The Oscars are nearly here, and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has released his menu, for which he brought in

15 pounds of gold dust, 24 gallons of cocktail sauce, 1000 pounds of salmon, 2000 sesame miso cones, 4,800 eggs, 7,200 shrimp, and 50,000 baby veggies

to feed the expected 1500 guests. Want to see what’s on the menu?

Pre-Set First Course
Crispy Potato Galatte, Smoked Salmon, Dill Cream and Baby Greens

Entrée
Organic Chicken Pot Pie
Black Truffles and Root Vegetables

Dessert
“L’Etoile de Oscar”
(Baked Alaska with Espresso Glace and Guittard Chocolate Sorbet)
24 Carat Chocolate Oscar

Sounds like a delicious meal- simple, but comforting (yay for Chicken Pot Pie!)

If I were having it, I would be all over that 24 Carat Chocolate Oscar, which is perhaps the first registered dessert I’ve ever heard of. Executive pastry chef for the event is apparently Sherry Yard, one of my favorites for sure. I’ve made several things from her cookbooks, and they’re always, always perfect.

What are you eating on Oscar night?

I have nearly all of Nigella’s cookbooks, but because I’m constantly in a hurry/flurry, this is the one I pull out the most. The titular “Express” refers, of course, to fast food- not the sodium-drenched kind, but quick and easy meals you can make yourself at home, whatever sort of hurry/flurry you find yourself in.

Like this Pea and Pesto soup. I never thought to marry peas and pesto, but a few days ago I found myself staring at the photo of creamy green soup in the book, imagining how such a combination- the fresh mushiness of the peas, the garlicky pepperiness of the pesto- might taste in my mouth. And so I made it:

Pea and Pesto Soup
from Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast

3 cups water
3 cups frozen peas
2 scallions
1 teaspoon Maldon salt or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) fresh pesto (not jarred)

The quickest way to proceed is to fill a kettle first and put it on to boil. When it’s boiled, measure the amount you need into a pan and put on the stove to come back to a boil.

Add the frozen peas, scallions, salt and lime juice and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.

Discard the scallions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.*

Pour into a thermos flask that you’ve left filled with hot water and then emptied and make sure you screw the top on securely.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

The verdict? Delicious. Almost gloriously so. And so, so comforting.

You either love her or hate her but hey, she does present some great ideas for eats. Her “super pizzas” actually caught my attention and I think that I just might make one of them this weekend. I found some recipes at The Daily Journal – all of her super pizzas – and this is the one that I think has the most potential: the Chicken Pot Pizza.

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups frozen peas and carrots
• 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
• Salt and pepper
• Biscuit pizza dough (see below)
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, melt 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave; stir in the peas and carrots and the mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Press the biscuit dough evenly into a greased 9- to 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Spoon the vegetables on top, reserving the bowl, then bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the reserved bowl along with the chicken and half of the cheese.

Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the milk and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously; stir in the remaining cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Preheat the broiler. Spoon the chicken mixture over the baked pizza and broil until golden bubbly, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the parsley.

This recipe serves 4 and takes 25 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of baking time. A fun meal in less than an hour – not bad.

I am a big chocolate lover and for Christmas dinner, I think I shall try my hand at Nigella’s version of chocolate cookies. I have not tried to make them myself but a friend, who is an avid baker, told me that these cookies are to die for! Here is the recipe according to Nigella.

Ingredients
125g/4oz dark chocolate
150g/5¼oz plain flour
30g/1oz cocoa, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
125g/4oz unsalted butter, softened
75g/2½oz light brown sugar
50g/2oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 free-range egg, cold from the fridge
350g/12¼oz dark chocolate chips

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
2. Break the 125g/4oz dark chocolate into pieces and place into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
3. Place the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and mix well.
4. In another bowl, cream the butter and two sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and stir well.
5. Beat in the vanilla extract and crack in the egg, then mix in the dry ingredients. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Scoop out 12 equal portions of the mixture – an ice cream scoop and a palette knife are the best tools for the job – and place onto a lined baking sheet about 6cm/2½in apart. Do not flatten them.
7. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes, then test with a skewer – it should come out semi-clean and not wet with batter. If you pierce a chocolate chip, try again.
8. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.

Maybe a tad more chocolate?

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