The scene is all set for your Oscars party: You’ve sent out the invites, printed ballots, and watched at least a few of the films. But you still need some ideas for dishes to serve alongside all the glitz and glamor. Don’t worry, we have you covered. Below are a few of our favorites to accompany this year’s Best Picture Nominees. We included a cocktail, a few apps, some mains and, because this is Joy the Baker, plenty of desserts. Now, the envelope please…
Wicked
Welcome your guests with these wicked green Cucumber Cilantro Margaritas, the elixir of the evening. Featuring a variety of fresh ingredients—and, of course, tequila—Joy has created essentially a savory margarita, with lots of lime and a touch of sweetness. Feel free to swap out the cilantro with basil and Joy suggests using English cucumbers because a lot of the cucumber flavor comes from the green peel. Kick back a few of these and you, too, can be defying gravity.
Dune: Part Two
Every movie needs at least a few giant bowls of popcorn floating around, especially on the rare occasion when a sequel is nominated for Best Picture. Joy’s take on Roy Choi’s Furikake Kettle Corn is bonkers good. Furikake features dried fish flakes (bonito), seaweed bits, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, and wasabi. It’s a magical seasoning that encompasses every sweet, salty, savory, and umami desire. Joy also throws in Corn Pops (yes, a cold cereal), finely chopped bacon (burnt is best), dried pineapple, red pepper flakes, chives, and browned butter. This recipe is as stacked as Dune: Part Two’s cast.
Emilia Pérez
With 13 nominations, and a social media controversy, Emilia Pérez is certainly getting a lot of buzz this year. And Joy’s Spicy Jalapeno Queso Dip will follow suit. This spicy, creamy, queso dip is truly mouthwatering. Joy gives you easy instructions on how to make your own corn chips or you can certainly grab your favorite store-bought variety. The recipe calls for a monster amount of jack cheese plus pickled jalapeños from a jar (or use fresh ones if you’d like a more intense bite), and will go nicely with the margs. There’s nothing controversial about this dip.
The Brutalist
Since you’re the architect of this dinner, you’ll want to include a few veggies in the mix. Joy’s Citrus and Greens Salad is bright and festive, perfect for a party. Speaking to the sumptuous visuals in The Brutalist (shot in VistaVision, a bygone film format you might recognize from Mary Poppins) and the structured nature of the subject, this recipe calls for a delicate balance of fruit and green, cream and crunch and nuts. Then, like any fine art, this salad requires a beautiful presentation so push up your sleeves and get to work.
The Substance
Demi Moore is a shoo-in for Best Actress and, well, if you’ve seen this bodily horror, you know why we’re suggesting Joy’s Roast Chicken. The inside of the chicken is seasoned with salt and pepper and stuffed with lemon wedges and a whole head of garlic, halved but raw. Flavor inside the bird will roast up and OUT (haha). Sure, there are fussier chicken recipes you could go with but this one is keeping it simple and supreme. Like your beautiful body—let’s not mess with a good thing.
Anora
One of the best parts of Anora is when Ani slides into a diner booth with the goons to take a break from chasing her husband, Vanya. Igor, the muscle with a heart of gold, is shoving hamburger into his mouth during the entire scene and it might as well be Joy’s Root Beer Smash Burgers. Elevate your burger game with this mouthwatering smash burger recipe that features a soda pop twist. The Root Beer Barbecue Sauce is really easy to simmer together and adds a unique taste to these caramelized cheesy burgers. Plus, the surprise root beer ingredient references Vanya’s juvenile nature. But, unlike Ani, you won’t regret falling for this burger.
A Complete Unknown
Now it’s time for the grand finale: the desserts. And what is a theme party without puns? So, in honor of A Complete Unknown’s wall-to-wall Dylan music, we present…Like a rolling scone! Please, hold your applause. In all seriousness, Joy’s Apricot Ginger Scones are one of her most popular recipes because they’re baked in nostalgia, with soft dried apricot bits and hints of spicy ginger. She has loads of useful technique tips in her post on how to make these scones extra light and soft. So you should be ready to rock.
Conclave
I’m Still Here
There’s one intense scene in I’m Still Here when a Brazilian mother takes her children out for ice cream in a desperate effort to provide normalcy during a military dictatorship. It’s heavy stuff. But Joy’s No-Churn Ice Cream is the ultimate party trick. Her recipe uses one of the best flavor combos: Coffee and cookies. It’s creamy and scoopable, made with roasty-toasy coffee and a huge amount of crumbled chocolate, whipped cream, and sweetened condensed milk. Creamy, fluffy, stretchy and scoopable, this ice cream is intense in the best way possible.
Nickel Boys
Screenwriter RaMell Ross adapted Colson Whitehead’s masterful novel, Nickel Boys, by skillfully adding his own creative flair. There’s one pivotal scene when the two main characters meet at Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory in the Jim Crow South, and Turner is so astonished to see Elwood eating the gruelish food so quickly, he remarks, “You eat that oatmeal like your mama made it.” Now, you can adapt Joy’s Browned Butter Oatmeal Apple Cookies however you like. Read through the recipe then decide if you want to add finely chopped pecans and butterscotch chips. Or you can include chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips. You can also vary the texture between crispy and chewy. Whichever way you go, these cookies will be delicious, securing your auteur status.
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