Some crime movies are made so well that they make your skin crawl and make you believe someone is out there to get you. No worries, we got you grounded with desserts inspired by those films you love to hate, only these won’t be haunting you in your sleep.
It is said either borderline psychopaths love a good crime film or just fools who have a lackluster life. But if you belong to the third category, someone who loves desserts, this article is just for you. There are so many kinds of thrilling crime films that make your brain hyperventilate and work overtime, for such flicks you need the extra calorie boost to keep you going! So we bring you desserts inspired by some of the most loved crime movies out there dipped in blood (jk, it's raspberry) and teeming with the filth of the darker side (dark chocolate). While we cannot change the ending, these movies might have something you might hate, but we sure can sweeten it by prodding you to add desserts as companions to your next crime movie marathon.
A young Leonardo di Caprio plays a conman who racks up more than two million dollars in his years conning other people while living a posh life with his swindled money. The extravagant dessert, with its layers of coffee-soaked sponge cake sandwiching a rich coffee cream filling and covered in chocolate ganache, represents the lavish and indulgent lifestyle led by con man Frank Abagnale Jr. in the film. Just as Abagnale lived extravagantly by posing as a pilot and doctor, among other professions, the Opera Cake pulls out all the stops with its over-the-top ingredients and design. With its complexity of flavors and textures, solving the "puzzle" of how to best enjoy each bite of the Opera Cake mirrors the cat-and-mouse chase between Abagnale and the authorities trying to catch him.
A reddish dessert for a layered movie that captures the complicated nuances of the film where ex-FBI agent Will Graham seeks the counsel of the jailed psychiatrist, Hannibal Lector who infamously ate many of his clients. Will is forced out of retirement for one last case for the FBI to catch the deranged serial killer Francis Dolarhyde, nicknamed "The Tooth Fairy" for the brutal murders he commits. On the surface, a raspberry soufflé appears delicate and sweet, much like Dolarhyde aims to appear normal to society. However, beneath the soft exterior lies danger (we mean calories of course), just as Dolarhyde hides his true monstrous nature. A souffle is delicate and unstable for it might just collapse if not made well, which mirrors the escalating threat Dolarhyde poses as his violent urges grow stronger, making him more volatile and unpredictable to capture and also is a hint at his unstable scarring childhood. The vivid red color of the fresh raspberries also parallels the gruesome bloodshed of Dolarhyde's crimes.
A light-hearted crime movie stars the “Gen-Z in an older man’s body,” Ryan Reynolds, versus the ripped Dwayne Johnson and the dazzling Gal Gadot who dig knives into each other's backs to become the better thief. The high thrill and power-packed movie is perfectly represented by the passion fruit tart that is refreshing, light, and not too heavy on the palate, exactly like the many movies of Johnson and Reynolds. Cutting into the tart's crisp crust and tangy filling mirrors the excitement of the heist scenes. Just as each bite reveals new layers of flavor, clues progressively uncover more of the intricacies in the case. The tart's balance of sweetness and tart complements the banter and chemistry between the lead characters, despite being adversaries.
The Zodiac Killer's infamous crimes left a dark mystery that has gripped the true crime world for decades. His brutal murders and taunting messages to investigators held an intrigue that drew people in, much like a rich dark chocolate truffle though seeming ordinary, but after a bite, it captures your attention. Just as the truffle hides a surprise in its interior, so too did the Zodiac hide his true identity behind normal appearances. The film attempts to solve this twisted case and uncover who was behind the bizarre murders, represented through figuring out the truffle's filling. The holy trinity of Robert Downey Jr, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Mark Ruffalo come together in this film to catch the killer. Their individual crafting also mirrors the personalized notes left by the Zodiac Killer. The truffles' deep chocolate flavor reflects the dark and twisted nature of the crimes that plague the characters played by the stellar cast.
Anthony Hopkins plays the exasperating criminal Ted who allegedly shoots his cheating wife on an ‘impulse’. In walks Ryan Gosling’s character Willy, who hates losing, coupled with the maniac that Ted is, it makes for an impressive crime movie with a dynamic cast and superb acting. What the Hannibal movies played by Hopkins lacked i.e., a satisfying end, is concluded in this film which nabs the murderer for his crime. That aside, the complicated-sounding dessert, Gianduja Semifreddo, fits the heart-racing and excruciating thrill induced by this movie. The gianduja is basically a chocolate and hazelnut paste that meets the ice-cream-like frozen dessert semifreddo, which perfectly captures Fracture and its underlying themes and the thrill of what happens next.