-be-more-British repast of rarebit and cranberry-molasses steamed pudding for Albert. They had a rough go of it: time for a soul-soothing supper. 

Bagna Cauda Salad by amanda 

Welsh Rarebit with Spinach by cooklynveg 

Cranberry-Molasses Pudding with Vanilla Hard Sauce by cottagegourmet