LA GRANDE BOUFFE, QUICHE AND CHOCOLATE CAKE

Welcome to Kitchen Essays.

I want to talk about cinema, philosophy, photography, colour, light and shadow, but above all, about food. Because cooking, for me, has never really been just cooking.

Today, to open this space, I’ll take you through my cooking plan for this weekend’s guests. I’m excited because we’ll be celebrating my birthday. We don’t have much of a budget, it will be hot, and one of my guests doesn’t eat meat. Perfect conditions for improvisation.

I’m thinking of making a tomato, feta and basil quiche, accompanied by a salad and some roasted potatoes. For dessert, probably a tutti frutti. And, to finish properly, a cake.

There will be six of us, so I’ll use four medium tomatoes, a bunch of fresh basil, six eggs, 350 ml of cream, and about 250 g of feta cheese.

I chop the tomatoes, feta and basil. I beat the eggs one by one, then add the cream, a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Finally, I fold in the tomatoes, cheese and basil.

I roll out the dough into a baking dish —this time a rectangular one— and pour the mixture on top.

The quiche goes into the oven at 200°C for about thirty minutes. I don’t like it too set or too raw. I have a rather unscientific but reliable method: I open the oven and gently shake it. If it wobbles like a jelly, it’s ready.

I’ve just come back from the supermarket with my husband and my baby. We did the weekly shopping, although inevitably thinking about our guests. I always like getting inspiration from simply looking.

For the salad I’ll make a mix of greens: spinach, lettuce and rocket, with pine nuts —we found them on sale, although they’re still ridiculously expensive— pomegranate and chives. The dressing will be simple: yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Going to the supermarket without a fully fixed idea feels strangely entertaining to me. Looking at colours, prices, fruits that appear and disappear with the seasons, changing my mind halfway through the aisle. There is something almost cinematic about planning a menu: cutting, discarding, improvising, and trusting that the scenes will end up speaking to each other.

For dessert we’ll have blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango, apple and chopped nuts. Fresh, simple, nothing too ambitious.

And of course, chocolate cake.

My recipe is quick and quite indulgent.

One and a half cups of flour, one cup of sugar, half a cup of cocoa powder, three quarters of a tablespoon of baking soda, half a tablespoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Then: two eggs, half a cup of oil, three quarters of a cup of milk, and three quarters of a cup of hot water. Cinnamon or vanilla, depending on the mood.

Everything is mixed without hesitation, poured into two pans, and baked until a knife or skewer comes out clean. It’s quick: about twenty minutes per batch.

For the filling, I use my famous chocolate truffle recipe. This time, without liqueur.

250 g of cream and 500 g of chocolate.

The chocolate is melted over a bain-marie or in the microwave, in thirty-second intervals, checking constantly. It’s important not to overheat it or let it touch water: chocolate has no patience for mistakes like that.

The cream is brought to a boil and, as soon as it starts bubbling, the heat is turned off and the chopped chocolate is added. Then it is mixed slowly and left to cool.

I usually use one layer to bind the two sponge cakes and another to cover the cake. Sometimes I make chocolate shapes for a more artistic touch; other times I prefer fresh strawberries and raspberries on top.

Starting this blog reminds me of a film I watched when I was about seventeen: La Grande Bouffe (1973).

The story follows four friends —a pilot, a restaurant owner, a television director, and a judge— who meet for a weekend in a villa to carry out a collective gastronomic suicide: eating endlessly until they destroy themselves.

This is quite far from my modest birthday with quiche and roasted potatoes, but I’m using the film to open this space because I still remember how disturbed I felt when I watched it. It felt grotesque and excessive. I suppose that was precisely the point.

These are the kinds of films that are not made to be liked, but to disturb.

It is interesting how a film that pushes certain impulses of our society to the extreme can feel so unsettling. Overeating food, sex, excess. Sodom and Gomorrah served at the table.

Today, we can overindulge in almost everything. We order food and it arrives at our door. We buy things we need and things we don’t. We consume images, series, news, opinions and distractions at a speed that would have been hard to imagine just a few decades ago.

Perhaps that is why the film still feels disturbing.

Because it exaggerates something we recognise.

And because, sometimes, excess does not feel like pleasure, but like emptiness.

We overindulge until death. Perhaps, deep down, that is what we want.

TOMATO, FETA AND BASIL QUICHE LA GRANDE BOUFFE, QUICHE AND CHOCOLATE CAKE

• 1 quiche dough or shortcrust pastry

• 4 medium tomatoes

• 1 bunch of fresh basil

• 6 eggs

• 350 ml cream

• 250 g feta cheese

• A splash of olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Chop the tomatoes and feta, and finely slice the basil.

3. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then add the cream, salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil.

4. Add the tomatoes, feta and basil, mixing gently.

5. Roll out the pastry into a baking dish and pour in the filling.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes, until set but still slightly wobbly in the centre.

7. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

Cake Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• ¾ tbsp baking soda

• ½ tbsp baking powder

• A pinch of salt

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup oil

• ¾ cup milk

• ¾ cup hot water

• Cinnamon or vanilla (optional)

Truffle Filling Ingredients

• 250 g cream

• 500 g chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180–200°C.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. Add the eggs, oil, milk and finally the hot water. Mix until smooth.

4. Divide the batter between two cake pans and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife or skewer comes out clean.

5. For the truffle filling, heat the cream until it just begins to boil.

6. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir patiently until smooth and glossy.

7. Let the truffle cool until spreadable.

8. Use one layer to join the cakes and another to cover the top and sides.

9. Decorate with chocolate shapes, strawberries or raspberries if desired. LA GRANDE BOUFFE, QUICHE AND CHOCOLATE CAKE