Hi everyone! Happy Thursday! Let’s get right to it today…..As promised, I have the remainder of my Oscar Party menu for you today. On Tuesday, I showed you how to make Mrs. O’ Brien’s Rumaki (Tree of Life), Midnight in Paris’s Frenchy Mushroom Tart, and the Parisian Cocktail that I would like to think that all the actors from the movie “The Artist” drink on a daily basis. Today, I am going to show you a quick and easy Hawaiian appetizer in honor of “The Descendants”, a mini chocolate pie in honor of Minny from “The Help”, and lastly….amazing caramel corn in honor of “Moneyball”. I will also show you the tattoos I have in honor of Best Actor nominees, George Clooney and Brad Pitt. I’m kidding….they are in a place you aren’t allowed to see. I’m kidding again! I don’t have tattoos in honor of them. Relax mom.
Have you been to Hawaii? OK, how about a Hawaiian restaurant? When I lived in California, there was a phenomenal Hawaiian restaurant called “Kilohana” down the street from me. My favorite thing to get was a “Loco Moco”. A Loco Moco is basically a couple of scoops of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty and a fried egg. The whole thing gets covered in a brown gravy. It was Ah.May.Zing. And I am sure….super bad for me. Since the movie “The Descendants” takes place in Hawaii….I thought “Perfect! This is my chance to make a Loco Moco and not feel bad about it because it is party food. You can’t count calories for party food!” Plus, I am making it in a mini version, so even less calories and fat!
Let’s start with the hamburger patties that top this amazingness.
For the burgers and gravy, I used ground beef, Portuguese sausage (Linguica), beef broth, flour, butter, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and garlic salt.
A regular Loco Moco doesn’t have Linguica in it. I added it for a little extra zip because it has garlic and paprika in it. At the McDonald’s in Hawaii, they serve a breakfast that consists of Linguica, eggs, and rice. My husband was obsessed with it when we were in Hawaii. They also serve a Saimen noodle bowl that tastes like rubber boots. But that is a story for another time.
Now I only made 8 mini Loco Mocos….so I didn’t need much meat. If you want to make more, or make full size patties, you will need to double or triple this recipe.
I mixed the ground beef, linguica, garlic salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce together with my hands. I busted the linguica out of its skin first.
I fried my little baby burgers in a large sauté pan, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. I also had added a smidge of oil to the pan first.
Once the burgers were done, I took them out of the pan and set them aside. I covered mine with foil to keep them warm and cozy, and to hide them from my hungry animal-like children.
In the same pan that I had cooked the patties in, I added another tablespoon of butter so that I had about 2 total tablespoons of fat in the pan. If you do something weird, like make these with ground turkey, you will need extra fat….and therapy.
Once the butter melted, I whisked in some flour. I used equal parts fat to flour.
Once that was smooth, (this is a roux, folks), I poured in some beef broth. I whisked that all together and let it thicken.
I also seasoned my gravy with more Worcestershire sauce and a smidge more pepper. See how thick mine is? If you want yours thinner, add more broth.
Now we fry our eggs. You all know how to do that right? And oh yeah, you should also have rice cooking during all this. But again, you know how to do that yourself.
When I took my eggs out of the pan, I made them into perfect tiny circles with a small round cookie cutter, making sure not to break the yolks. This helps for presentation. I at least need these to look pretty since I am asking guests to eat a Loco Moco at an Oscar Party.
So again, the order is rice, hamburger patty, egg, and then smother the whole thing in gravy.
Do you think George Clooney wants one of these? I would be more than happy to make one for him…so pass that along if anyone knows him. His girlfriend can eat elsewhere.
I am so in love with the wonder that is a Loco Moco. You will be too.
My next little treat is a mini chocolate pie, in honor of “The Help”. I really took some poetic license here, in the sense that my pies have chocolate, but nothing else in common with Minny’s pie. I actually used my recipe for chocolate truffles that you can find here:
The only thing I did differently was give them a roasted marshmallow topper.
After my chocolate ganache had hardened in the cookie cups (in the fridge, you want these cold), I piped marshmallow fluff onto the top of each cookie. Then, I popped them under the broiler until the marshmallow fluff toasted. The cookies and filling were cold, so the marshmallow toasted without the chocolate melting.
Yum! Almost like a S’more!
These are the perfect little finger-food dessert! Look at all that chocolate!! Don’t spill on your couture, although chances are…you already have egg and gravy down the front of you;)
Lastly, I wanted to make one more little treat that is perfect to set out to munch on during the show, but it would also be so cute bagged up to take home as a favor. And that little treat is…..Cinnamon Caramel Corn. Yep, that is in honor of Moneyball. Get it..popcorn…baseball?
This recipe is easy, and it is, by far, the best caramel corn you will ever eat.
For the caramel, I used butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, light corn syrup, salt, vanilla extract and baking soda. Are you appalled that I am feeding my family corn syrup?;)
I also used 3 bags of microwave popcorn, 3 ounces each. Popped, of course. I also mixed in about 3 cups of mini marshmallows. I laid the popcorn/marshmallows out onto baking sheets that were covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray. I used 3 baking sheets.
I made the caramel by melting the butter with the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. I brought this to a boil, over medium heat, stirring constantly. I let it boil for 5 minutes. Then, I removed it from the heat and stirred in the baking soda and vanilla. It will foam up, but stay smooth.
I poured the caramel evenly over my popcorn. I stirred it all together, very carefully. Then, I baked this at 250 degrees for 40 minutes. I took the trays out halfway through to stir the whole thing up. Shake it around, stir it up, etc.
When it was done baking, I let it cool for a while, and then I broke it up into pieces.
Oh man, this stuff is good….and addictive.
Don’t you think this would be the perfect party favor? Maybe throw an Oakland A’s tag on it that says “Thanks for coming!”. After all, Moneyball might be the only movie that your male guests have seen;)
I hope you try some of these recipes…..and let’s discuss the Oscars next week. I already know that I will hate Michelle William’s dress, hair, etc.;)
Mini Loco Mocos…All for George
2 cups white rice, cooked
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ pound ground beef
¼ a link of Linguica or “Portuguese Sausage”, taken out of casing and crumbled
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
2 teaspoons garlic salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups beef broth
8 eggs
In a mixing bowl, mix together ground beef, linguica, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Form 8 mini patties.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Fry patties, about 3 to 4 minutes each side, or until cooked through and browned. Remove patties and set aside. In same pan, add 1 tablespoon butter to remaining fat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly pour in beef broth, whisking until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Whisk in remaining Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and pepper. Keep gravy warm over very low heat.
In a separate skillet, fry eggs.
Assemble mini Loco Mocos with rice on bottom, then patty, then egg, cover in gravy.
Makes 8
Mini Chocolate Marshmallow “Pies” for “The Help”
24 “Mini” chocolate chip cookies –dough from grocery store refrigerated section
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup chocolate chips
Marshmallow fluff
Bake cookies according to package directions, but bake in mini muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. As soon as cookies come out of the oven, create a well in each with the end of a wooden spoon. When cookies have cooled, remove from mini muffin tins.
In a small mixing bowl, microwave cream for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Fill each cookie well with chocolate. Place in refrigerator until firm.
Preheat broiler.
Top each cookie cup with marshmallow fluff. Place in broiler until fluff has toasted, less than one minute.
Makes 24
MoneyBall Caramel Corn
Three 3 ounce bags of microwave popcorn, popped
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup butter, or one stick
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a medium sized pot, melt butter with brown sugar. Add corn syrup, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring the whole time. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract.
Lay popcorn and marshmallows out on 3 banking sheets that have been covered in foil and coated with cooking spray.
Pour caramel mixture evenly over popcorn. Mix.
Bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes total, stirring after 20 minutes.
I can't wait to make these Loco Mocos!! YUM-O!!!
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