There is no food at the Oscars. Let's start at the beginning. At the Oscars you have to arrive many hours in advance, sit in the Dolby Theater, chat with the person sitting next to you, fit into a dress or a suit cut to the millimeter (if you're lucky) and not get a single crumb during the performances. The show lasts more than three and a half hours. There is no food at what is probably the most famous awards gala in the world. There is a stalls with about 3,000 spectators who, if possible, can go to the mezzanines to drink water or enjoy a cocktail as alcohol will be served. So the food, huh? That comes later. Once the gala ends, all winners, nominees and guests proceed to the area hosting the Governor's Ball, the official awards party where the new owner of a statuette can have their name engraved. All while eating a few slices of freshly sliced ham.
In a large room with a round bar with a gigantic Oscar in the center, several informally distributed tables, chairs and sofas, the Governor's Ball will take place for the 65th time, the conclusion of the awards ceremony, the menu and layout of which will be announced this Tuesday . The American chef of Austrian origin Wolfgang Puck, who commands another 120 chefs, will serve a gigantic menu in which, for the second time this year, the presence of Spanish ham stands out, especially from the Cinco Jotas brand chosen by the chef. who have been customers of the house (and fans) for more than five years and decide directly who their suppliers are for the event. That's why he had Jabugo's house in 2019 and now he called her again; They are your guests, they don't pay or charge anything for these hams. In principle, Puck has announced that there will be four legs – all made from 100% Iberian ham, one of the highest quality in the range – but the company explains that they have made up to ten available, all imported from Spain, on this occasion through official channels, as meat products cannot be imported across the border into the USA in the usual way, i.e. in luggage. This first time in 2019, the ham was part of a cold salad with arugula, burrata and grapefruit, but its success was such that its cut, Raúl Garrido (also present at the Oscars this year, along with a second cut, Carlos Sanchez). ) He had to walk his paw into the room and serve it directly on the plate without being part of another recipe. Therefore, this year two cutting stations were placed directly on the ball. “We will eat Cinco Jotas every year as long as our friend Raúl comes to cut it,” the chef joked at the presentation.
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But people don't just live on ham. Puck, which has been serving the post-awards menu for 30 years, offers an extensive menu to suit the exquisite palates of Martin Scorsese, Margot Robbie, Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone, including some of those who come through the room. In order to feed so many people and so many dishes, the quantities announced are based on the proportions of the menu: 90 kilos of smoked salmon and the same amount of chicken, beef and sea bass, almost 75 liters of soy sauce, 27 kilos of mushrooms, 18 kilos of shrimp or cauliflower, 100 ducks and a thousand bao buns.
To start, Puck and his chefs assemble ten life-sized dishes that are served on a tray. These include spicy tuna tartare with sesame and miso, steak tartare with pavé potatoes, vegetarian dishes such as toast with butter and honey with sonjo jam and fresh whipped cream, vegan dishes such as carrot, mushroom and edamame gyozas and of course mini Wagyu burgers with old cheddar and remoulade sauce and also various pizzas, because we are in Los Angeles for a reason.
Raúl Garrido, Cinco Jotas ham cutter, with one of the signature legs during the Oscar menu presentation at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood (Los Angeles) on March 5, 2024. COURTESY CINCO JACKS
Small plates are then passed around, two of them cold (one beet salad, goat cheese and citrus-shallot vinaigrette; and another falafel salad with green chickpeas, herbs, coconut labné and lemon vinaigrette) and seven warm and four mini desserts. Hot dishes include macaroni and cheese, here refined in the Cacio e Pepe style, smaller burgers, braised chicken with black truffle, Wagyu beef with apple and celery puree and yuzu ponzu sauce, grilled sea bass with marinated artichokes and Veracruz sauce and, in the vegetarian section, pea agnolotti. The sweets include a vegan Paulova with persimmon, bourbon and cinnamon or chocolate and cherry tree, raspberry gel, cherry vinaigrette and black sesame.
In addition, Puck has placed five themed stations, each with different dishes, where guests can try different dishes. In the first, called Fish & Chips, there are three preparations, such as fish and potatoes with tartar sauce, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding or a prawn cocktail, but of course with caviar. The second, Crispy Rice Bar, is dedicated to Japanese cuisine and offers various types of sushi and rice cakes prepared to order, as well as Asian ingredients to accompany these dishes: wasabi avocado sauce, pasta salad or cucumbers with wasabi. The third is Chinese food: at Chinois On Main, there's duck with steamed bao buns and lamb skewers with ginger-carrot puree and coriander-honey sauce, or Chinese salad with caramelized cashews, crispy wontons and mustard-lemongrass vinaigrette. The fourth is nothing less than a wood-fired pizza oven with five options: margarita, white cheese with jalapeño, mushrooms and truffles, pepperoni with Calabrian honey and fried vegetables.
Wolfgang Puck with one of the chocolate cigars he will serve at the Governor's Ball, the post-Oscars party, on March 10. Mario Anzuoni (Portal)
The fifth, called something like Grazing and Paella Bar, is one of the most varied, with 14 dishes. Here there is the jabugo ham, but also potato omelet (the chef has made the dish famous with his name in Spanish), accompanied by romesco sauce and teardrop peppers, as well as olives dressed in rosemary and orange and two paellas, one with vegetables and the other, beware, with chicken, clams, mussels… and chorizo. There's also hummus, eggplant babaganoush, jalapeño-marinated feta, pomegranate quinoa salad and flatbread.
Then it's time for sweets. Here, both Puck and his dessert designers Kamel Guechida and Garry Larduinat tossed in the leftovers and made 38 creations. There is an immense diversity. First, more classic sweets: dark chocolate eclair, crunchy pralines with almond and raspberry pannacotta, coconut and yuzu cake, milk chocolate and passion fruit canelés, creamy salted caramel and calamondin orange puff, fruit pie with homemade pomegranate ginger kombucha , Tropézienne cake (typical of the south of France), cheesecake with Tahitian vanilla and raspberry chantilly, caramel mousse and popcorn with enriched sweet ravioli, freshly melted white chocolate and dark chocolate powder.. .
On March 5, Wolfgang Puck presents one of the cuts of meat that will be served at the Governor's Ball, the post-Oscars party, on March 10, 2024. Mario Anzuoni (Portal)
Where the buttons need to be loosened, there are still more left. First, half a dozen Mendiants (pieces of melted and hardened chocolate with fruits and other chocolates on top, such as one with hazelnuts and one with apricots, pistachios and sea salt) and Grand Marnier chocolate cigars and bars of Grand dark chocolate. And then even more traditional sweets: apple pie, cloud cake, chocolate covered waffles and speculoos cookies, chocolate and lemon cookies… There are also waffles on a stick as if they were ice cream, the so-called Croiffles on a stick, in five different flavors: with Ice cream, coffee, cookies, fruit… And to top it off there are of course the miniature Oscars, whether made of dark chocolate filled with ganache, milk chocolate or dulce de leche. They are the kings of the night and the icing on the cake, whether in copper and pewter or in delicious chocolate.
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