Beyond The Bubbly: And the award goes to ...

So, you may have heard that the Oscars are coming up. Oscar night is a great reason to have friends and family over for dinner, drinks and dessert and maybe engage in a little friendly betting or film critique-ing ...

We want to help you serve an award-winning meal for the night of stars! Here are some party-planning tips from our table to yours:

Activity:
Serve dinner before the ceremonies and let your guests act as your own academy. Cast votes in each category and see if your academy matches Hollywood.

Theme: Food from the Movies

Julie & Julia and Food Inc. are two movies that deal directly with food up for awards this year, while Avatar hits the environmental button. Try to design a menu that reflects the films in one way or another, here are some ideas:


Julia & Julia: Pick up Mastering the Art of French Cooking and find a recipe that you can handle, in homage to Julia and the film that revived interest in french cooking. We think Slate's guide to this incredible cookbook is a great place to start: http://www.slate.com/id/2105213/


Food Inc: Nominated for best documentary, Food Inc. took us inside the food industry and presented some tough news to swallow. Take a hint from Food Inc. and when shopping for your meat and veggies for your party, try to stop by your local farmer's market. Shake hands with the folks who grow your food and get to know your local ecology! If you can't make it out to one, look for a grocer who stocks free range, vegetarian fed meat and organic veggies. Whole Foods Markets is just one of many great stores out there with a happy food guarantee!



Avatar: Okay, so you can't serve any glowing salads from Pandora. But you can serve this Pandora Superfood Mix that does share the colors of Pandora. Thanks, Kristen!
http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/2010/02/pandora-superfood-movie-snack-avatar.html



Inglorious Bastards: Why not serve some good ol' American Apple Pie alongside some Apple Strudel. Have a taste test to see who wins. It'll be just like Brad Pitt taking down the Nazis ... Okay, maybe not. But if you do choose the snarky route, remember to serve some Riesling sorbet on top of BOTH treats -- And yes, Riesling is originally German.

Okay, so this year wasn't a shining year for food - no Big Nights or Ratatouille's - but you can still serve some red-carpet worthy food ...


Menu Ideas:


Wine Sorbet and Cheese ..... Change up your usual wine and cheese serving by offering your guests Pinor Noir sorbet and cheese. We suggest a slightly aged Manchego. Cube the cheese and serve it on a platter. Scoop tiny scoops of the Pinot Noir sorbet into small bowls or glasses and instruct your guests to nibble the cheese with the sorbet. The texture contrast is sure to wow!



Champagne Floats ... For a classy cocktail, scoop the Wine Cellar Sorbets Rose, Champagne or Sangria sorbet into glasses of sparkling wine. We suggest lightly powdering the flute rims, scooping the sorbet and topping with the wine. Each will add a special highlighting flavor. Pairing a dry Brut with the Champagne sorbet will play off the yeastiness of each while a Prosecco served with Rose is a sweet treat to toast your favorite films with!



Rose Parfait ... Gather some fresh (or frozen made fresh, we know its winter here!) berries - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and mix in a bowl. Spoon out berries into a champagne flume or parfait glass, layering with Rose sorbet. Bon Appetit!



Mimosa Split ... a grown up's sundae! In a sundae dish, split a banana lengthwise. Scoop three scoops of Mimosa sorbet along the banana. Garnish with strawberries and other favorite fruit. Drizzle with a strawberry reduction and serve. Want more flavors? Throw in a scoop of Rose for a lift!

Do you have award-winning recipes, pairings or presentations of Wine Cellar Sorbets? Send them to us (with photos) and be featured on our blog and become a featured Facebook Fan!

Cheers folks - and may the best of the best win!