RESTAURANT REPLICAS: BEST DISH IN A LEADING ROLE ... CAST CREATIONS FOR YOUR OSCAR PARTY.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Go all out for the Academy Awards this year and host an Oscar-watching party at home.

We're not suggesting you whip up the dishes Wolfgang Puck and his team will be creating for the sit-down menu for 1,650 attendees at the Governors Ball, the official after-party of the Academy Awards.

Rather, design your menu around our festive replica creations from Vert, a new brasserie opened by Puck. Located adjacent to the Kodak Theatre, Oscar's new home in the Hollywood & Highland complex, the restaurant offers an enticing combination of French brasserie and Italian trattoria fare.

With the awards show and your get-together on March 24, you should have ample time to shop, set up and complete cooking tasks over the weekend.

Lee Hefter, executive chef/partner, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group of restaurants (there are currently 13), who designed Vert's diverse menu in collaboration with Puck, shared a few techniques and ingredient clues for re-creating our facsimile versions at home.

Among them are Herbed Goat Cheese With Tapenade and Olive Oil; Trio of Bruschetta; Butter Lettuce Salad with Roquefort, Olives and Blood Oranges; Grilled Tuna With Cannellini Beans and Basil Butter; and Warm Chocolate Souffle Cake.

If you don't have time to make them all, pick and choose the dishes your schedule will allow and fill in with store-bought items.

Preparations for some of the dishes can be completed a day or two in advance

of serving to speed assembly and cooking the day or evening of the party. If you want to offer pizzas for hors d'oeuvres to get the conversation going, bake up a few of Puck's frozen signature pizzas in flavors desired.

These recipes are all winners - so whichever ones you decide to make, you're bound to impress friends gathered to celebrate the Oscars.

WARM CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE CAKE

Wow guests with this fabulous warm chocolate dessert topped with coffee or espresso. It's decadent and delicious. Bake and serve in 4 1/2-inch individual souffle dishes or oven-proof serving bowls. If you have any leftovers, these reheat well for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave.

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs OR 2 extra large eggs

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 scoops coffee OR espresso ice cream

In a 1-quart glass measuring cup or bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Heat in microwave oven on high (100 percent) power 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Whisk in sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in flour and vanilla until smooth.

Turn into 4 (4 1/2-inch) buttered individual souffle dishes or ovenproof bowls, dividing evenly.

Bake, on a baking sheet, in a preheated 400-degree oven 10 to 11 minutes - center should not be set. Remove from oven. Serve in dishes baked in, each topped with a scoop of ice cream (or serve ice cream in separate dishes on the side, if desired). Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE WITH TAPENADE AND OLIVE OIL

Instead of butter or oil, this arrives at the table at Vert along with a basket of assorted breads (olive bread is my favorite) shortly after diners are seated. It's easily prepared by rolling a 6-inch log of goat cheese (opt for a mild one such as one from Sonoma that can be found at Trader Joe's) in chopped fresh thyme and parsley. Make a day or two in advance along with the Tapenade and keep refrigerated. You can also use store-bought tapenade, if desired, but it's easy to make in the food processor. Just before serving, cut a slice from the cheese log, place in a small saucer or dish, microwave a few seconds, then top with tapenade and pour olive oil around the sides.

1 1/2 tablespoons packed fresh thyme

1/3 cup packed fresh parsley pieces (without stems)

1 (8-ounce) log mild chevre (goat cheese)

Tapenade

Extra virgin olive oil

In a mini food processor, combine thyme and parsley. Blend until very finely chopped. If necessary, remove to cutting board and finish chopping with chef's knife until very fine.

Spread herbs out on cutting board or waxed paper. Roll cheese log in herbs covering completely and pressing into cheese. Refrigerate, wrapped in plastic wrap.

At serving time, carefully cut a 1-inch round off cheese log. Place round in a small serving dish. Heat in microwave oven 10 seconds to soften slightly, but DO NOT melt. Place a little Tapenade in a strip down center of round. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil all around cheese round until it forms a pool and comes near top of round but does not cover it. Serve immediately as a spread with assorted breads. Each round makes 2 servings. Log will make 6 rounds or 12 servings.

TAPENADE: In bowl of a food processor, combine 3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed olives OR pitted green olives, 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, 1/3 cup oil-packed julienne strips sun-dried tomatoes, 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon drained capers. Process until well blended and in very small pieces (do not puree). Store, covered, in refrigerator. Use as needed. Makes about 1 cup. Any extra can be served on bread slices, grilled fish or chicken, etc.

TRIO OF BRUSCHETTA

Serve a platter filled with three different kinds of bruschetta - or just make one or two. How can you go wrong with favorite Italian ingredients like roasted red peppers, goat cheese, white anchovies, tomatoes, cannellini beans, prosciutto, tomatoes, basil and shaved Parmesan cheese? Prepare all ingredients and toppings in advance and assemble prior to serving.

1 cup finely diced tomatoes (about 2 to 3 plum tomatoes - squeeze out seeds and most of juice before dicing)

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1/2 small clove garlic, pressed OR minced

Extra virgin olive oil

Seasoned salt and pepper to taste

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

18 (3/4-inch thick) diagonally cut slices sourdough OR French bread (from baguette OR flute)

Shaved Parmesan cheese slices

6 thin prosciutto slices

1/3 cup goat cheese, softened

1/2 cup roasted red pepper pieces (use jarred, if desired, rinsed and drained)

12 white anchovy pieces, rinsed and drained, then add a little extra virgin olive oil (use regular anchovies if you can't locate white ones)

In a medium stainless steel or glass bowl, combine tomatoes, red onion, 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped basil, garlic and 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Toss gently to mix. Stir in seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Mash 1/2 of beans with fork until smooth. Add seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Set aside along with remaining whole beans.

Place bread slices on a foil-lined baking sheet. Toast in preheated 350- degree oven about 8 to 10 minutes total, turning once until golden.

Spoon tomato mixture atop 6 toast slices. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped basil. Spread mashed bean mixture on another 6 toast slices. Top with remaining beans, a drizzling of olive oil and prosciutto slices. Spread remaining 6 toast slices with goat cheese. Top with roasted red peppers, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped basil and anchovies.

Cut each toast slice in half. Arrange on a large serving platter. Or serve each diner an individual plate with the three different kinds (two halves of each). Makes 6 servings.

GRILLED TUNA WITH CANNELLINI BEANS AND BASIL BUTTER

Make the basil butter for this impressive dish a couple of days in advance and store in the fridge. Then grill or pan-grill the tuna at the last minute; assembly is fast. Lee Hefter recommends using yellow fin or big eye tuna, but we had good results with albacore. Although Vert serves the tuna cut in slices, we opted to serve the steaks uncut. The dish also works well with halibut steaks. Avoid overcooking and ending up with dried-out fish.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

4 (6- to 7-ounce) tuna steaks (albacore, yellow fin OR big eye), each about 3/4- to 1-inch thick

Extra virgin olive oil

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and well drained

Salt and pepper 

8 to 16 pieces arugula OR fresh baby spinach leaves

2 tomatoes, peeled (optional) and finely chopped, then mixed with 1 tablespoon olive oil and dash sea salt

Good quality balsamic vinegar

In a food processor, blend butter and basil leaves until basil leaves are finely chopped and mixture is thoroughly blended. Remove to a small container and refrigerate, covered, until serving time.

Grill or pan-grill tuna steaks until rare or to desired degree of doneness, turning once. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in medium skillet. Add beans and cook, stirring often, until hot. Add dash each salt and pepper.

Place 1/4 of hot beans in center of each of 4 dinner plates. Top with an arugula leaf or two. Place 1 hot tuna steak atop beans in center of each plate and spread top with a tablespoon or two of basil butter (butter will melt). Top each with an arugula leaf or two and sprinkle top of each steak with 1/4 of chopped tomato mixture. Drizzle plate, around steak, with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD WITH ROQUEFORT, OLIVES AND BLOOD ORANGES

Although the restaurant uses red endive in combination with butter lettuce, we couldn't locate any so opted instead for radicchio. The 7-ounce bag of pre-washed butter lettuce and radicchio works great. The dressing, made by macerating the cheese with oil and vinegar, can be made a day or two ahead. We found that the dressing contributed plenty of Roquefort flavor to the salad, but you can add a few extra crumbles. To candy the walnuts, Chef Lee Hefter tosses them with powdered sugar, then cooks in oil. Olives and blood oranges (use regular oranges or tangerines when blood oranges aren't available) complete this interesting combination.

1/3 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon sherry wine OR 2 to 3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil OR 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

8 to 9 cups butter lettuce pieces mixed with a little radicchio (use about 1 1/2 (7-ounce) bags of pre-washed butter lettuce and radicchio combination available at Trader Joe's)

Candied Walnuts (coarsely chopped)

2 blood oranges, peeled and chopped (cut off any white pith)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped Nicoise OR kalamata olives

In a small bowl, with a wire whisk, mix together cheese and 1/3 cup olive oil until well blended. Whisk in remaining 1/3 cup oil, vinegars, wine, water, basil and salt and pepper to taste until thoroughly blended.

Meanwhile in a salad bowl, combine lettuce, Candied Walnuts, blood oranges and olives. Add amount of dressing desired (start with half of recipe) and toss until well mixed. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

CANDIED WALNUTS: Heat 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts in 1 cup water in microwave oven to boiling; boil 1/2 minute. Drain and dry on paper towels. Mix walnuts with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar. Heat in 2 tablespoons hot oil in small skillet several minutes, stirring, until candied and browned. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Turn out on wax paper-lined pan. Cool before using. Makes 3/4 cup.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) OSCAR eats

Watch the show and dine on party fare inspired by Vert, Wolfgang Puck's new brasserie

(2 -- color) BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD WITH ROQUEFORT, OLIVES AND BLOOD ORANGES

(3 -- color) GRILLED TUNA WITH BEANS

(4 -- color) HERBED GOAT CHEESE WITH TAPENADE AND OLIVE OIL

(5 -- color) The entrance to Wolfgang Puck's new restaurant, Vert, in the Hollywood & Highland complex.