BLACK COURSE

Serves 6

When people ask what food I ruined the most, I tell them about the black course. This dish was inspired by Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, the chef of Mugaritz in Spain. At one time he was experimenting with a lot of black in his food, which inspired us to create a completely black dish. The idea was to make the food as uninviting, as unappealing as possible, while making it taste absolutely delicious.

My favorite thing to eat when I go out is crispy fried calamari with tomato sauce and lemon. We did a take on fried calamari by incorporating squid ink into a delicious beer batter and heirloom tomato marinara. Everything is perfectly in season, it’s fresh and flavorful, but it tricks the mind and asks the diners to step back and think about what and how they consume. In this way, dining becomes as much a cerebral experience as a gustatory one.

The real problem with this dish wasn’t the flavor, but the look. After people started eating it, their teeth would turn black, and the men would laugh at the ladies; the ladies would get so pissed off and there goes the whole evening. We’ll take your $400 anyway.

I have to admit the guest experience wasn’t exceptional with this one, but it was exactly what we wanted to do.

TOMATO SAUCE:

15 grams olive oil

100 grams shallots, sliced

30 grams garlic, sliced

1200 grams heirloom tomatoes, quartered

6 grams salt

3 grams squid ink

8 grams fresh parsley, chopped

6 grams basil leaves, chopped

SQUID:

360 grams whole squid, cleaned and trimmed but heads intact

BEER BATTER:

200 grams all-purpose flour

5 grams salt

3 grams baking powder

800 grams beer

20 grams (about 1 large) egg yolk

5 grams squid ink

TO FINISH:

Canola oil for frying

300 grams all-purpose flour for dredging

6 lemon wedges

TOMATO SAUCE:

Set a medium saucepot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shallots and garlic, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the tomatoes and salt and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cook the tomatoes for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Add the squid ink and stir until it turns black. Add the parsley and basil and keep on low heat until ready to serve.

SQUID:

Take the head of the squid and make sure the feather bone has been removed from the center. Rinse under cold water to remove any sediment from the inside of the head. Slice the head into ¼-inch-thick rings. Remove the beak from the squid by cutting just below the tentacles. You can also ask your fishmonger to do this for you. Rinse and pat dry. Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to fry.

BEER BATTER:

Put the flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Whisk to blend. Add the beer, egg yolk, and squid ink. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Reserve until ready to fry the squid.

TO FINISH:

Preheat a deep fat fryer or pot of oil on the stove to 325°F.

Line a sheet pan with paper towels. If your Tomato Sauce is cold, put it in a saucepot set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Set the bowl of Beer Batter beside it. Dredge 30 grams of squid in the flour and then dip it in the batter. Transfer to the fryer and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and season lightly with salt. Repeat until all of the calamari are cooked and seasoned.

Put 40 grams of black Tomato Sauce in the center of each plate. Squeeze lemon juice over all of the calamari and toss gently to evenly coat the pieces. Put 50 grams of fried calamari in the center of the Tomato Sauce on each plate. Serve immediately.