In Oscar’s wake: Golden statue, golden truffles

Last night, as I have done since I was a kid, I viewed the Academy Awards ceremony on TV. 

The Awards show, which first took place in 1929 in front of 250 people at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, are considered to be the world’s most prestigious awards ceremony.

Most of us refer to the award as the Oscar. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, origins of the name are uncertain, but there is a story about an Academy librarian who thought the gold statue looked like her uncle Oscar. The staff began referring to the statue as Oscar. In 1934 the name was used in a column by Sidney Skolsky and in 1939, the Academy itself began to officially use it as well.

So there I was watching the red carpet event (sort of like the Super Bowl pre-game, only the Super Bowl pre-game show lasts six hours, as opposed the red carpet which lasts about two. Both feature interviews with a host of personalities. After the 5 minutes that my husband Jerry watched along with me, he said, “The pre-game and actual awards show are the Super Bowl for women.” I snickered, but I sort of have to agree, yet there are many differences.

First, there are no “pools,” with boxes to be bought for the Oscars, at least that I know of. Second, there are no instant replays — which would be oh so much fun to watch — when there are wardrobe malfunctions and acceptance speech flubs. And this year, there was nothing like “deflate-gate” at the Oscars; if anything, there was “inflate-gate,” which was apparent on some actresses, if you know what I mean.

Lastly, there is no booing or wild cheering by a raucous beer drinking crowd wearing its favorite player’s uniform. Quite the opposite, actually. At the Oscars, no matter who wins, the entire crowd of elegantly clad guests applauds with dignity and equanimity. Actually, I feel sorry for the losers, as all five nominees are on screen as the winner is announced. They too applaud the actor who just absconded with what was to be be their Oscar.

Just imagine if the recipients of the Oscars reacted the way football players do after either scoring a touchdown or making a ferocious tackle. Instead of light applause, wouldn’t it be fun if they expressed their emotions more honestly? We’d be witnessing chest beating and salsa dancing, while the losers might be attempting to tackle the winners while throwing  challenge flags and asking for a booth review from the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse and Cooper.

Ironically, Jerry, who watched no more than a few minutes of the telecast (while I sat riveted, till the very end) will likely include one or more movies from this year’s competition to his pantheon of favorite movies which he will study and watch over and over and over again. I really want to understand how Jerry, and most of his friends for that matter, can watch a movie so often that they could literally be an understudy were it ever turned into a play.

Not only is he so engrossed in the movie as if it’s the first time he’s watching it and not the hundredth, but he can’t tear himself away. I literally have to drag him away from the TV and rush him out of the house when we have plans to go out with friends.

No worries, though, I recite the end of the movie for him, as I, at this point, already know it by heart as well. I always explain to him that he can DVR it and watch it later, but once he’s watching the movie, there is no turning back.

He has viewed the movie Lincoln so often, it seems like the 13th Amendment was signed in our home.

Talking about the golden statue, here’s a golden recipe: 

Golden Truffles

Ingredients:

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 packages  Golden Oreos 

18 ounces white chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate

sprinkles or topping of your choice.

Directions:

Process the Oreos in a food processor or blender. Pulse until crumbs are formed.

Place crumbs in a mixer and beat the Oreo crumbs with the cream cheese until combined. The mixture will be thick and sticky.  

Using your hands, roll into 50 balls.  Place balls on two large plates, or pans that are lined with parchment paper and will fit in your freezer. Freeze the truffles for about 30 minutes. (Freezing the balls is the most important step of this recipe. If they are not cold and solid, the melted chocolate will not coat the balls properly.)

Chop the chocolate and melt over a double boiler or in a microwave. Working with 1 truffle at a time, place the truffle in the melted chocolate. Swirl the chocolate all around with a fork. Pick up the truffle with the fork — do not pierce it — pick it up on top of the fork’s prongs. Tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place on a lined baking sheet. Top with sprinkles or topping of your choice while the chocolate is still wet.

Refrigerate truffles for at least 10 minutes so the chocolate sets. Truffles must always be chilled and will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.