• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The FreshDirect Blog

Recipes and news from the northeast's leading online grocer.

  • Recipes
  • Producer Stories
  • Nutrition & Wellness
  • Shop
  • Sustainability
  • Show Search
Hide Search

And the Award Goes To…

Maria Coder · February 17, 2012 ·

Caviar
Our Caviar platter is perfect for an elegant awards-viewing party!

Getting your circle of movie critics together for the Academy Awards and secretly nervous you won’t make the nominees for best host this year? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

First – you’ll need a printable ballot listing all the nominees. You can find one on here:  http://oscar.go.com/nominees

Next, you’ll need some sort of prize. You could ask each guest who wants to participate to donate $5 toward a potluck prize – then whoever gets the most answers correct on their ballot wins the loot. Make sure to task someone with writing down all the right answers! Other prizes? You could find a small statue and make the winner give their own speech to receive their “golden” token but a gift certificate or a box of chocolates, work fine too.

Selecting your food is really easy with FreshDirect’s catering platters. Just click and unwrap, leave the messy prep work and schlepping of heavy drinks to us. Whether you’re looking for sophisticated appetizers or tasty finger foods, we’ve got it, ready to roll.

Here are some sample menu choices:

Black-Tie Soiree:

For a more upscale get-together, here are a few refined selections. They’re perfect for party-goers with time to savor every bite.

Caviar Platter – Choose from delicate osetra or American sturgeon caviar to enjoy with finely chopped hard-boiled egg and sweet shallots, briny capers, tangy crème fraîche and our bakery’s thinly sliced sourdough ficelle. With its elegant black and white presentation, this platter is a nice ode to Best Picture nominee The Artist.

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Platter – Succulent, supple, and luscious, this thin-sliced Scottish smoked salmon is a crowd pleaser. Briny capers, fresh lemon slices, pickled red onion slices and our plain and scallion cream cheeses, compliment the fish. A side of our bakery’s mini bagels and sliced pumpernickel raisin bread make it all the more delectable. As an elegant take on an NYC favorite (bagels and lox), this platter is a nod to Best Picture nominee Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Crab Cakes – Crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside — fresh crabmeat makes these cakes truly extraordinary. Chopped scallions, red pepper, and jalapeños give them a spicy edge. Hawaii’s tropical location and fresh seafood were on my mind while watching The Descendants so these crab cakes are a wink to this Best Picture nominee.

European Cheese Plate – We make this palate-pleasing platter with bold Le Chevrot, sweet aged Manchego, creamy Le Chatelaine Camembert and tangy La Fourme d’Ambert. This assortment is served with caramelized pecans, tangy dried apricots, and fruity-sweet quince paste. Delicious, crisp crackers make it easy for your guests to assemble savory little party canapés. Enjoy some fromages in tribute to Best Picture nominee Midnight in Paris.

Casual Get-together

Bite-sized, ready-to-eat portions and DIY sandwich platters are great for a more casual gathering.

Crudite Masterpiece – This gorgeous masterpiece of cut vegetable display makes a stunning showpiece. It’s also packed with fresh, zippy crisp-cut celery, zucchini, red & yellow bell pepper strips, broccoli florettes, baby carrots, and tangy-sweet grape tomatoes served alongside our kitchen’s rich-and-creamy ranch and tangy blue cheese dips.  These edible “trees” are a play on the title of Best Picture nominee Tree of Life.

Beef Franks in a Blanket – Warm bundles of puff pastry and beef franks, these little guys are delicious dipped in whole grain or classic yellow mustard (requires heating). This bite-sized take on traditional ballpark food is a nice nod to Best Picture nominee Moneyball.

Pulled Pork Sliders with Cole Slaw – Buttery and light with a pale yellow crumb and a golden brown exterior, our mini brioches are an excellent foundation for smoked Berkshire pulled pork dressed in sweet barbecue sauce. Served with a side of creamy coleslaw, our take on Southern BBQ represents Best Picture nominee The Help.

Desserts

Regardless of your party style, don’t forget the dessert. After all, if your top picks don’t win their awards, you’ll need something to soften the wallowing – and these may just do the trick:

Chocolate Croissants – Layer upon layer of the most tender, buttery pastry reveals a hidden core of rich dark chocolate. This fresh-from-the-oven, handheld breakfast treat will delight children and grownups alike. Whimsical Best Picture nominee Hugo is set in Paris and its main character, an orphan, would steal foods like croissants to survive.

Tea Time Platter – Bring a bit of English flair to the party with this platter of tea time delights: chewy macaroons, buttery shortbread cookies, dense blondies, tangy raspberry bars, chocolate chip-studded banana pound cake and creamy almond tart. Sweet and moist but not overly heavy, this assortment is well-suited to accompany tea and to represent the English-set Best picture nominee, War Horse

Which film do you think will win Best Picture? Let us know on the FreshDirect Facebook page or via Twitter (@FreshDirect).

Filed Under: Shortcuts & Hacks Tagged With: catering, dessert, entertaining

Primary Sidebar

Search

Get Social with FD!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Browse Posts

@FreshDirect On Instagram

Think outside of the box at your next taco night w Think outside of the box at your next taco night with this recipe where everything is cooked simply on a sheet pan. We love making these tacos with salmon, but feel free to swap it with shrimp, scallops, or another fish fillet.

What you'll need:
- One third of a 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 small container grape tomatoes
- 1 onion, cut into wedges through root end
- 6 scallion bottoms (trim off the green parts)
- 1 poblano pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- For serving: tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream

What to do:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Season salmon with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place chipotles in adobo in food processor or blender, along with honey, lightly-packed brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and cumin. Blend until well-combined. Set aside a few tablespoons of sauce for serving, then transfer the rest to a large bowl.

Place salmon in bowl and evenly-coat all over in sauce. Transfer fillets to a foil-lined baking sheet, leaving excess sauce in bowl. Add to bowl tomatoes, onion wedges, poblano and bell peppers, and scallions. Toss to coat in sauce, then add in an even layer to the baking sheet with the salmon.

Roast everything in the oven until salmon is done and vegetables lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Serve inside tortillas with lime wedges, sour cream, and reserved sauce.
Save big on Farmer Focus Chicken! Farmer Focus is Save big on Farmer Focus Chicken! Farmer Focus is a collective dedicated to bringing organic, humanely-raised, and traceable chicken to your table. Since 2014, they have been on a mission to promote and protect generational family farming. And now with our biggest chicken sale of the year, there's no better time to see and taste the difference that responsible farming makes.
This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and warming weeknight meal. Typically, it would be made with whatever the catch of the day was, and you can feel free do the same here by swapping out any other fish or shellfish you’ve got—clams, crab, squid, lobster, halibut, or sea bass would all be worthy choices. 

What you'll need:
- 3 tablespoons + 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives, rinsed and chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 cups dry white wine
- One 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
-2 lb. mussels
- One 8–10 oz. fillet of cod or other white fish (skin may be left on or off)
- ½ lb. shrimp
 

What to do:
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, capers, olives and salt. Sauté a few minutes until onion and fennel begin to soften. Toss in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more.

Stir in chili flakes, then pour in white wine. Simmer until liquid is mostly evaporated, then stir in crushed tomatoes, ½ cup olive oil, and 2 cups water. Simmer for a few minutes, then add mussels. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.

Cut fish into bite-sized pieces and add to stew along with shrimp. Simmer uncovered a few minutes more until both are cooked through. Serve in bowls with crusty bread and salted butter.
Meet the mocktail we've got on repeat! @drinksunwi Meet the mocktail we've got on repeat! @drinksunwink's sparkling herbal tonics are just the refreshments we need as we head into a new year's reset. Each variety is crafted with super herbs known to support digestion, immunity and stress relief. Plus, 2% of all of Sunwink's sales go back to world changing organizations. Simply pour over ice and enjoy!

Footer