Squid Pad Thai

To make the peanut compound butter Put the garlic in a small saucepan, add enough water to cover, and bring the water to a boil; drain. Repeat 2 more times.

Put the garlic in a small bowl and add the white wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons water. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 3 weeks.

Drain the garlic and add it to a food processor, along with the peanuts, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, galangal*, ginger, peanut oil, coriander, cumin, and coconut extract.

Process to a paste, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping the bowl. Gradually blend in the butter.

To make the tofu puree Blend the tofu, milk, and chiles in a blender until smooth. With the blender running on medium-high speed, slowly stream the xanthan gum into the vortex. Increase the speed as needed to maintain the vortex and continue to blend until no vortex appears on high speed. Season to taste with salt. transfer the tofu puree to a container, cover, and refrigerate until cold, or for up to 1 week.

Just before serving, make the salad: combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and toss well.

To prepare the squid Melt the clarified butter in a heavy large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the squid, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the squid begins to turn opaque, about 45 seconds. Add 6 tablespoons of the peanut compound butter and toss until the butter melts and coats the squid, about 2 minutes.

To serve Divide the squid and peanut sauce among four rimmed soup bowls. Top each with a mound of the salad. Using a small metal spoon, scrape about 1 tablespoon of the tofu puree onto the rim of each bowl. If desired, garnish the rims of the bowls with a light sprinkling of ground Thai chile.

*Galangal is a rhizome that looks very similar to ginger but has a peppery flavor.