How to Make Squid Ink Tuiles -- Why is the Geometry Hexagonal?

 

 

About Squid Ink Tuiles

Squid ink tuiles are a very easy to make garnish (tuile). They only require flour, water, oil and squid ink. And you will end up with a beautiful modernist cuisine garnish.

How to Make Squid Ink Tuile

Ingredients

90 g water

30 g oil

10 g flour

1 tsp squid ink

Method

1) Mix together till smooth 10 grams of all purpose flour, 90 grams of water, and 5 gams of squid ink. Then mix in 30 grams of a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as avocado or grapeseed oil.

2) Using a small nontick pan on medium high heat add some oil to the pan and spread out the oil.

3) Pour some of the mixture into the pan. Stand back a bit because it will splatter everywhere. Let the batter cook until the bubbling almost completely stops and the surface of the tile started to look matte. Then using your spatula, gently lift the tile out of the pan and place it onto the paper towel lined tray. And repeat.

References and Video from Squid Ink Tuiles

Above --Female zucchini blossoms are directly attached to the fruit (left). Male blossom are attached to a long stem (right)

Look behind the flower for a swollen base. Flowers with the swollen base are female, as this is the ovary that later develops into the zucchini after germination.

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Above--Top/Left Male Zucchini blossom showing the stamen. Only the male blossom has a stamen in the center of the flower. The pollen on the stamen is what polinates the female plant. (Above/Right) The female internals (pistil) are more complex with the stigma (top bulb structures) and ovary below

Find the stamen in the center of suspected male blossoms. Male flowers have a single, long stamen that is covered in pollen, while female blossoms have a stigma with multiple stems inside (see images above).

Only female squash blossoms mature into a squash. The male is just there to fertilize them. The male blossoms outweigh and outnumber the female flowers.

Pollination

Normally bees with transfer pollen from male stamen which produces the pollen to female stigma. It is also possible to help pollinate the female blossom by taking a cotton swab and collect pollen on it from the male flowers. Then rub the pollen onto the stamen of the female flowers. This will pollinate the female flowers enabling a fruit to be formed.

Not enough light causes poor fruit set. Most fruiting vegetables do best in full sun all day --- they need at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight Also extremely hot temperatures during flowering above 85 degrees can reduce fruit set.

It is possible to hand pollinate the zucchini plant by clipping the male flowers from the vine and rubbing the interior of the male blossom against the interior of a female blossom, transferring the pollen.

For best fruit production pollinate the zucchini flowers yourself early in the morning before the flowers close. The easiest way I've found is to cut a male flower from the plant, carefully remove the petals leaving the stamen intact, and then dab the stamen directly into the center of a female flower. Of course if you have plenty of bees or other beneficial insects around the garden, they will take care of pollination for you! Don't be discouraged at first if all you find are male flowers. Many times squash plants produce more males early in the season.

Dehydrated Zucchini blossoms

You can really intesify flavor by dehyrating zucchini blossoms. Dehydrated blossoms also provide a great garnish. We dehydrate blossoms in September and then vaccum pack them so they last through the winter till the next season.