Gab Bois: Gateau Extraordinaire

The surreal artist and photographer shares her recipe for an edible cake she’s made annually for 13 years along with thoughts about the inedible, conceptual cakes she makes to go with it.

By illustrating food, I’m de-contextualizing it. The fact that I’m interpreting it after it’s already been decontextualized by being photographed, makes it less ephemeral than if it were in front of us on a table. The smells, textures, and the environment food is presented play a role in how we experience it. I started Art Basil to explore my interest in significant events and memories that food is a catalyst for. What we enjoy about a recipe goes beyond the simple taste of it, to the experience of it, a moment in time, or a person/people.

I see Gab Bois as a modern-day Meret Oppenheim. Her exploration of food straddles the intersection of hyperrealism and the commonness of the familiar object. Bois incites a sense of closeness and relatability from her audience while challenging them to question what they see.

I asked Bois to share a recipe for the newsletter, whether or not it was something you can eat. Each year, she makes an inedible/conceptual cake. For her 27th birthday a few weeks ago, Bois created a 2-tier cake with toothbrush candles and Colgate toothpaste frosting. Here’s what Bois says about the edible Gateau Extraordinaire she’s sharing with us today.

“I've had this birthday cake recipe for more than 13 years and it's something I look forward to making annually. I anticipate it and know that it only happens once a year. My whole life and work are surreal so my cakes should be too. Creating inedible cakes as images for my birthday in addition to creating my favorite edible cake are both acts of acknowledgment and celebration that I delight in. cake.

Birthday cake has a very wide reference and a distinct visual symbol of a birthday that can be understood by everyone. It brings together rituals, like blowing out the candles and the shared experience of celebratory eating, it's a visual language. It exists as a pure experience and something collectively understood on its own.”

Here are some of Gab's past (conceptual) birthday cakes:

this year, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020.

GATEAU EXTRAORDINAIRE

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

• Egg Whites

• Sugar

• Cream of Tartar

• Dream Whip

• Crunchie Chocolate Bars

• Chocolate

• Optional, Maraschino or regular Cherries, or Almond slivers

Preparation of meringue

12 egg whites at room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1. Beat the egg whites firmly (at least 8 minutes) on high speed. Add the sugar and cream of tartar. Beat for another 2 minutes.

2. Prepare two glass pyrex baking dishes and cover them with aluminum foil, matte side on top. Sprinkle with flour.

3. Equally, divide the egg white mixture into the prepared dishes. Bake for two hours at 275° F.
   
   * Keep the oven closed and allow the meringues to dry out in the oven overnight. Unmold gently so as not to break the meringues.

Preparation of the cream

1/2 liter of 35% cream or Nutrifil or envelopes of Dream Whip (you can also mix half of the whipped 35% cream with 2-3 envelopes of Dream Whip (whip the 2 products separately).

• Run Crunchie chocolate bars through the food processor to reduce them to powder.

Spread cream and crunchie mixture over one meringue. Place the second meringue onto the first and spread the remaining cream to cover everything.

Decorate with any (or all)

• Blanched almond slivers lightly browned in the pan

• Cherries (with stems) dipped in dark chocolate

• Chocolate shavings

This cake should be made 12 hours in advance. This will allow time for the meringue to soften and make it easier to serve. 

NOTE: This cake can be frozen but must be well-wrapped. Thaw 2 hours before serving.