Shine Food

Epicurious's Oscar-night menus based on the best picture nominees

February 18, 2011 at 12:09 AM

Invite the Oscars to Dinner:

Salute the Academy Awards with creative meals based on 2011's Best Picture nominees
by Lauren Salkeld

Once again, the magic of the movies inspires our annual collection of Oscars menus, ten meals based on the Best Picture nominees. This year's contenders encompass action, drama, Western, animated, and science fiction films, making for an enticing mix of recipes and drinks. In honor of The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth as George VI, we created a proper English tea, while for Winter's Bone, which takes place in the Ozarks, we opted for rustic venison and wild blueberry pie. To celebrate Toy Story 3, we selected meatball sliders, brownie cupcakes, and other easy finger foods-like the movie, it's a feast for children and adults alike. The mind-blowing scene in Inception, in which Paris is literally folded in half, was the inspiration for a Parisian café menu. And for The Social Network, we used Mark Zuckerberg's dinner with Napster founder Sean Parker as our model, highlighting trendy restaurant dishes circa 2004.

Our nominee-themed meals are perfect for dinner-and-a-movie nights. Better yet, use the recipes for your Academy Awards bash. If you're rooting for The Fighter, you can't go wrong with our hearty Irish-American supper, but if Black Swan is more your style, whip up our collection of black-and-white recipes. Can't settle on a favorite movie or meal? Mix and match to create your own eclectic menu.

For complete recipe details, read on. And for tips on hosting an Academy Awards party, see our ultimate guide to the Oscars.