What would Doogie eat? 16 recipes for your Oscar party

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(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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The movie experience simply isn’t complete without popcorn. But why stop at plain popcorn when you can coat it in rich caramel and nuts? Better fix an extra batch -- this stuff’ll go quickly. Click here for the recipe. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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Looking to add a little classic Hollywood to your Oscar party? Fix a Champagne punch, sweetening the bubbly with a touch of sugar and adding subtle notes of lemon, cassis and elderflower liqueur. Click here for the recipe. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Marino’s ricotta cheesecake.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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You might be inspired to raise a toast to one of Hollywood’s most classic films with an Emerald City cocktail, a refreshing gin-based libation flavored with Thai basil simple syrup and fresh lime. Click here for the recipe. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

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The chiffon cake is about as Hollywood as a dessert can get. Heralded as “the first new cake in 100 years” when it was introduced, the delicate creation was originally developed by Los Angeles insurance salesman Harry Baker in the 1920s. Click here for the recipe. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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If you’re looking for something a little more elegant for your Oscar party, try these poached shrimp appetizers garnished with a bright avocado salsa. Click here for the recipe. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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It’s as if Lawry’s took everyone’s favorite flavors and combined them in an easy-to-make dessert, with Nutella, chocolate, espresso and Kahlua liqueur folded into a mousse. And the best part? It comes together in just 15 minutes.
Recipe: Lawry’s Nutella chocolate espresso Kahlua mousse
(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Please the chocolate lovers at your party with these fudge-like brownies, dense and rich with a lightly sweet finish. Click here for the recipe. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Have your Champagne and caviar and eat them too in this cocktail from Paul Sanguinetti of Ray’s and Stark Bar at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Recipe: Rose wishes (and caviar dreams)
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Wow your guests with beer-battered shrimp. These tasty morsels are crisp and light, perfect for dipping into honey-mustard sauce. One word of caution: Fix an extra batch. These treats go quickly! Click here for the recipe. (Robert Olding / For The Times)

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Could it get any more fun than food on a stick? Well, how about cocktail cubes -- or stars -- on a stick? Click here for the recipe. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Adapted from Grace Bauer’s “Los Angeles Classic Desserts,” creamy cheesecake bars from Canter’s Bakery on Fairfax are topped with chocolate chips and baked over a rich graham cracker crust. Click here for the recipe. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

By Noelle Carter

Feb. 19, 2015 12:26 PM PT

It’s Hollywood’s biggest night. How are you celebrating?

You may not be planning a walk down the red carpet, at least this year, but whether you’re hosting a formal Oscar party for friends or simply hoping to catch the festivities in your loungewear, you may want some creative inspiration. (Pizza delivery is so last year.)

From cocktails to classic party appetizers to Wes Anderson-inspired obscure European pastries (just kidding), we’ve got 16 loosely inspired recipes sure to make your evening memorable in a good way — even if the awards show isn’t.

It’ll probably be a long evening. We hope you’ve stocked the liquor cabinet. You might be inspired to raise a toast to one of Hollywood’s most classic films with the Emerald City cocktail (“The Wizard of Oz,” 1939): gin, Thai basil simple syrup and lime juice, shaken with ice.

And whether you’re slow-sipping or have gotten roped into any drinking games (drink every time Neil Patrick Harris breaks into song or John Travolta mispronounces a name?), a dry martini (“Skyfall,” 2012) is perfectly suited to the occasion: gin, vermouth, stirred not shaken.

Or go the bubbly route with a Champagne cocktail. The Starry Night (“Lust for Life,” 1956) is a simple concoction: just Champagne and absinthe.

For the food portion of the program, try assembling a plate of salsa-topped shrimp: poach shrimp and top with your favorite avocado salsa. If you’re not a seafood person, try deviled eggs: fill hard-boiled egg halves with a colorful tomato-caper-shallot filling.

After three hours of Mr. Harris singing and dancing — even in drag, even on a unicorn — you’ll probably need a sugar rush. Usher out the fourth hour with chocolate sparkle cookies, one of our favorites, a flourless cookie made with ground almonds.

Because you never know where Richard Linklater and his camera will be next.

Love cooking as much as I do? Follow me @noellecarter