You can now indulge your inner sci-fi nerd with desserts inspired by some of the genre's most beloved titles, and some quite underrated. While some might give you the answer to what happens when the earth stops earthing, these desserts can sure satisfy your sweet tooth.
From superheroes zipping through the galaxy sans astronaut suits, to our humans floating in the spatial void, science fiction movies have been entertaining us since the 1900s, when the first sci-fi movie was made. Technology has improved in leaps and bounds ever since, and the quality today is grade platinum with James Cameron and Christopher Nolan being the trailblazers.
Apocalypse is often at the center of these movies, and mankind is on the hunt for a new home, or is defending their home from aliens. While some of us would actually love to live in that fantasy land and escape from the clutches of our lackluster lives and get snubbed out, an apocalypse might not be on the charts that soon. Till then, how about eating mini-apocalypses in the form of desserts?
The Earth is dying, and drought and blight are killing crops, which makes living a nightmare, so what do a bunch of scientists do? They isolate, go underground, and try to find a home away from home. This is ultimately done by the scientist-turned-farmer-turned-scientist again’s daughter, when he goes on a space odyssey leaving his family behind. The turmoils, twists, losing loved ones, and losing track of reality and time along with the beautiful visuals that were so realistic is best captured by a lava cake. Its soft and slightly crumbly exterior hides a molten core like the black hole at the center of the movie. Just like the black hole connected two worlds after rippling and compressing and whatnot, to reunite the protagonist with his now-aged daughter, the lava cake represents familial bonds as does humanity’s quest for defying nature and harnessing science to survive.
This movie is the ugly duckling of the sci-fi world and not much talked about for it serves a slice of life more than traditionally being sci-fi. The whole film revolves around two settings and most of it takes place in front of a fireplace, as it's a tale slowly unraveling over a cozy fire with familiar faces around. The movie touches upon complex, sensitive topics, all in dialogue to reveal that the protagonist John Oldman is decades old and doesn’t age. What better than the cheesecake that has undergone a long journey and holds the traces of its past as it hopped, skipped, and jumped countries every few centuries to finally put down roots? A mouthfeel of the cheesecake is exactly how the whole film feels with the grounding graham cracker base rooting you. That is how the story unravels via Oldman, and his former colleagues in the room before the fireplace goes through different stages of shock and disbelief that are challenged by the ‘mental’ John.
This apocalyptic film needs no introduction—the Mayans had been harping on about how doomsday would arrive as 2012 came to an end. The only doomsday that humanity got was living through the year and going strong with no end in sight since then. But what did not happen in reality, did happen on screen and captured the what if-s and what will be-s of an apocalypse. The only good thing the film gave us was that in the face of extinction, some amount of goodness can be found. What better than the cozy apple crisp to capture that? Its autumnal warmth and sweet core reflect the unfolding story of the waves of shock and disbelief that the listeners feel over the warmth of the fireplace. The crispiness of the crust also captures the bitterness of the listeners quite well for John does make everyone question faith, religion, and the meaning of life.
A Quiet Place is a thriller about a family surviving in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by blind but highly attuned deadly creatures. To avoid detection by the monsters, the family lives in constant silence, using sign language to communicate. They move stealthily and take extreme care to avoid making any loud noises. Chocolate muffins are a fitting dessert representation of this film. Individually wrapped muffins mirror how the isolated family members had to stay separated for safety. Their portable size also matches the on-the-go lifestyle of the characters as they travel silently. The rich yet not overly sweet chocolate flavor parallels the family finding moments of simple pleasure and love despite their hardship. The cakey texture of muffins allows for quiet eating without the risk of making noises that would attract the sound monsters.
The sleek yet sophisticated Éclair perfectly encapsulates the 1997 blockbuster Men in Black. Much like the film's protagonists, Agents J and K, the long, thin éclair cuts an imposing figure in its pristine cream-filled pastry casing. But beneath the serious exterior lies a sweet and indulgent chocolate treat, similar to how the stoic MIB agents secretly possess a sense of humor and compassion for otherworldly beings with their own gripes. With its crisp exterior and rich chocolate interior, the éclair is a study in contrasts, much like the film's balancing of alien action scenes with comedic moments. The éclair delivers an enjoyable payoff, satiating your taste buds in a way that mirrors the film's ability to satisfy audiences looking for good entertainment value.