It would be fair to say that old mate Salvador Dali was pretty cooked. But what you might not realise is that he was a deadset cook. Way back when the budding artist was a mere six years old, he professed his wish to be a chef, but it was not until quite late in the surrealist’s life that this childhood dream manifested.

Back in 1973, Les Diners de Gala, a cookbook as bizarre as its author was released, and for the first time since then, the book is up for reprint. This marriage of fancy foods and surrealist art sees dresses made of sea creatures, a swan catching up with a toothbrush on a pastry shell, and hair of biscuits.

The recipes are mostly old style, high-class French dishes so you might not be making them all at home, unless you have the most whack pantry since Heston Blumenthal.

And if you’re a green smoothie-drinking, kale-loving, quinoa-obsessed people, Dali has a warning just for you, “If you are a disciple of one of those calorie-counters who turn the joys of eating into a form of punishment, close this book at once; it is too lively, too aggressive, and far too impertinent for you.”

Also, if you’re looking to slay, check out chapter 10, dedicated entirely to aphrodisiacs.

Pre-order from Taschen and get trippin’ in the kitchen.

• Words: Ella McNicol